Integrative medicine techniques support the body’s natural ability to heal, reducing stress and promoting a state of relaxation that leads to better health. It can help you achieve optimal health when you engage in your own healing and feel empowered to make lifestyle changes. Incorporating one or more integrative medicine services into your healthcare regimen will help you regain control of your well-being.
Many Americans use complementary and alternative medicine in pursuit of health and well-being. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) 38 percent of adults and about 12 percent of children under 18 used some form of alternative medicine in 2007.
Integrative medicine uses acupuncture, gentle movement and relaxation techniques to reduce pain; dietary and herbal approaches to manage diseases such as diabetes and fibromyalgia; and group support plus yoga and meditation to change habits associated with obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The practices and techniques offered that most patients find helpful include:
- Acupuncture
- Massotherapy (massage)
- Reiki
- Mind/body coaching (relaxation practices)
- Interactive guided imagery
- Therapeutic yoga
- Hypnotherapy
- Holistic weight loss without dieting
- Holistic psychotherapy
Benefits of integrative medicine techniques
Increasingly, research shows that how we live, what we think, and how we feel affect our health. For example, hostility, depression and loneliness contribute to heart disease. Stress can exacerbate infections, fibromyalgia and asthma. High-fat diets can lead to coronary disease and cancer. Obesity is a major factor in the development of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cancer.
While traditional medicine can help diminish the consequences of unhealthy lifestyles, integrative medicine can reverse those consequences, prevent illness and reduce symptoms, resulting in:
- Decreased pain
- Improved sleep
- Enhanced immune function and fewer infections
- Lowered blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels
- Improved bowel function
- Less anxiety and depression related to illness
- Fewer complications after surgery
- Resolution of post-traumatic stress disorder
Conditions integrative medicine can help manage
Integrative medicine services have become very popular in the United States, with more than 70 percent of Americans using them in some form. You may benefit from integrative medicine if you suffer from a chronic illness and wish to reduce the severity or frequency of disease episodes and enjoy a better quality of life. Integrative medicine can help patients relieve symptoms of a wide range of conditions, including:
- Heart disease
- Back pain
- Cancer
- Fibromyalgia
- Headache/migraine
- Asthma
- Diabetes
- Arthritis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Hypertension
- Psoriasis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Obesity
- Stress
- Menopause
- Shingles
- Chronic fatigue
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Schedule an Appointment
To schedule an appointment for any of our integrative medicine services, call Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative Medicine at 216.986.HEAL (4325).
Content Reviewed By: Tanya Edwards, MD, MEd, Medical Director, Cleveland Clinic Center for Integrative Medicine
Cleveland Clinic's Center for Integrative Medicine sees more than 3,500 patients per year for a variety of services, including acupuncture, massage, Reiki, mind/body coaching, nutrition, weight loss and holistic psychotherapy.
Last Updated: 12/20/10
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