Power to the Patients

posted by Pivotal Health Solutions on Friday, May 8, 2015

Integrative, or complementary, medicine is more popular than ever, thanks to its promise in relieving pain and addressing the “whole person.” Now a new study released by the Bravewell Collaborative has found that this approach is effective in relieving chronic pain, stress and depression—and even more importantly, helping patients feel empowered over their own health.

Researchers collected data from 369 patients over six months, and found that integrative medicine increased a patient’s belief that “they have the knowledge, skills and confidence to take meaningful actions to improve their health and maintain self-care.” Patients also reported less stress and depression, and patients with chronic pain reported a one-third decrease in how much pain interfered with their quality of life.

Integrative medicine includes modalities such as acupuncture, yoga, chiropractic, nutrition, massage and mindfulness. More hospitals today are recognizing the importance of integrative medicine in practice.

---

Integrative medicine, an approach to treating patients that aims to address the "whole person," is a burgeoning field in health care -- and for good reason.

Integrative therapies have been found to relieve pain and anxiety in cancer patients, to reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans, and to hold promise in preventing and treating heart disease.

Now, some promising new research suggests that an integrative medicine approach may be effective in treating chronic pain, stress and depression -- and in helping people feel empowered to take charge of their health.

---

This article excerpt, by Carolyn Gregoire of The Huffington Post, originally appeared here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/04/integrative-medicine-_n_7190704.html.