Integrative medicine is the combination of conventional medicine and alternative medicine modes of health care, such as herbal medicine, nutrition, acupuncture, massage, yoga, or stress reduction. It is a model of holistic medicine that recognizes that the whole person is important in health and well-being. Functional medicine takes into account why a disease has developed in the first place, in order to address it.
Although complementary medicine has been around for a while, some people question the validity of alternative treatments. Integrative medicine tries to combine the most scientifically proven complementary methods along with conventional medicine.
Both patients and providers often find this “best of both worlds” approach more satisfying.
Functional medicine is also holistic, but it is a way of looking at medicine that is based on finding and addressing the root causes of disease. For example, a functional medicine practitioner would look at inputs of environmental toxins, nutrition and microbial imbalances, how the detoxification system works, the nervous and endocrine systems, intestinal system function, and the impact of stress. They would look at the genetic and biochemical systems involved in a particular problem and how those systems vary between individuals.
In other words, functional medicine looks at how all systems are interrelated and how they influence disease and health. Rather than focusing solely on multiple separate disease entities, functional medicine recognizes the disturbances of an interconnected, web-like system and aims to restore health and balance to the foundation of that system.
Practitioners can use any suitable combination of conventional medicine, nutritional interventions, acupuncture, stress reduction techniques, or other sound methods to restore well-being to the system. And, instead of stopping there, this same principle would be used to institute ongoing preventative habits.
Let’s see an example. Let’s say someone has chronic irritable bowel symptoms. It would be easy in the conventional model to consider that it is an isolated problem of the intestinal system. Those symptoms can generate work in the intestinal system. Now, irritable bowel syndrome is a particular problem that has also come to be considered to have a psychological component. So there is an example from conventional medicine bringing up the possible role of stress, just as a holistic or integrative medicine doctor would.
But wait. Now, scientific studies are providing evidence that in irritable bowel syndrome, some people have bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine that could benefit from treatment, the immune system may be involved and respond to probiotics, and the nervous system may be calmed. with acupuncture. Perhaps some yoga or meditation would improve the stress intake.
By broadening the way the problem is viewed, looking for where the root of the problem might be, and turning to many different methods of care, a more holistic, functional, and integrated plan of care can be delivered.
With more of the US population suffering from chronic health problems and demanding more holistic healthcare, we can expect approaches like integrative and functional medicine to become part of the solution.