Integrative Medicine 2009

The last century witnessed dramatic changes in the practice of health care, and coming decades promise advances that were not imaginable even in the relatively recent past. Science and technology continue to offer new insights into disease pathways and treatments, as well as mechanisms of protecting health and preventing disease. Genomics and proteomics are bringing personalized risk assessment, prevention, and treatment options within reach; health information technology is expediting the collection and analysis of large amounts of data that can lead to improved care; and many disciplines are contributing to a broadening understanding of the complex interplay among biology, environment, behavior, and socioeconomic factors that shape health and wellness. On February 25 - 27, 2009, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened the Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public in Washington, DC. The summit brought together more than 600 scientists, academic leaders, policy experts, health practitioners, advocates, and other participants from many disciplines to examine the practice of integrative medicine, its scientific basis, and its potential for improving health. This publication summarizes the background, presentations, and discussions that occurred during the summit.

"Many parents today are turning to or seeking information about Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for their children. Whether you initiate alternative therapies or simply need to respond when asked for information or advice, it's crucial to have the most recent, evidence-based information about alternative therapies and know how to safely and effectively integrate them with conventional treatment. This innovative and reliable reference is the ideal resource to have at hand." "This book includes a wide range of complementary and alternative therapies, focusing on those most often used with children: mind/body approaches, manual therapies, lifestyle approaches, alternative systems, energy medicine, and biological agents. Within these main categories, therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, homeopathy, herbs, and magnets are covered." "Fifty-five common pediatric conditions are comprehensively discussed, with diagnostic and evidence-based treatment information, followed by authoritative information on the major CAM therapies available for treatment of the condition. Whenever possible, an integrative approach that combines conventional and alternative approaches is presented."--BOOK JACKET.

Integrative Health: A Holistic Approach for Health Professionals serves as a comprehensive resource on integrative health modalities. Perfect for both health care professionals and as a textbook for students, this text explores the discipline of integrative health care as a person-centered and person-empowering approach to health care, combining treatments from conventional medicine and clinically proven complementary and alternative medicine to address the body, mind, and spirit, as well as the environment and relationships with others.

Since the first suffering supplicant offered a prayer to his god or the first mother cradled an ailing child in her caring arms, we have witnessed how human health and healing go beyond any inventory of parts and infusion of chemicals. We humans are a complex melding of thought, emotion, spirit and energy and each of those components is as critical to our well-being as our physiological status. Even if we are just beginning to quantify and document these seemingly intangible aspect, to ignore them in the practice of medicine is neglect and an invitation to do harm. The Scientific Basis of Integrative Health has been extensively updated and expanded to provide a comprehensive guide to integrative medicine. Taking a balanced and objective approach, this leading text bridges the gap between Western science and Eastern philosophy. It provides doctors and other health practitioners with information on complementary and alternative approaches to health, that is authoritative, evidence based, and epidemiologically substantiated. Written for doctors and healthcare professionals by pioneering practitioners and updated with the newest research across and increasing range of possibilities, this third edition includes nine new chapters covering topics such as: Electrophotonic imaging; Neuroacupuncture; Naturopathic medicine; Integrative nutrition.

Since the first suffering supplicant offered a prayer to his god or the first mother cradled an ailing child in her caring arms, we have witnessed how human health and healing goes beyond any inventory of parts and infusion of chemicals. We humans are a complex melding of thought, emotion, spirit, and energy and each of those components is as critical to our well-being as our physiological status. Even if we are just beginning to quantify and document these seemingly intangible aspects, to ignore them in the practice of medicine is neglect and an invitation to do harm. Now in its second edition, The Scientific Basis of Integrative Medicine continues to provide doctors and other health practitioners with information on complementary and alternative approaches to health, that is authoritative, scientifically based, and epidemiologically substantiated. Written for doctors and healthcare professionals by pioneering practitioners and updated with the newest research across an increasing range of possibilities, the new edition of this bestselling work – Establishes the scientific basis for the mind–body connection and then documents the puissant interactions of the endocrine, immune, nervous, and stress systems that so profoundly influence our lives Examines that healing dimension of spirituality, which informs but transcends the five senses Investigates how hope, faith, and love aid healing Discusses how the emotional presence of a practitioner affects patient outcome Considers the incorporation of a unified theory that can account for the existence of health enhancing energy fields within — as well as outside — the human body Integral physiology serves as a bridge between Western medical knowledge and the equally valuable, but less well-recognized, Eastern systems of medicine. The authors refer to it as integrative because it combines important Western biological knowledge with forms of healing that incorporate the mental and emotional, and spiritual aspects that are essential to health, because those aspects are what make us essentially human.

For most clinicians, the science and evidence for many integrative therapies is largely unknown or considered suspect. Most physicians don't have time to learn integrative approaches and aren't sure what to recommend or which approaches have merit or improved outcomes. Here, clinicians have easy access to the best practices in integrative medicine and expectations for outcomes

Is Complementary and Integrative Medicine Cost-Effective?With at least a third of U.S. adults using complementary and alternative treatment, this book can help guide health policy by uncovering new ways to lower costs within the health care system. In September 2012, Patricia Herman, ND, PhD, Senior Behavior Scientist in the Health Division of the RAND Corporation and Senior Fellow at Samueli Institute, published a study summarizing what is known about the cost-effectiveness of complementary and integrative medicine (CIM). The study, published in the British Medical Journal Open Access (BMJ Open), was a comprehensive systematic review of 338 economic evaluations published between 1979 and 2012 that reported on the costs and effectiveness of CIM, including tai chi to prevent hip fractures, manual therapy for neck pain and acupuncture during pregnancy. Of the 56 comparisons made in the higher quality studies, 16 (29 percent) were cost saving, a higher percentage than found in reviews of conventional medicine.In parallel with this study, Dr. Herman and the Samueli Institute produced this handbook to help researchers apply proper economic methods to the evaluation of CIM. The book will also be useful to medical practitioners, hospital administrators, policy makers, and others interested in understanding the basics, uses and limitations of economic evaluation, for healthcare in general and CIM in particular."Sharing research like Dr. Herman's is essential for health care reform. Through this study and Dr. Herman's new book, it's evident that lowering the cost of health care while simultaneously increasing the level of care is the way forward," said Wayne B. Jonas, MD, President and CEO of Samueli Institute. "Integrative health care practices have a role to play in moving health care in the right direction."