Integrative medicine has become quite popular and not without reason. This special branch of medicine gives equal importance to conventional medicine and alternative medicine. Integrative medicine uses different therapies and treatments suggested by conventional medicine for treating the patients. It also takes the help of alternative medicine for giving the patients a better healing experience. Conventional medicine refers to the treatments that generally physicians, doctors and surgeons offer at hospitals or private clinics. Alternative medicine refers to a lot of different types of scientific and non-scientific yet effective therapies like herbal medicines or homeotherapy, massages, acupuncture, tai chi and Yoga.
Unlike conventional medicine that cannot look beyond an ailment, integrative medicine looks at the patient as a whole and surveys every aspect of the patient’s health. The patients are made a part of the treatment procedure. Integrative medicine emphasizes the need of improving the patient’s lifestyle, habits and dietary choices to prevent chronic illness. Without active participation of the patients this is not possible. Integrative medicine restores good food habits and encourages physical activities. Through alternative therapies and treatments the immunity of the patients gets a boost. If the immunity of a person is increased then the body will become stronger from within and fight to get rid of the ailments it has. Integrative medicine does not cure a person from a certain illness but rather cures the whole patient from every possible disease. There is no set rule for treatment. Patients are prescribed conventional and alternative therapies after thorough evaluation of their health, habits and medical records. Treatment for the same ailment may differ from one patient to another.
There are many reasons behind the popularity of integrative medicine. The cost of getting conventional medical treatments has increased in leaps and bounds in the past decade. Patients have started resorting to the alternative therapies as they cost less and also give satisfactory results in improving health conditions. Integrative medicine has merged and combined both conservative medicine and alternative medicine. Integrative medicine understands the connection and need of balance between the three parts of a human being, body, mind and spirit. It treats these three parts equally with conventional and alternative therapies and medicines to heal a patient completely.