Integrative medicine is an alternative form of medicine that is slowly but surely gaining popularity today. Integrative medicine combines contemporary medicine with traditional medicine to provide holistic treatment to patients.
An integrative family health associate or doctor works to treat the mind, body, and soul together with a patient’s illness. They do this with the guidance of holistic medicine principles such as;
• Prevention comes first and treatment second
• Emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, and social wellness is key to good health
• Disease is not a single event or body part but a problem with the whole body
• Treatment is more than just improving the symptoms but dealing with the underlying issues of the problem
• Education, traditional medicine, self-care, CAM are possible treatment options
• A patient is not defined by their condition
• The treatment outcome is determined by the relationship between you and your doctor
Integrative medicine in Asheville is relatively new. Many people question whether integrative family health associates are real doctors or not. The truth is some of them are licensed medical practitioners with a medical degree, and some of them are not. However, they are referred to as doctors in their field.
You will not find an integrative medicine doctor who doesn’t practice traditional medicine in a regular hospital. They usually work in private medical institutions. Understandably, the term integrative medicine might be new to many people, but if we are to go with the definition of holistic medicine, there are many holistic doctors in medicine.
Some of them include osteopaths, ayurvedic doctors, and naturopathic doctors. Doctors in this field are professionally trained in that specific practice and are licensed to provide the service. So it’s safe to say that holistic medicine has always been there, but not many people knew about it.
If you have any health issues that traditional medicine can’t seem to treat. It might be time for you to try out integrative medicine. To know more information contact Integrative Family Medicine of Asheville.