More people than ever are using integrative health approaches. According to the National Center for Health Statistics 2015 report, more than a third of American adults use some form of integrative therapies in the past 12 months. Patients are more informed about their options and are requesting these therapies. This means that you as a healthcare practitioners should become familiar with both the benefits and the risks involved with the use of these practices so that you can advocate for and protect your patients and clients. Just a side note here, it's not completely clear if the increase use of integrative therapies is truly an increase or that people just feel more free to discuss the use of integrative therapies with their provider. Either way, it's important to respond to the wants and needs the public. In this video, we'll look more in depth about why it is important to know more about integrative therapies. So what are some of the benefits as indicated by research? To begin, integrated practices may be more useful in addressing the symptoms of chronic disease and helping to improve the quality of life than strictly biomedical or allopathic treatments. In addition, integrative therapies may minimize the potential for adverse side effects that more commonly exist with pharmaceuticals. Some studies show that integrative whole-person approach to healthcare is the potential for disease reversal rather than just symptom control. Taken as a whole, these points suggests that integrative health is better suited to preventing and treating chronic disease than standard medical approach. Another benefit is cost. Healthcare costs, especially in the US, are steadily increasing but patient outcomes are not improving. One way to address this is a more holistic approach that can be both less costly and more effective. Integrative healthcare combines modern biomedicine with established approaches from around the world. It offers more options for treatment and symptom management, often including options that are less invasive and less costly. It addresses the whole person, not only the biological, but also the psychological, social, and spiritual aspects. In so doing, it recognizes the human capacity for healing in each of these. This can lead to better outcomes. Finally, it is collaborative, emphasizing a partnership between the practitioner and patient that maximizes the opportunities for healing. Healthcare is being challenged to evolve from a disease-centered model to one that focuses on prevention and well-being. In integrative approach based on whole-person care and health promotion addresses this challenge. Integrative therapies often incorporate lifestyle changes that can prevent disease and have a more effective economic and longer lasting impact, then approaches that address diagnosis and treatment of symptoms. It's important for healthcare workers to understand the paradigm shift that is happening and what their role is. It's important to remember though that all interventions carry some risk. It's important for healthcare professionals to know potential issues with the integrative therapies that your patients are using. Understanding how integrative therapies work will help you avoid potential interactions with your patient's treatment. For example, St John's Wort can weaken the effects of many pharmaceuticals, including crucially important medicines such as antidepressants, birth control pills, cyclosporin, digoxin, warfarin, as well as some HIV and cancer medications. At the same time, it's also important to know of their potential benefits so that you can inform patients of options for symptom management that they might not be aware of. For example, acupuncture may provide relief from certain types of pain without some of the risks of opioid medications. We will discuss risks and benefits more in upcoming lessons. We hope that you're getting a good sense of what integrative therapies are, and the role that they can play in improving health and well-being. As you may know, these therapies are used widely around the world. See some examples in the interactive graphic.
