Integrative Medicine is a way of practicing medicine with a holistic approach towards the body which uses both Conventional medicine practices and evidence based CAM therapies.©
• In fact, Integrative Medicine itself is not a medicinal system, it is a way / method of practice which integrates / combines conventional medicine with certain CAM therapies. The CAM therapies and conventional medicine practices used in this method, depends on the skills and expertise of the practitioner and it has no set criteria.
• Since the Practitioner needs to combine conventional medicine with CAM therapies, He / She should be knowledgeable of both philosophies, its advantages, disadvantages and limitations. The Practitioner may be either - 1)A conventional Medicine Doctor (studied and eligible to practice western medicine as per the national laws) who also certified to practice any type of CAM therapies.2)An Alternative Medicine Doctor ( Not complementary medicine practitioner) who studied the conventional medicine subjects / philosophy during the graduation, like BNYS Degree offered by Indian Government.
• The approach of the treatment is very important in this practice. It should be Holistic by considering all aspects of human being – Physical, Psychological, Social and Spiritual and as a whole. This approach differentiates Integrative Medicine from the Conventional Medicine.
• The Conventional Medicine practices used in the Integrative Medicine is variable, but Medical Diagnosis is an important part in the integrative medicine practice, which makes it more authentic and scientific. Notwithstanding diagnosis, whenever and wherever, the condition which requires conventional treatments (surgery, chemical drug/injection, medical procedures, etc…), and cannot be managed by CAM therapies, the practitioner should be able to refer to the concerned medical speciality accordingly.
• The CAM therapies used in the Integrative Medicine practice should have some high-quality evidence of safety and effectiveness. May not be always science based medicine, since science itself is limited to prove all the facts and results, unless until proper researches are carried out. The boundaries between CAM and conventional medicine are not absolute, and specific CAM practices may, over time, become widely accepted.
• A lot of debates are going on in integrating Conventional Medicine with CAM therapies, despite of the percentage of patients who turn towards Integrative Medicine is steadily increasing worldwide. The good news that that there is really little or no conflict between Integrative Medicine and Conventional Medicine – just between the people offering them.
Let us embrace a medicinal practice which offers cure and healing to the suffering by considering all the aspects of human being with less invasive, less side effects, non complicated and which respects the human values and human being’s interrelation with Mother nature.
