Integrative Medicine

This article has been adapted from drcris.com.au and was written by Dr Cris Beer who is an expert in nutritional medicine.

Integrative Medicine is a particular specialty of medicine where doctors are trained to combine evidence-based complementary to conventional medicine practices to achieve the most holistic and effective treatment options for a patient. For this reason patients benefit from the best of both worlds and no longer have to choose between complementary and conventional and yet can have the full confidence that the advice given and treatment plans offered are sound, safe, and proven to work. It is a growing area of medicine with over 500 trained doctors nationwide in Australia and many thousands across the Globe.

Integrative medicine doctors also incorporate in their practice a great deal of preventative and lifestyle health approaches and in doing so the root cause of your health condition is fully explored and addressed rather than just treating the symptoms. Many a times this results in great improvement, if not full resolution, of your condition without the need for invasive procedures, painful treatments, or medications.

The particular conditions which are dealt with effectively by integrative medicine doctors include:

• Hormonal Imbalances
• Fatigue including chronic fatigue syndrome
• Difficulty or inability to lose weight encompassing health conditions such as the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, polycystic ovaries, and chronic stress
• Digestive health issues
• Inflammatory conditions
• Autoimmune conditions including thyroid conditions
• Chronic health conditions including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.
• Brain biochemical imbalances including depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.

These conditions are often addressed in a stepwise fashion revealing if possible the underlying cause along the way and healing from the inside out. Investigations are kept to a minimum but may include a range of blood, saliva, stool, urine, and hair testing depending on the patient’s presentation.

Choosing an integrative medicine doctor means that you will receive comprehensive care and have all aspects of your health addressed. This is especially helpful if you are just not getting the expected results from usual treatment, if results are slow, or if you suspect that there may be an underlying health condition affecting your overall health or wellbeing. Seeking help from an integrative doctor means you can experience a ‘one-stop’ service for your overall health needs addressing areas of your nutrition, lifestyle, and medical conditions. For a list of trained integrative medicine practitioners refer to the Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) website www.acnem.org.