Integrative medicine focuses on the whole person, addressing all factors that affect health. It is a holistic approach that takes body, mind, and spirit into account. Practitioners integrate conventional medicine with natural therapies. While conventional medicine largely focuses on symptoms and treatment of disease, integrative medicine is oriented toward healing. It recognizes that each patient has unique needs, and the patient and practitioner partner to seek health and healing.
The general public has been utilizing complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies for many years. Many who are using CAM today do so without discussing it with their personal physicians. Integrative medicine allows patients to see a doctor who can combine both approaches to medicine.
As medical science and technology have advanced at a rapid pace, the health care delivery system has floundered. Many providers and patients agree that our health care system is in need of change. Currently, a heavy reliance on technology and specialty care leads to their overuse and contributes to rising health care costs. Primary care integrative medicine focuses on health, wellness, and prevention, and respects the wisdoms of both modern technology and natural therapies. It utilizes the evidenced-based information concerning the impact of nutrition and stress on health. Primary care integrative medicine is thorough and cost effective.
Currently, most integrative medicine physicians practice in a consultation setting. They are not involved in ongoing conventional medical care, but rather evaluate patients from an integrative medicine approach and make treatment and health and healing suggestions. Unlike conventional consultations, these are often just given directly to the patient rather than to the patient’s primary physician, causing an even greater disruption in continuity of care. On the other hand, primary care integrative medicine allows the natural therapies to become a part of “regular” health care.
For example, a primary care integrative medicine practitioner would not only provide necessary medication to patients with cholesterol problems, heart disease, or hypertension but also provide dietary and exercise counseling as well as suggestions regarding vitamins, supplements, and stress reduction techniques. Those who do not yet have a disease but are at risk would be counseled and given personalized suggestions for prevention. Non-pharmacologic treatments for certain chronic problems, such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, and chronic headaches, can be offered. Medical schools are beginning to recognize that there is a growing expectation and need for physicians to have a better fundamental understanding of these facts, and medical schools are beginning to include some information about integrative medicine in the curriculum.
Although primary care integrative medicine is still somewhat new, the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences has at least two members of the faculty who practice it (Dr. Neena Thomas-Eapen, Minot Family Medicine Center, and Dr. Debra Bell, RiverView?Health Family Practice and Integrative Medicine Center in Crookston, Minn.). We not only do direct teaching for medical students and residents but also act as role models and examples of a way to practice primary care that is on the cutting edge of American health care.
