1. What is integrative medicine?

The belief at the core of integrative medicine and many of the modalities used in a patient's treatment using integrative medicine is the body's innate ability to heal. This healing is thought to come from within the patient rather than the physician, which goes against what is we often learn in medical school about "curing" or "fixing" a disease. Integrative medicine attempts to change the standard medical model from sickness to health in a very patient-centered method.

The therapeutic relationship between the physician and patient fosters the innate healing process as the physician acknowledges a patient's preferences for certain treatments in recommending a treatment plan. One of the main focuses of integrative medicine is on prevention and lifestyle modification to improve physical and emotional well being in patients. Five areas of prevention often addressed in a visit include:

• nutrition
• periodic screening
• stress management
• physical activity
• spirituality

Integrative medicine is often used synonymously with complementary and alternative medicine, but it involves more than just adding something to conventional medical treatments. Modalities such as acupuncture, botanical medicine, chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation, naturopathy, homeopathy, and conventional allopathic medicine assist an integrative physician in taking a holistic approach to the patient. Integrative physicians have the goal of not providing all of these different modalities themselves, but to have the knowledge and experience to safely guide a patient down a road to becoming more healthy in body, mind, and spirit.

2. If one is having physical pain, how does one know which allopathic and/or holistic route to choose?

The modality or combination of modalities one chooses would depend on the source of pain. With acute pain from an infection, trauma, or surgery, there are many powerful medications in our allopathic pharmacies that will help patients tremendously. One problem with these medications, however, is systemic side effects. Narcotic pain medications are powerful but have neurologic side effects that make it difficult to perform one's daily activities like working and driving. In addition, many of these medications have the potential for abuse and dependence.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAID's) like ibuprofen are often used by patients because they are available over-the-counter, but carry the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and renal failure if taken chronically. If all a person needs is something short term to gain comfort while the body heals, these can still be good options. But for longer-term pain, other modalities of many kinds used along or in combination offer good treatment options. Chinese medicine with the combination of acupuncture and herbs can successfully address many types of pain, including pain from arthritis which allopathic medicine does not treat very well.

For musculoskeletal pain including back pain, osteopathic and chiropractic manipulation can be very helpful. Mind-body medicine including guided imagery and hypnosis are very powerful for treating pain conditions if the person is open to these modalities.

By Dr. Ted Wissink

Dr. Wissink is Integrative Medicine Fellow at Maine Integrative Medical Center through in conjunction with the  Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona--director is Andrew Weil. will be apart of an ongoing column in the Guide. Send in your questions to the publisher: glennis@jumpintuit.com.