In a Utopian society, medicine would be able to cure every existing disease and health professionals would have all the necessary answers and adequate treatments for every individual. However, in reality, regardless of all the advances in medicine, this science is far from perfect. Moreover, until recent years, only two systems were available; Allopathic Medicine and Complementary and Alternative Medicine. These two forms of medicine are very different and far apart. Thus, there was a need to fill the gap in between which gave life to the theory of Integral Medicine.
Allopathic Medicine is defined as “a system in which medical doctors and other healthcare professionals treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery” (National Cancer Institute, n.d.). In contrast, Complementary and Alternative Medicine is defined as “a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine” (NCCAM, 2010). Thus, Conventional Medicine treats the illness and Alternative Medicine treats the person, but Integral Medicine goes one step further and treats the illness, the person, and the physician (Schlitz, Amorok, & Micozzi, 2005).
I will continue to discuss different elements of Integral Medicine in this blog to give you a better understanding of this practice. Please feel free to ask questions or give me some feedback. Your comments will be well appreciated!
Gaby Fischer
References
National Cancer Institute (n.d.). Dictionary of Cancer Terms, Conventional Medicine. Retrieved from: http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary?CdrID=44921 NCCAM (2010). CAM Basics: What Is Complementary and Alternative Medicine? Retrieved from: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/
Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., & Micozzi M. (2005). Consciousness and Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine. St. Louis, MO: Churchill Livingstone. 
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