Integrative medicine and health promotion:
is intentionally scientifically holistic, sustainable rational, personalised human.
It follows an approach that leads from the treatment of the disease to creating health.
Integrative medicine has the whole person in sight, builds on evidence. Uses all accepted therapeutic approaches, procedures and methods for the sake of optimal healing and health promotion. Renews the importance of the relationship between therapist and patient.
Individual treatment is an important part of the healing process.
To enable individualized therapy, the therapist, the physician or their therapeutic community combine the elements of conventional (COM) and complementary medicine (CAM) during the healing process, in harmony with the informed patient. The process strives to recognize and use the body's own healing mechanisms.
Integrative medicine combines the theory and the practice of both conventional and complementary approach.
From the anthroposophic point of view, modern integrative medicine (IM) is fully based on conventional medicine (COM). It does not deny it but recognizes its legitimacy, builds upon it. In fact it is supplemented, extended.
In this sense, IM means the synthesis of CAM and COM. It represents an open approach, an attitude that integrates different methods of COM and CAM.
Overview Global advances of health 2013