Integrative Medicine

Integrative medicine is a healing-oriented medicine that takes into account the whole person—all factors that influence a patient’s health, wellness and disease are taken into consideration, including body, mind, spirit, lifestyle and community. While it supports the appropriate treatment of disease, Integrative Medicine emphasizes the broader concepts of health promotion and preventive care.

An Integrative Medicine practitioner uses all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative, to facilitate the body’s innate healing response. Integrative Medicine neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically.

Dr. Uday Jani with Dr. Andrew Weil, renowned founder of Integrative Medicine.

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.

Some of the common modalities integrated with conventional medicine are listed below:

• Acupressure
• Acupuncture
• Aromatherapy
• Biofeedback
• Guided Imagery
• Herb Information
• Yoga
• Massage
• Meditation

• Ayurvedic Medicine
• Homeopathy
• Chinese herbal medicine
• Hypnosis
• Hormonal balancing
• Music / Sound
• Tai Chi / Qi Gong
• Therapeutic Touch and Reiki

This video may be helpful to you, your family, students or patients to learn qigong for stress, pain and relaxation.

This video from the National Qigong Association teaches an easy, relaxing form called the “Five Treasures.”

It can be used conveniently in your home even if you are in a bed or can only sit in a chair; Simply imagine moving those parts of your body that cannot move easily.

Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine is a 1,000 hour, two-year distance learning program. Created by Andrew Weil, MD in 2000, the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine has achieved international recognition as the leading integrative medical education program in the world.