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Are you thinking of following integrative medicine to improve your overall health? It’s not just about purchasing multivitamins from Integrative Therapeutics in Supplement First or doing yoga, there’s more to this approach to wellness! Take a look at what integrative medicine is with our short guide.
What is Integrative Medicine?
Integrative medicine combines conventional medicine and complementary medicine.
Conventional medicine, or traditional Western medicine, included surgery, medication, and lifestyle changes. On the other hand, complementary medicine is not part of conventional medicine, including chiropractic care, yoga, meditation, etc.
How Does Integrative Medicine Help?
Integrative medicine will use various techniques to provide whole-person care. Both conventional and complementary care work together to heal one’s body, mind, and spirit.
That said, complementary therapies will not replace conventional treatments, just like how multivitamins from stores like supplementfirst.com/ won’t replace prescription medication or nutrient-rich food. Instead, complementary medicine will help people cope with any symptoms, side effects, or complications they experience.
Integrative medicine can benefit many kinds of patients, particularly those who have chronic or complex medical conditions, like:
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Chronic pain
- Diabetes
- Headaches
- IBS
- Joint pain
- Nausea
- Mental illnesses
- And other types of mental and physical conditions
One can reap numerous benefits when using integrative medicine, as it can maximize well-being from the healing opportunities from complementary medicine and disease-focused therapies from conventional medicine. Other than that, complementary therapy can help those who have long-term illnesses by:
- Improving appetite
- Improving cognitive functioning, like memory
- Offering peace of mind
- Offering relief from any fatigue, pain, or nausea
- Helping with sleep quality
What Therapies are Available?
There are different kinds of complementary therapies available to use alongside the medication and treatments your doctor prescribes. Here are some of the therapies one can avail of, depending on their condition and what symptoms they experience.
- Natural remedies are treatments that include substances from nature that maximize one’s nutrient levels, such as diet therapy, the use of herbal supplements, probiotics, and vitamins.
- Mind-body practices will connect physical and mental health with therapies including yoga, meditation, hypnotherapy, energy healing, or biofeedback.
- Bodywork consists of therapies that use our bodies to influence our health and well-being, including acupuncture, reflexology, therapeutic massages, or chiropractic care.
Are There Risks?
While integrative medicine is known to have benefits, there are also potential risks and disadvantages, such as:
- You will need to work with two or more providers, resulting in complex care plans that require many appointments. It can also get quite expensive if your insurance does not cover complementary therapies.
- Conventional and complementary therapies have very different philosophies so providers might disagree on the best course of treatment.
- Some complementary therapies can have side effects or counteract conventional treatments. Unfortunately, some side effects can be life-threatening, which is why it’s crucial to speak with your doctor before combining your traditional treatment with any complementary therapy.
Wrapping It Up
While it’s best to consume your nutrients through a healthy diet, supplements and other therapies from integrative can give you that health boost!
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