Traditional western medicine has made great strides over the past century, completely eliminating many illnesses and making many other conditions, that used to be life threatening, little more than a passing inconvenience.
Advances in technology and other fields of science have contributed greatly to the myriad of new and effective treatments available to patients suffering from various health problems.
I believe that in this fast and furious advance of the science of medicine, many physicians have lost touch with the the true essence of their profession.
Physicians are healers, and our purpose is to cure, minimize, or at least manage, the illness of our patients. This is why the new "evidence-based" approach to medicine in general, and the inclusion of alternate healing modalities, in addition to traditional western medicine, have produced a new type of practice which is often termed "Integrative Medicine".
Integrative Medicine is healing through the inclusion of all treatment and healing modalities which are effective. In one case a simple course of antibiotics might be the best solution, while in another situation, the patient might see a better outcome with a change in diet to avoid a specific food intolerance. The point is to use to use the best tool available for the job to be accomplished, and the more tools we have available, the more likely we are to have that "best tool" at our disposal.
