What is Integrative Medicine?

What is Integrative Medicine?

May 31, 2022

There’s no easy way to say this, but America’s healthcare system is in a crisis. It’s estimated that over 27 million people are without health insurance, and those who do have it often pay sky-high premiums for sub-par care.

To further exacerbate the situation, Americans are among the sickest people in the developed world. How can this be? How can one of the richest countries in the world be so unhealthy?

The unfortunate truth is that medicine in the United States has become more business-oriented over the years with a greater focus on paperwork and profit than on the patient’s health and well-being. With this current system, both the provider and patient are restricted by insurance imposed directives which affect the overall quality of care and treatment. Insurance companies influence how much time a physician spends with their patient, impose burdensome prior authorization of prescribed treatment and enforce restrictive step therapy programs.

The question is; are there any solutions to this failing system of medical care?

Integrative medicine is an approach to care that allows a practitioner more time to spend on each individual patient and more control over choosing the appropriate therapies and medication.

This multifaceted field of medicine combines the best science from several medical fields, such as neurology and endocrinology, and combines them with naturopathic and nutritional medicine; helping the body to heal itself and restore vital functions.

In traditional medicine, the focus is on treating individual symptoms that a patient may be experiencing. The problem with this approach is that as humans our health is much more complex than just treating symptoms. In fact, two different people may experience similar symptoms but the causes may be different resulting in a completely different care approach.

Many factors affect a patient’s overall health and may include: physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual influences. In the healing-oriented methods of Integrative Medicine, all of these influences on the individual are taken into consideration when choosing the appropriate treatment interventions.

Patient/Provider Relationship

Many times, in the traditional medical setting, a physician is not allowed the time necessary to establish a relationship with their patients. This puts both the patient and practitioner at a disadvantage. In an Integrative Medicine practice, the relationship between the practitioner and patient is emphasized with the patient’s overall health and well-being taking center stage. The patient’s unique conditions, lifestyle factors, and deficiencies are addressed with a personalized strategy targeted toward the goal of regaining and maintaining supreme health.

Dr. Leonard Kaplan utilizes the core principles of Integrative Medicine to conduct an in-depth interview with the patient, establish a trusted relationship, and provide the nourishing environment needed for optimum healing. This approach to healthcare allows for more time to focus on the patient as a unique individual and removes the middleman of health insurance metrics and productivity demands that influence how a patient is to be cared for in a traditional healthcare setting.

The Defining Principles of Integrative Medicine

Integrative Medicine can be defined by 8 core principles:

  1. The patient and practitioner are partners in the healing process.
  2. All factors that influence health, wellness, and disease are taken into consideration
  3. Appropriate use of both conventional and alternative methods facilitates the body’s natural healing response.
  4. Effective interventions that are natural and less invasive should be used whenever possible.
  5. Integrative medicine neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically.
  6. Good medicine is based on good science. It’s inquiry-driven and open to new paradigms.
  7. Alongside the concept of treatment, the broader concepts of health promotion and the prevention of illness are paramount.
  8. Practitioners of Integrative Medicine should exemplify its principles and commit themselves to self-exploration and self-development.

OWM Integrative Wellness uses a comprehensive approach that blends modern medicine with the ancient wisdom of nutritional medicine and always looks for the root cause of illness. This could include anything from the dysfunction of an individual cell to disorders of the gut.

Conditions we treat at OWM Integrative Wellness:

  • Mood Disorders
  • Autoimmune Disease
  • Chronic Pain
  • Neuropathy
  • Post Viral Syndromes
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • Neurological Degenerative Disease
  • Cognitive Optimization
  • Cardiometabolic Syndrome
  • Brain and Cardiometabolic Illness Prevention
  • Health and Wellness Optimization
  • Mold CIRS Treatment
  • Long Haul Covid Management

Integrative Therapies Offered

It’s important not to confuse Integrative Medicine with Alternative Medicine. The difference between the two is simple; Alternative Medicine uses an approach that employs unconventional therapies in place of traditional medical treatments; Integrative Medicine combines conventional therapies with alternative treatment. This integrative approach to medicine allows for a more well-balanced treatment which strengthens the patient’s ability to sustain optimal health. Along with conventional medications and treatment modalities, Integrative Medicine may also combine the following disciplines:

  • Nutritional Optimization
  • Peptide Therapy
  • Health IV Infusion
  • Bioidentical Hormone Optimization
  • Yoga
  • Meditation and Mindfulness

Integrative Medicine at OWM

Integrative Medicine helps the body heal itself through rehabilitation of its essential functions and processes. At OWM Integrative Wellness, Dr. Leonard Kaplan combines care that attends to both the mind and body with a special focus on nutrition, mental well-being, and physical health. Contact us today to book a wellness visit and learn more about this powerful approach to healing the body, mind, and soul.

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