Bridging the gap with the integration of conventional and complementary medicine

The costs of medical care continue to spiral in developed countries. The situation is unlikely to improve, with further technological developments such as gene therapies, new drug classes, immunodiagnostic and therapeutic devices in the midst of an ageing population that will consume an ever-greater proportion of health care resources. Yet, according to integrative doctors such as Professor Avni Sali (National Institute of Integrative Medicine, Australia), there appear to be justifiable concerns that these burgeoning health care costs are actually delivering better health outcomes. Evidence is mounting that combining complementary medicine with conventional practice has great potential to reduce both these problems.

Complementary medicine may be defined as 'diagnosis, treatment and/or prevention that complements mainstream medicine by contributing to a common whole, by satisfying a demand not met by orthodoxy and by diversifying the conceptual frameworks of medicine.' The term 'complementary medicine' is preferable, to alternative medicine as it promotes a cooperative relationship leading to improved health care for an individual patient.

Mainstream or General practice has much to learn from complementary medicine. A survey in the UK [2] found that patients chose complementary medicine for four main reasons viz, dissatisfaction with conventional medicine, lack of holism in conventional medicine, a greater sense of self-control and finally support in chronic illness.

While doctors are trained and encouraged to provide this approach to all their patients, the statistics would indicate that doctors need to improve their understanding of appropriate applications of complementary medicine as well as limitations and potential dangerous interactions.
http://www.mejfm.com/ journal/ March2007/ BridgingTheGap.htm

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