The role of complementary and alternative medicine.

According to Dr. Andrew Weil, Director of the Integrative Medicine program at the University of Arizona, “The integrative approach is based on a physician/patient partnership within which conventional and alternative modalities are used to stimulate the body’s natural healing potential. It neither rejects conventional medicine nor uncritically accepts alternative practices.” Physicians who use the integrative approach work from a model of health and often focus on prevention. In contrast, the conventional disease model typically attempts to treat the disease once symptoms become evident. Practitioners who use the integrative approach also consider nutritional and lifestyle influences on health and illness and offer natural treatments in addition to drugs and surgery. Integrative medicine selects from or combines the best of conventional medicine and complementary and alternative medicine.