The Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine: A Conversation With Mimi Guarneri, President of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine

Dr Guarneri: We chose the name because an Academy is the large umbrella for the work we'll do. So, it is more than a name change—it is broadening our purpose and mission. Let me explain. The AIHM will bring together the global integra-tive holistic care community of providers—from advanced practice nurses to MDs to DOs to DCs to NDs to traditional Eastern medicine practitioners. A clini-cian who touches a life directly and believes in a philosophy of holism is part of our community. We need the AIHM because of today's changing healthcare climate. One of the issues in healthcare today, as noted by the Institute of Medicine, is that we are spending more money on healthcare and have less health—the math makes no sense. America is finally realizing that while spending has been growing exponentially to $4.5 trillion, we rank 37th in health outcomes in the world. 1 (For a graphical representation of this, click here.) Something has to change. There is a call to action here that we are ready to take together. The mission and vision of integrative holistic medicine has always been to prevent disease, relieve suffering, and get to the underlying cause of health challenges. At AIHM, we focus on wellness, not illness. Evidence about the cost-effectiveness of inte-grative medicine has been emerging steadily for at least 2 decades. Now, in a climate of change, we are taking a bold step—to transform the way we think about health and healthcare—not just in the United States, but also globally. The process is organic, natural, and thrilling. We're expanding to serve our holistic care community through education, prevention, research, advocacy, membership, and certification. Our platform is growing from an education and certification platform that was limited to just DOs and MDs to a larger entity that serves the entire integrative health and medicine community. Dr Guarneri: Three groups of people: a community of healthcare practitioners, consumers who want change, and a gracious funder. Practitioners make the creation of the Academy possible because of this community of healthcare practitioners who believe in the philosophy of treating the individual as a whole person. The leaders in the United States alone are the American Holistic Medical Association, the American Holistic Nurses Association, and the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. They are uniting behind this powerful vision. Many consumers are fed up and no longer want to participate in the " ill …