Integrative Medicine approaches the practice of medicine holistically. It aims at treating the whole human body rather than a specific disease. This holistic approach aims at prioritizing the physician-patient relationship and focus on understanding the upstream driver of illness. It uses a systems-oriented approach to understand the underlying cause (the “root cause”) of a disease, as opposed primarily focusing on the downstream symptoms.
Integrative Medicine uses a combination of “Western” medicine and various complementary healing modalities (including, for example, acupuncture, botanical medicine and meditation) to treat a patient and support her healing. Integrative medicine also incorporate the importance of nutrition, exercise and other lifestyle support.