What is Integrative Health?
I get asked this question often.
If you look around you, you’ll notice the terms Integrative Health, Functional Medicine, and Holistic Medicine everywhere from social media to the news to the wellness world. I believe that Integrative, Functional, and Holistic medicine are not mutually exclusive and they all have their place in the spectrum of healing the whole person. The terms mean different things to different people so I thought I would explain what I actually do—keep reading!
Integrative Health is an approach to healing that takes into consideration all the factors that influence health, disease, and wellness including the body, community, environmental factors, genetics, the mind, and spirit.
To understand what Integrative Health is, it’s easiest to start with what it isn’t:
It is not one size fits all
It is not a prescription vending machine
It is not a guessing game
Integrative Health is:
It is an individualized, client-centered approach
It is science-based
It is a team effort (me and you!)
It takes biochemical, genetic, and lifestyle factors into account
It is about testing and finding the root cause, not bandaids
ROOT CAUSE
The work I do is all about getting to the root cause. If you are having hormone imbalances, I will not tell you that birth control is the answer and send you on your way. Rather, we will work together to get to the bottom of the balance, the root cause, the WHY. Once we have identified the root cause, we address it with an individualized protocol.
YOU ARE NOT YOUR DISEASE
As an Integrative Health Practitioner, I firmly believe you are not your disease. I look at the individual with the disease or imbalance, not just the disease.
Integrative health views the body as one whole system rather than a collection of independent organs. One condition can have many causes and one cause can create many conditions. The precise manifestation of each cause depends on the unique expression of an individual’s genes under the influence of diet, environment, and lifestyle factors. Only treatments that address the root cause will bring the body back into balance and restore health and vitality.
INTELLIGENT AND INQUIRY DRIVEN
The purpose of Integrative Health is to foster whole body health, vitality, and wellness while preventing chronic disease. This is an intelligent, inquiry driven combination of:
Ayurvedic Medicine, the science of life and body-typing
Bio-regulatory Medicine, the science of self-healing and rebalancing
Eastern Philosophy, using the mind to heal the body
Functional Medicine, state-of-the-art testing to pinpoint underlying root causes
Orthomolecular Medicine, the science of vitamins and minerals as “medicine”
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Herbalism, unlocking nature’s healing wisdom
Traditional Naturopathy, using “right living” to reverse illnessWestern or conventional medicine and science
PREVENTION
Integrative Health emphasizes a lifestyle that supports the prevention of imbalances or disease in the first place. This lifestyle includes high quality nutrition, optimizing sleep, regular movement, removal of toxins, and stress management.
MY APPROACH
My role is to help you identify and address the underlying root causes, the why behind your symptoms rather than just mask your symptoms. Every client is unique so there is no one-size-fits-all approach. I might recommend Functional Medicine lab testing, elimination diets, movement, supplement protocols, and/or sleep protocols—it truly depends up each client’s needs.
I am here to help you unlock the innate healing wisdom of your body and mind, to help you become your own best healer.
What questions do you have about Integrative Health?