Alternative Medicine, Complementary Medicine, Holistic Medicine, Mind-Body Medicine
Mind-Body Medicine Alongside Mainstream Care
A multi-disciplinary integrative healthcare team often includes physicians, nutritionists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, yoga instructors, and meditation instructors, among others. Integrative health practitioners partner with the patient to provide individualized treatment and prevention of disease and disorders; the patient is part of the decision-making process. Whenever feasible, less invasive, more natural interventions are used for healing and health promotion. Many alternative treatments have been researched and can be effective.
The food you eat affects your health and the development of illness and disease including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and many other conditions. If your diet contains too much fat and cholesterol, you may end up with atherosclerosis; too much sugar can lead to diabetes; add fish to your meal plan and your risk of heart disease decreases. And people who eat a lot of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains normally live longer and healthier lives. Nutrition is a foundation of integrative care.
While it is best to eat your nutrients in the form of food, supplements are indeed part of complementary care. Here is a short list of helpful supplements.
• Omega-3 fatty acids, high in cold-water fish, help prevent heart disease, arthritis, and cancer. It also reduces inflammation, which is important for immune response.
Complementary Care in Illness and Disease
Integrative medicine is increasingly sought as patient sophistication grows, and a more holistic approach to care is encouraged by health providers as well as consumers. Alternative therapies—like yoga, acupuncture, and music therapy—can make a difference when used alongside standard Western medications and treatment protocols. Integrative medicine shows promise in treating mood disorders and psychiatric conditions. It can also help people grieve the loss of a loved one in healthy ways.
Standard treatment for cancer patients includes invasive chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapies. These ministrations are hard on the body and the mind, and an integrative approach is often used to counter the adverse side effects of such traditional care. If animal-assisted therapy, for instance, works for a particular patient by reducing stress, then adding such a therapy to the treatment program would be useful.
When the proliferation of opioids led to addiction and overdose, integrative medicine came to the forefront in the management of pain. Drugs and medication are not always the right solution for pain. Conversely, complementary therapies, such as acupuncture and meditation, may well help a patient better cope with their suffering and even address their underlying and co-occurring problems.
Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia patients can suffer severe fatigue, swollen glands, aching muscles and joints, sleep difficulties, mental fog, low mood, among many other symptoms. Yet medical science has fallen short in helping these patients. People who suffer have turned to alternative therapies with positive results. One key component in addressing such conditions is paying attention to lifestyle and self-care, which includes proper nutrition, regular physical activity, and good sleep hygiene.
Explore More About Integrative Medicine
For a comprehensive understanding of integrative medicine, read our complete guide: