Integrative Medicine
Integrative Medicine is the first installment in a 10-part series of information regarding a way in which ordinary people can begin working with alternative medical modalities together as partners with their doctors to bring a higher quality of health care that meets their specific health needs.
A. People who follow Integrative Medicine taking an active role in their health care, experience better health and improved healing.
(See Mayo Clinic Guide to Integrative Medicine, Brent A. Bauer, Ed., Time Incorporated Books, 2017).
- Build a solid wellness foundation
- Address all aspects of health, mind, body and spirit
- Understand the importance the role the mind plays in health and fighting disease
- Establish a partnership with their doctors
- Choose doctors that treat the whole person and hospitals that concentrate on wellness.
- Treat disease where conventional medicine and evidence based on complimentary treatments meet, to treat more effectively.
- Ascribe to natural or holistic, herbal treatments integrated into their medical practices, where necessary, as a complement to the practice of Western medicine, to promote wellness.
B. Integrative Medicine is an open-minded, patient-centered, pragmatic whole-person health that has been most effective in many diseases.
- Chronic stress
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Respiratory disease
- Accidents
- Stroke
- Alzheimer’s
- Diabetes
- Flu
- Kidney disease
C. Integrative Medicine can help stem the above diseases and help patents deal with their disease in the following practices.
- Good nutrition. How to find it; how to eat it; and how to adapt to it.
- Exercise. Finding a groovy practice that adds to the wellness of cognitive health, heart and lung strength, disease prevention, a better night’s sleep, a better immune system, emotional health connection to others, spiritual experience.
D. Integrative Medicine includes Mind Body medicine.
This medicine requires complete attention and recognition of and to ailment or disease. Concentrate on making the Mind Body Connection.
- Relieves excessive negativity.
- Brings intentional focus.
- Brings acceptance that empowers engagement in meaningful action.
- Allows focus on principles such as acceptance, compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, interconnectedness and higher meaning to life.
- Allows seeing of reality.
E. Integrative Medicine also concentrates on:
- Relaxation therapies
- Muscle relaxation
- Deep breathing
- Art therapy
- Music therapy
- Animal-assisted therapy
- Meditation
- Biofeedback
- Hypnotherapy
- Spirituality
- Guided imagery
F. The therapies above in Section E and the therapies below in Section G help with
- Dementia
- Asthma
- Pain and arthritis
- Autism
- Parkinson’s
- Mood enhancement
- Stress reduction
- Cancer
- High blood pressure
- Anxiety and chronic fatigue syndrome
- Depression
- Pregnancy
- Bi-polar disease
- Dialysis
- …and more
G. Integrated Medicine also includes
- Chiropractic
- Osteopathic
- Body reconstruction
- Massage therapy
- Chinese massage
- Rolfing and reflexology
- Acupuncture
- Herbs & supplements
- Ayurveda
- Naturopathy
- Feldenkrais
- Healing touch
- Reiki
In our next chapters we will take one step at a time following the above Guide A to G. Let us know if you would like to follow along. But first please feel free to email your questions on what you have just read.
Thank you for joining us on the Great Adventure to greater health. Raise a glass to the future of a long and pain-free healthy life!
Blessings!
From the Global Initiative for Health and Wellness