Integrated health

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Integrated health is an approach to wellbeing that combines orthodox medicine with some complementary therapies, and a strong emphasis on prevention of illness through lifestyle changes. It's also known as Integrative health in the US.

Integrated medicine is not simply a synonym for complementary medicine^[1]. It neither rejects conventional medicine nor uncritically accepts alternative practices. It recognises that good medicine must always be based in good science that is enquiry driven and open to new paradigms^[2]. The approach is underpinned by the belief that a purely mechanised approach to medicine does not allow the patient to harness the power of mind and emotions to affect medical outcomes.

A prescription for a patient with an acute or chronic illness might therefore include both conventional drugs or surgery, diet and exercise targets, mindfulness techniques and any complementary therapies that might reduce shock and distress and thus help with the healing process.

Fully integrated practice is patchy in the UK, although it is taught at a handful of universities including the University of Westminster It is more developed in the US. Leading US proponents include Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona, the Bravewell collaborative and at Duke university. It was recently publicised in the PBS series of documentaries The New Medicine

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