Integrative Medicine
-Considers each patient as a unique individual
-Requires that the doctor and patient work together as a team
-Is comprehensive in its approach
-Looks at the way the body is functioning both intracellularly and as a whole
-Considers all body systems to be interrelated and functionally dependent
-Considers genetic, nutritional, emotional and environmental factors involved
-Traces the patient’s health issues back in time
-Works to find an underlying cause or trigger for medical conditions
-Identifies nutritional deficiencies and lifestyle issues involved
-Seeks to identify early stage/subclinical disease states to prevent worsening
-Utilizes the best of scientific evidence and diagnostic tools available
-Does include the use of prescription medications when necessary
-Is used in addition to, not as a replacement for, traditional medical care
Integrative Medicine is a term used to describe a treatment approach that combines standard western medical knowledge with an array of complementary strategies aimed at improving health. The combination of standard medical knowledge and complementary approaches frequently provides an improved opportunity for success when treating patients with difficult or chronic disease states.
Often, a chronic state of illness is perceived by the patient as having a diminished sense of well being or lost capacity for normal ease in activities of daily living. Integrative approaches are aimed at improving health on all levels—body, mind and spirit—and to get patients “back on track” with their lives.
As a physician involved with Integrative Medicine, my responsibility first and foremost is to evaluate each patient as an individual with their own unique constitutional physical and emotional makeup. Furthermore, consideration of environmental, nutritional and lifestyle factors are necessary when employing an integrative approach. Every patient is evaluated as a unique individual with attention to their own situation. Most people know when their bodies have made a change for the worse. Most people don’t know why. I will take the time to help figure this out and will work with each patient to find a solution for their health concerns.
Schedule a consultation for a functional assessment if you have health concerns that have not been answered!