Most people are unfamiliar with the term Integrative Medicine.  Integrative Medicine is not alternative medicine.  It is the combination of Western/Conventional medicines with Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) modalities that have good scientific evidence supporting them.  Integrative medicine focuses on treating the person as a whole rather than a disease or part by taking into account the mind, body, and spirit.  The mind, body, and spirit are intertwined; therefore treating one affects the other.

Everyone’s lives today are so busy and hectic.  Most people do not take the time to take care of themselves.  Skipping breakfast, rushing through meals (grab and go), not exercising, neglecting the foundations of nutrition, allowing the stress in life to build, dealing with chronic issues and believing that this is all a normal part of life.  Does this sound familiar?  Unfortunately, yes…

Integrative Medicine practitioners make you aware of the cycle above and attempt to help prevent and break those before they become a detrimental chronic process.  Through nutrition, exercise, yoga, tai chi, meditation and other modalities, we can strive to achieve balance in our lives.

Some other modalities include, but not limited to: Acupuncture, Massage & Bodywork, Botanicals, Biofeedback, Energy Medicine and various Stress Reduction Techniques.

The beauty of Integrative Medicine is that it does not discount Western Medicine or CAM modalities.  It uses the best of all worlds to help facilitate the body’s own healing process.  By using an Integrative approach to medicine, it ultimately will benefit the patients and the healthcare system.