Western society relies heavily on traditional medicine – visiting your healthcare provider, attending hospital appointments and taking a tried and tested approach to medicinal remedies. But is this way of thinking becoming outdated, and should we instead take a more holistic approach to medicine in the future, investing time and money in integrative medicine doctors ?
What is Integrative Medicine?
Integrative medicine seeks to integrate both traditional evidence based medicine with alternative medicine and therapies, such as aromatherapy, herbal remedies and meditation. Whilst evidence to support that these alternative therapies work is limited, many people rely on a combination of modern evidence based medicine and their own range of alternative treatments to cope with modern ailments, such as stress and depression.
Mental Illness
In recent years, mental illness incidences have increased, as life becomes increasingly fast paced and more people than ever before suffer from stress. Stress, depression and anxiety can be experienced individually or together, with similar symptoms affecting sufferers. There’s some evidence to suggest that alternative herbal remedies such as St. John’s Wort, are successful in treating mild to moderate depression, whilst recently oxytocin nasal spray has come under scrutiny for claims it could help with social anxiety and low mood. It’s certainly true that meditation and relaxation exercises, as well as aromatherapy massage, are a great way to relax and unwind, and used in combination with talking therapy or anti-depressants, can be helpful in treating those who suffer from stress or depression.
It’s important that we continue to invest money in researching integrative medicine, ensuring that reputable integrative medicine doctors are available for those wishing to take advantage of these treatments. In the US, the government has funded integrative medicine studies via the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and further investment and research will continue to ensure that the future of medicine takes an integrative approach to treating the individual as a whole, rather than just addressing their specific symptoms – a method which, until now, has more traditionally been seen in eastern rather than western medicine.
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An accomplished medical doctor, life coach and author, Dr Sanjay Jain specializes in transforming lives and takes an integrative approach to health, looking at happiness, work-life balance, lifestyle and self-development when working with individuals. Dr Jain has more than 15 years of clinical experience as a board certified physician with certifications in Integrative Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology and Healthcare Quality and Management.
