Integrative Medicine

Andrew Weil, M.D., explains the meaning of the term “integrative medicine” and how it fits into society.

Integrative medicine emphasizes the innate healing capacities of the organism; views patients as mental-emotional beings, spiritual entities, and community members as well as physical bodies; addresses all aspects of lifestyle in evaluating health and illness; places great importance on the role of the practitioner-patient relationship in the healing process; and makes use of all appropriate therapies.

Integrative Medicine Principles

    1. Patient and practitioner are partners in the healing process.
    2. All factors that influence health, wellness and disease are taken into consideration; including mind, spirit, and community as well as the body.
    3. Appropriate use of both conventional and alternative methods facilitates the body’s innate healing response.
    4. Effective interventions that are natural and less invasive should be used whenever possible.
    5. Integrative medicine neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically.
    6. Good medicine is based in good science. It is inquiry-driven and open to new paradigms.
    7. Alongside the concept of treatment, the broader concepts of health promotion and the prevention of illness are paramount.
    8. Practitioners of integrative medicine should exemplify its principles and commit themselves to self-exploration and self-development.

Find more information about integrative medicine from the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine’s website.

Other Videos:

The Advantages of Integrative Medicine

Dr. Weil looks at the evidence for integrative vs. strictly conventional medicine. He also discusses why integrative medicine offers the best hope for more effective, less costly health care.

How Medical Treatments Really Work

It’s a basic question – How do medical treatments actually work? Dr. Weil offers an explanation.

What’s Wrong with Conventional Medicine?

Dr. Weil summarizes the major shortcomings of the American health care system.

Creating a New Generation of Doctors

Why would you take advice from doctors who do not live by it themselves? At the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, doctors are encouraged to lead a balanced life.