Traditional and complementary medicine in patient centered care and integrative medicine

Abstract

A few years ago it was realized that in spite of high technology and general success in modern treatment, patient medical care e specially for chronic diseases was n ot being completely addressed. At present there is deliberate shift to patient centered care and integrative medicine in a number of medical institutions and facilities worldwide. Traditional and Complementary (Alternati ve) has been incorporated as part of integrative medicine and patient centered care. Integrative medicine is healing - oriented medicine that takes account of the whole person (body, mind, and spirit), including all aspects of lifestyle. Traditional and Comp lementary (Alternative) is one of the fastest growing areas of medical treatment and prevention. It is a holistic form of medical practice where diagnosis and treatment takes into account the individual physical, mental, emotional and even lifestyle aspect s of the patient. This paper discusses the role of Traditional and Complementary in patient centered and integrative medicine. Types of traditional and complementary medicine will be highlighted showing why this type of medicine is gaining popularity espec ially in developed world. Diagnoses and treatment in a typical traditional and traditional medicine setting will be mentioned to indicate its relationship with the patient centered medicine and need for medical doctors to enquire about the use/concurrent u se of with conventional medicine. The role of Traditional and Complementary medicine in patient care and integrative medicine including the importance of prevention of disease will also be discussed That traditional and complementary medicine is an importa nt element in patient centere d care and should be embraced. In conclusion, going by the current trends in health care, and in order to consider the total person health, we can no longer ignore traditional and complementary medicine as part of health care.