Integrative Medicine
Aug 14th, 2009 by admin
“Integrative medicine” is the currant catch phrase referring to the full range of physical, psychological, social, preventive, and therapeutic factors that support the concept of optimal health. The establishment in 1992 of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) made some inroads into the medical establishment. Research in the field has steadily grown, producing an increasingly strong body of evidence that supports the efficacy of complementary and alternative practices. Not all of this new research is funded by NCCAM. The National Cancer Institute has funded many studies and there are private foundations and donors active.
In late February, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing called “Integrative Medicine: A Pathway to a Healthier Nation,” co-chaired by Senator Tom Harkin and Senator Barbara Mikulski. I believe both President Obama and Senator Harkin recognize the importance of prevention in improving public health and cutting costs. The Senators called the Senate subcommittee meeting to ensure an ongoing dialogue about alternative practices as a viable complement to expensive conventional medical practices.
A few days later at a Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public, hosted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Bravewell Collaborative, Harkin pledged, “It is my intention to change our health system and to place integrative health care at the heart of the reform legislation we will pass this year.”
Factors critical to health care reform were identified at the Summit and include the following:
- The new system must focus on prevention and wellness and put the patient at the center of care.
- Lifestyle-modification programs have been proven not only to improve people’s overall health and well-being but also to mitigate and sometimes completely heal chronic diseases.
- Genetics is not destiny: Recent research shows that gene expression can be turned on or off by nutritional choices, levels of social support, and stress-reduction activities such as meditation and exercise.
- All health care practitioners should be educated in the importance of compassionate care that addresses the bio-psychosocial dimensions of health.
- Evidence-based medicine—which emphasizes the need for research and testing that expand the evidence for integrative models of care—is the only acceptable standard.