Integrative Medicine Definition
Integrative medicine utilizes the most effective, safest and least expensive treatments to help individual patients achieve the best health possible. It appreciates the value of good scientific information, but it is not confined to evidence-based medicine, which strives to limit variables and identify which treatments are helpful for the majority of patients. Integrative Medicine recognizes that patients can be very complex individuals, who might benefit from a variety of treatments, not all of which are "proven" effective by expensive randomized clinical trials. Integrative Medicine puts a premium on treatments that are very low risk and affordable to most people. It tends to choose natural remedies, as opposed to drugs and surgery. It emphasizes mind-body connections, balance, homeostasis, and restoring normal function. It tries to achieve confidence and peacefulness in a medical world that too often creates fear and anxiety.