Summary of the content:
1. What Is Integrative Medicine And How Might It Benefit Patients?
2. Complementary And Alternative Medicine
3. Complementary And Integrative Medicine
4. Integrative Medicine: Combining Conventional With Complementary Therapies
5. Integrative Medicine And Micro-immunotherapy
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What Is Integrative Medicine And How Might It Benefit Patients?
What exactly is integrative medicine? As the name suggests, it is a type of medical practice that integrates various therapies with the aim of addressing each patient from a holistic and personalised approach. Despite sharing some aspects with alternative medicine, integrative medicine’s treatment strategies are based on the principle of synergy between conventional and complementary therapies. Below is an explanation of the traits that these medical practices share and the aspects where they differ.
Conventional medicine refers to the diagnostic and therapeutic measures that are taught and generally accepted at universities. It is based on the principle of science and follows a disease- or also symptom-oriented approach, often focusing on isolated factors as causes of diseases.
Experiential alternative medicine and complementary medicine, on the other hand, are based on a different understanding of disease, its development and treatment.
Here, the focus is on the human being as a whole being in all its physical, psychological and social complexity. It does not treat individual symptoms, but sees various complaints as interrelated, whose often common cause it gets to the bottom of and treats. However, despite sharing a common approach to health and disease, alternative medicine and complementary medicine are not quite the same. Let’s first see the differences between these two types of practice before moving on to the specific features of integrative medicine.
Complementary And Alternative Medicine
Complementary medicine follows the same approach as alternative medicine and many treatment measures are used in both areas. The terms are often used synonymously. However, despite the many similarities, they are not interchangeable; what is decisive at this point is how the two relate to conventional medicine: Complementary treatments such as micro-immunotherapy are used together with conventional medicine treatments in order to support overall treatment success. However, they do not necessarily replace conventional medicine. This is the essential difference to alternative medicine, which seeks to replace conventional therapies.
Complementary And Integrative Medicine
Practitioners of complementary medicine have a broad view of health. For them, being healthy does not primarily mean the absence of disease, but rather a state of balance between body, mind and environment. The organism always strives to maintain this balance; if it gets out of joint, diseases arise. Therefore, many complementary therapies focus on strengthening the self-healing mechanisms of the organism. Micro-immunotherapy, for example, focuses on supporting and regulating our immune system – the body’s own defence mechanisms – when it is out of balance.
This holistic diagnostic and treatment approach requires time, especially in case of complex conditions. However, time is often lacking in normal practice, so that doctors primarily take a symptom-oriented approach. Hence they often cannot do justice to many patients. Particularly in the case of recurring and chronic diseases, where those affected have suffered for a long time, complementary treatments can be useful. These diseases are extremely complex and are influenced by numerous factors such as genetics, lifestyle (diet, exercise, smoking, etc.), environmental influences, work and stress. Conventional medicine takes insufficient account of many of these factors.
Integrative Medicine: Combining Conventional With Complementary Therapies
Doctors and therapists who work in integrative medicine elaborate individually tailored treatment plans for their patients that take into account the human being in his or her physiological, but also psychosocial complexity. Various forms of therapy are integrated into this overall strategy – hence the name integrative medicine.Methods of conventional medicine are combined with methods of complementary medicine, such as micro-immunotherapy. In this way, each patient receives an individually optimal treatment that strives for the greatest possible effectiveness with the fewest possible side effects – and not just in the short term, but as sustainably as possible. The long-term objective of integrative medicine is to restore the organism’s capacity for self-regulation.
Particularly in the case of chronic, incurable diseases, interest in integrative medicine is increasing, since complementary therapies can often support the general well-being and quality of life of those affected. Without the risk of severe side effects, the gentle therapies often make patients feel better. Conventional medicine can indeed combat inflammation, pain or swelling with certain medications. It is also indispensable for life-threatening conditions. In the long run, however, these interventions can strain and damage the body. This is where the importance of the supportive use of complementary medicine becomes clear: it is particularly sustainable because it activates the body’s self-healing mechanisms.
Integrative Medicine And Micro-immunotherapy
The field of integrative medicine includes a wide range of disciplines and methods, including micro-immunotherapy, which is based on the premise that every organism always strives for health. It focuses on the immune system, the guardian of our health and a decisive player in almost all diseases. Humans actually have functioning defences, but this complex system can become unbalanced due to various factors such as environmental toxins, stress, lack of exercise, industrial food or constantly staying indoors. As a consequence of these harmful influences, immune cells can be impaired in their functions, which can sooner or later lead to disease.
This is where micro-immunotherapy comes into play: through low doses of< b>immune messenger substances(e.g. cytokines) which the immune system itself uses to coordinate the immune response, it aims to bring the immune system back into balance. It is characterised by its good tolerability, as it constitutes a gentle and natural support of the immune system< and a wide range of application fields. Micro-immunotherapy has become a cornerstone in the integrative prevention and treatment strategies of thousands of health professionals worldwide.
In combination with a balanced, primarily plant-based diet, sufficient exercise, the avoidance of environmental toxins and as a complementary treatment to conventional medicine, micro-immunotherapy can make a valuable contribution to disease prevention and treatment success.