To understand Integrative Medicine, you need to know what is "integrated". It's more than what "mom" or "grandma" used to do when we became sick as children, much more. The big push today in Integrative Medicine is the legalization of medicinal marijuana. That interest has helped to open the door for more alternatives.
Alternative medicine is exactly what it sounds like. It is a medicine or treatment that is an alternative choice to modern medicines, treatments, or surgeries.
Notice I did not mention Alternative surgeries. Alternative medicine is medicine and treatments that are non-invasive, more natural to our bodies (and minds), and treat the whole body, mind, and soul.
Alternative medicine attempts to deal with causes and responses rather than to treating symptoms and never knowing the cause.
Alternative medicine comes from taking the best treatments from a number of sources. It may include Chinese, Egyptian, Native American treatments or any number of other sources. (We will explore those treatments in a later blog post.)
Sometimes, alternative treatments are the only thing someone needs to get better.
Modern medicine is more of treating the symptom. In fact, it has been said that"symptoms make money, curing loses money". Does that mean that modern medicine doesn't want to cure anyone? Do it mean modern medicine wants to keep you on your pills, injections, treatments, etc., so that they can continue to make money? Maybe. Yes, maybe.
However, let's be honest here. Sometimes a pill is all it takes to manage an illness that can't be managed any other way.
Sometimes, that surgery is the only choice in saving a life or managing an illness. So, let's don't throw modern medicine out the window, but rather put it in its place.
Integrative medicine takes the "best" from both worlds and puts them together to heal. When modern medicine and alternative medicine meet and compromise, everybody wins. The doctor wins because he is fulfilling his oath of "doing no harm" and "to heal".
The patient wins because they are treated with the least invasive treatment required and the outcome goal is to cure not just to manage symptoms.
There are cases when managing symptoms is the only achievable outcome, but the management of symptoms can be treatments from alternative medicine, modern medicine, or a combination of the two.
The important takeaway from this is:
You have choices with Integrative Medicine.
When choosing a path of treatment, you should be in control. Your doctor should present all options, not just the modern standard of treatment.
Your doctor should present all the pros and cons, as well as,. If you doctor doesn't offer this up front, ask them. Ask if there is a more non-invasive, less risky, safer treatment than the one suggested.
Also, do your homework. Seek a second opinion in big matters and at the very least do an online search for your illness and see what comes up (remember that not all information on the internet is accurate, but if you study it, you should be able to determine what is and what isn't accurate.)
TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR...OPEN UP THE CONVERSATION
FOR ALTERNATIVE OR INTEGRATIVE TREATMENTS.
During the symposium, the one thing that kept coming back over and over again from almost every speaker (all speakers were licensed physicians and some with PHDs) was the connection with diet, lifestyle, health, and healing.
The overwhelming consensus among all medical practitioners was this:
If we don't give our body
the vitamins, nutrients, nourishment and rest it requires,
or we continue with unhealthy habits related to lifestyle
such as smoking, drinking alcohol, or using drugs,
it can not heal itself.
Our bodies are made to self heal.
If given the right nutrition, rest, and care,
it not only has a better chance of healing itself on its own,
but medicines and treatments will work better. This will
result in a better overall outcome.
If we are what we eat, then we can't each junk and expect medicine to work miracles. We need to give our bodies what it needs to provide it with a fighting chance to heal.
That means no sugar (sugar has been proven to feed cancer), no smoking, no food that converts to sugar such as bread, potatoes, bananas, etc.
It means getting enough sleep at night so that our bodies can repair and renew itself, lowering stress.
It means dumping our "bad" habits and creating "good" ones to replace them.
Now that we know what Integrative medicine is and what the common theme among doctors is, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to make the necessary changes in your life to promote good health and healing, or are you going to continue in a self destructive lifestyle?
We have more power over illness than we sometimes realize. Not all cancers are receptive to diet, sleep, and lifestyle changes, but the majority respond in some type of positive way if not in a complete healing.
It never hurts to adopt a healthier lifestyle, it can only help.
