therapy spotlight
Integrative Medicine The Good Medicine of the Future
by Gabriela Pichardo I
ntegrative medicine is an approach to care
that puts the patient at the center and ad- dresses the full range of physical, emo- tional, mental, social, spiritual and envi- ronmental infl uences that aff ects a person’s health. T e care is personalized to best address everyone’s unique conditions while focusing on the whole person, changing the emphasis in medicine to one of health and healing rather than disease. Aristotle was one of the fi rst holistic physicians who believed that every person was a combination of both physical and spiritual properties with no separation between mind and body. Integrative medicine combines main-
stream medical therapies and complemen- tary and alternatives therapies (CAM) for which there is some scientifi c evidence of safety and eff ectiveness. CAM is not synonymous with integrative medicine; rather, CAM is a collection of therapies, many of which have a similar holistic philosophy. T ese days, more and more people are attracted to alternative forms of healing. Reasons can include the high cost of health care, unwanted drug side eff ects or conventional treatments failing to heal a condition. In addition, many people feel unheard by their doctor as the medical system allows less and less time for doctors
Did you know?
Chronic or acute pain is one of the most common reasons for people to seek out CAM. Low back pain accounts for the highest percentage of CAM use. A past review, from 2002 to 2007, showed an increase in the use of CAM in those who did not have access to conventional medical care, thus showing the importance of CAM as an option for the uninsured.
28 Austin Area Edition
AustinAwakenings.com
to spend with patients. Currently, it is
estimated that 42 per- cent of the population uses CAM. One of the prin-
ciples of integrative medicine is putting the patient rather than the disease at the heart of health care. A quote from Dr. Andrew Weil, founder and director of the Ari-
zona Center for Integrative Medicine, best explains this: “Imagine a world in which medicine was oriented toward healing rather than disease, where doctors believed in the natural healing capacity of human beings and emphasized prevention above treatment. In such a world, doctors and patients would be partners working toward the same ends.” In addition to addressing and han-
dling the immediate health problem(s) as well as the deeper causes of the disease or illness, integrative medicine strategies also focus on prevention and foster the development of healthy behaviors and skills for eff ective self-care that patients can use throughout their lives. For example, people addressing their health with better nutrition and lifestyle choices to help them prevent coronary heart disease or another chronic conditions such as Type 2 diabetes. An integrative medicine provider uses
all healing sciences to facilitate the body’s innate healing response. T ey always try to
use eff ective interventions that are natural and less invasive, whenever possible. Another important principle of integrative medicine is time spent listening to patients. T e patient and the clinician are partners in the healing journey and process. Integrative doctors take the time to help each patient fi gure out what is preventing them from achieving their best possible health. T is healing encounter takes time, since the clinician needs to have a solid understanding of the patient’s culture, beliefs and lifestyle. T is invaluable information will help facilitate changes in behavior resulting in improved health of the patient and more value to the health care delivery. Integrative medicine is the good
medicine of the future. It can provide the balance needed for both the physician and patient. It is refreshing to see that this ancient practice—based on a balance of mind, body and spirit that has been around since the time of Aristotle—is making a comeback. Each day, more healthcare providers and health centers are implementing integrative medicine practices thus changing the ways they ap- proach health and healing.
Gabriela Pichardo, M.D., is an integrative physician at West Holistic Medicine, in Aus- tin. She has a passion for women’s health, hormone-related issues and gut health as well as overall optimization of health. For more information, contact her at 512-814- 0148 or visit
WestHolisticMedicine.com. See ad, page 6.
The 10 most-used CAM therapies among adults:
Deep breathing Natural products Meditation Chiropractic and osteopathic care Massage Yoga Diet-based therapies Progressive relaxation Guided imagery Homeopathic treatment
Source: Integrative Medicine, by Dr. David Rakel
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