WHAT IS INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE?
Integrative medicine is
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Integrative medicine is an approach to care that puts the patient first. As a patient, your story, preferences, values and beliefs about your health are taken seriously. Putting the patient first means really knowing the patient, and because of this, our appointments are significantly longer than the average conventional medical appointment where the patient and doctor interact for a mere 11-minutes on average.
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Integrative medicine
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Unlike conventional Western medicine which focuses on disease, integrative medicine focuses on all aspects of a patient's life—physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and environmental—that contribute to a patient's health and well-being. Science has unequivocally shown there is a real and profound connection between the brain and the immune system and our emotional state and disease. When we ask, "How are you feeling today?", we really mean it. We spend the time to explore your relationships, happiness, work environment and stress level, believing these all contribute to one's health and overall wellness.
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Integrative medicine is personalized |
Integrative medicine is personalized medicine; there is no one-size-fits-all approach. We use advanced laboratory testing, including genetic testing, to devise at treatment plan that addresses your individual blueprint. Each person responds differently to lifestyle changes, nutritional modifications, supplements and medications, so we work with you carefully to optimize your treatment plan and ensure lasting results.
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Integrative medicine addresses the cause of illness, not just the symptoms |
Whether we are talking about migraines, joint pain, infertility or constipation, we are talking about symptoms, all of which have an underlying cause. Often times in conventional Western medicine, symptoms are misinterpreted as diseases. Integrative medicine works to treat the underlying cause of your symptoms. In doing so, your underlying health status is improved overall.
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Integrative medicine stimulates the body's innate healing processes |
Anyone who has had cut or burn that has healed or has been sick with an illness and recovered without medication knows that our body has an innate ability to heal itself. It is actually quite amazing what our bodies can heal from if given the opportunity to do so. Integrative medicine uses treatments that stimulate the body's own innate healing process by removing barriers to healing and then providing the body with what it needs to return to optimal health.
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The least invasive treatments are used first, when appropriate |
Just as we don't use a fire extinguisher to put out a single match, it is not always necessary to use invasive or high-force interventions to restore health. Integrative medicine practitioners start with simple and gentle treatments, when appropriate. If a stronger treatment is necessary such as pharmaceutical drugs or surgery, we work to help your body prepare for and recover from such treatments.
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Evidence-based natural treatments are used first, when appropriate |
While it is true, just because something is natural does not mean that it is safe, natural treatments often work to support our body's physiology and innate healing abilities instead of overriding them. Furthermore, natural treatments often have fewer side effects than pharmaceutical drugs. We are fortunate to live in a time where a good deal of research is being conducted on the safety and efficacy of natural treatments. We choose evidence-based natural treatments first when possible, following patients' symptoms and lab work carefully to ensure the desired result is achieved.
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Patient and doctor are partners |
Integrative medicine practitioners see the doctor and patient as partners on a journey to health. The role of the doctor is to educate and advise the patient, presenting facts, ideas and recommendations, but is not to overpower or dictate the patient. In this relationship, the patient also takes responsibility for his or her health, asking questions, learning about how the body works, and implementing lifestyle changes. The results that are achieved when patients and doctors act as co-collaborators are significantly more impactful and lasting than when patients are removed from decisions regarding their own health and care.
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