Purpose One-third or more US adults, and similar numbers elsewhere, use complementary and integrative medicine (CIM). The results of previous systematic reviews of the economic impacts of CIM are limited and now out of date. The purpose of this comprehensive review is to capture and highlight for policy makers what is currently known about the economics of CIM, and to make recommendations for f...

Purpose Integrative medicine is emerging as a vital part of the US healthcare system. To better understand how integrative medicine is actually being practiced, a study was undertaken to: (1) Describe the patient populations and health conditions most commonly treated; (2) Investigate the interventions utilized; and (3) Ascertain the distinctiveness of treatments used for different conditions; ...

Purpose Integrative Medicine has been practiced in different hospitals in Germany for several decades. For example, several anthroposophic hospitals integrate conventional medicine with methods including the use of natural remedies, rhythmic embrocations, art therapy and biographic counseling. Moreover, patient-centeredness is a fundamental therapeutic approach especially in Integrative Medicin...

When multiple treatment choices are available, the question is not just "which treatment is the best?" but more importantly "best or better for whom, when, and why?" Aptitude (or attribute) by treatment interaction (ATI) is a research paradigm that attempts to examine exactly that--how outcome depends on the match or mismatch between patients' specific characteristics and the treatment they rec...

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 me...

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death. As the main treatment of CHD, modern medicine has improved dramatically in recent years. Although researches of TCM and integrative medicine on CHD are witnessed encouraging progress in many respects, the role TCM playing in the prevention and treatment of CHD has been unprecedentedly challenged under such circumstance of the very fast...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Integrative medicine is a relatively new field that seeks to combine conventional and nonconventional approaches to patient care. Many academic health centers have now established integrative medicine clinics, yet little is known about the clinicians who practice at them. We used a nationwide survey to characterize the backgrounds, clinical practices, and involvement i...

According to Dr. Andrew Weil, Director of the Integrative Medicine program at the University of Arizona, “The integrative approach is based on a physician/patient partnership within which conventional and alternative modalities are used to stimulate the body’s natural healing potential. It neither rejects conventional medicine nor uncritically accepts alternative practices.” Physicians who use ...

The merits of integrative medicine such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combined with Western medicine in preventing or ameliorating chronic diseases are increasingly in the biomedical research and clinical applications. Recent researches suggest that integrative medicine are not only the TCM plus Western medicine simply. They should be put together by scienti...