Have you made any lifestyle changes due to an illness or injury? What did you change and did it make a difference? Does your doctor use alternative medicine or only modern medicine? What are your thoughts on alternative or integrative medicine based on diet and lifestyle changes?
XOXO
Alternative medicine is exactly what it sounds like. It is a medicine or treatment that is an alternative choice to modern medicines, treatments, or surgeries.
Notice I did not mention Alternative surgeries. Alternative medicine is medicine and treatments that are non-invasive, more natural to our bodies (and minds), and treat the whole body, mind, and soul.
Alternative medicine attempts to deal with causes and responses rather than to treating symptoms and never knowing the cause.
Alternative medicine comes from taking the best treatments from a number of sources. It may include Chinese, Egyptian, Native American treatments or any number of other sources. (We will explore those treatments in a later blog post.)
Sometimes, alternative treatments are the only thing someone needs to get better.
Modern medicine is more of treating the symptom. In fact, it has been said that"symptoms make money, curing loses money". Does that mean that modern medicine doesn't want to cure anyone? Do it mean modern medicine wants to keep you on your pills, injections, treatments, etc., so that they can continue to make money? Maybe. Yes, maybe.
However, let's be honest here. Sometimes a pill is all it takes to manage an illness that can't be managed any other way.
Sometimes, that surgery is the only choice in saving a life or managing an illness. So, let's don't throw modern medicine out the window, but rather put it in its place.
Integrative medicine takes the "best" from both worlds and puts them together to heal. When modern medicine and alternative medicine meet and compromise, everybody wins. The doctor wins because he is fulfilling his oath of "doing no harm" and "to heal".
The patient wins because they are treated with the least invasive treatment required and the outcome goal is to cure not just to manage symptoms.
There are cases when managing symptoms is the only achievable outcome, but the management of symptoms can be treatments from alternative medicine, modern medicine, or a combination of the two.
The important takeaway from this is:
You have choices with Integrative Medicine.
When choosing a path of treatment, you should be in control. Your doctor should present all options, not just the modern standard of treatment.
Your doctor should present all the pros and cons, as well as,. If you doctor doesn't offer this up front, ask them. Ask if there is a more non-invasive, less risky, safer treatment than the one suggested.
Also, do your homework. Seek a second opinion in big matters and at the very least do an online search for your illness and see what comes up (remember that not all information on the internet is accurate, but if you study it, you should be able to determine what is and what isn't accurate.)
TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR...OPEN UP THE CONVERSATION
FOR ALTERNATIVE OR INTEGRATIVE TREATMENTS.
During the symposium, the one thing that kept coming back over and over again from almost every speaker (all speakers were licensed physicians and some with PHDs) was the connection with diet, lifestyle, health, and healing.
The overwhelming consensus among all medical practitioners was this:
If we don't give our body
the vitamins, nutrients, nourishment and rest it requires,
or we continue with unhealthy habits related to lifestyle
such as smoking, drinking alcohol, or using drugs,
it can not heal itself.
Our bodies are made to self heal.
If given the right nutrition, rest, and care,
it not only has a better chance of healing itself on its own,
but medicines and treatments will work better. This will
result in a better overall outcome.
If we are what we eat, then we can't each junk and expect medicine to work miracles. We need to give our bodies what it needs to provide it with a fighting chance to heal.
That means no sugar (sugar has been proven to feed cancer), no smoking, no food that converts to sugar such as bread, potatoes, bananas, etc.
It means getting enough sleep at night so that our bodies can repair and renew itself, lowering stress.
It means dumping our "bad" habits and creating "good" ones to replace them.
Now that we know what Integrative medicine is and what the common theme among doctors is, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to make the necessary changes in your life to promote good health and healing, or are you going to continue in a self destructive lifestyle?
We have more power over illness than we sometimes realize. Not all cancers are receptive to diet, sleep, and lifestyle changes, but the majority respond in some type of positive way if not in a complete healing.
It never hurts to adopt a healthier lifestyle, it can only help.
Have you made any lifestyle changes due to an illness or injury? What did you change and did it make a difference? Does your doctor use alternative medicine or only modern medicine? What are your thoughts on alternative or integrative medicine based on diet and lifestyle changes?
XOXO
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