Integrative Medicine, the Medicine of the Future

Integrative medicine got a boost of greater public awareness and funding after a landmark 1993 study. That study showed that one in three Americans had used an alternative therapy, often under the medical radar. Proponents prefer the term Integrative Medicine or complementary to emphasize that such treatments are used with mainstream medicine, not as replacements or alternatives. Integrative medicine is appealing and it is the preferred method of treatment by most people worldwide. Advocates point to deep dissatisfaction with a health care system that often leaves doctors feeling rushed and overwhelmed and patients feeling as if they are nothing more than diseased livers or damaged joints. Integrative medicine seems to promise more time, more attention, and a broader approach to healing one that is not based solely on the Western bio medical model, but also draws from other cultures. Integrative medicine is a neologism coined by practitioners to describe the combination of practices and methods of alternative medicine with conventional medicine. Some universities and hospitals have integrative-medicine departments. The term has been popularized by, among others, Dr. D.Chopra, and Dr. Andrew Weil . Dr. Weil says that patients should take the Western medicine prescribed by the doctor, and then incorporate alternative therapies such as Natural Vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, herbs and other spiritual strategies.