Integrative medicine takes center stage at an Institute of Medicine meeting

Preventive care can't replace drugs or other types of medical treatment, but increasingly, physicians are embracing a more holistic approach to caring for their patients. In fact, the Institute of Medicine, a non-profit organization that provides science-based advice on matters of biomedical science, medicine and health to U.S. policymakers, convened a meeting this past Wednesday on "integrative medicine." According to the Institute, integrative medicine "combines prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and recovery efforts, while at the same time promoting wellness instead of reacting to disease." As Dr. Ralph Snyderman of Duke University, who led the three-day meeting, notes, "Health is more than the absence of disease." And he adds, "It is far more effective to intervene early for chronic diseases and to treat them coherently over time rather than treating events when they occur."

The meeting takes on even more importance as the Obama Administration begins its work on overhauling the country's healthcare system. President Obama and congressional leaders have promised to make major changes, an especially important goal considering that in 2007, 45.7 million Americans - or 15 percent - had no health insurance.  It's possible that the ideas discussed at the meeting could impact the direction of healthcare overhaul.

In addition to taking center stage at the Institute of Medicine's meeting this week, integrative medicine is growing in acceptance by an increasing number of highly respected medical centers. For example, at Duke, trained health coaches work with patients to create a personalized care plan that complements treatment prescribed by their regular doctors. "If I didn't have coaching, I would have given up," says 68-year-old Roberta Cutbill of Cary, N.C. Her cardiologist referred her to the program to see if improved nutrition and exercise could help lower her cholesterol, so that she wouldn't have to rely on medication to do the job. "We're extremely wasteful in health care in America because we don't respect what the patient can bring to the table, the healing properties of the body itself, the use of lower-technology routes to healing," says Dr. Donald Berwick, a Harvard health-quality expert who heads the nonprofit Institute for Health Care Improvement.

Of course, when it comes to medical care, evidence matters most notes Dr. Berwick. So does data support integrative medicine? Does it work? The evidence is just coming in. In a Duke study of 154 middle-aged people at high risk of heart disease, those participants who received health coaching exercised two more days a week than when they started the study. The result? They experienced an average 10-point drop in cholesterol. Cholesterol levels in those participants who received standard checkups only remained the same. And in several scientific studies, a health diet and such stress-relieving techniques as meditation and yoga are helping combat the bad effects of stress, which can limit the immune's system ability to fight disease and heal.

News Release: Moving nation from sick care toward wellness care  www.google.com February 24, 2009

News Release: Health experts promote prevention efforts  www.in.reuters.com February 26, 2009