Integrative medicine is both a growing medical specialty and a broader philosophy of care. Physicians who pursue formal training in this field build upon their conventional medical education with additional study in nutrition, functional medicine, mind-body practices, traditional systems like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, and more.
While integrative medicine is especially well-suited to primary care fields like family medicine and internal medicine — where long-term relationships and preventive care are central — it’s increasingly being adopted by specialists across disciplines. Neurologists, gastroenterologists, cardiologists, and others are expanding their therapeutic toolkit with integrative approaches to better serve their patients.
Board-certified integrative medicine physicians may provide this care within primary care visits or as stand-alone consultations, working in collaboration with a patient’s existing providers. These integrative visits offer the opportunity to dive deeper into your health story, explore lifestyle and environmental contributors to illness, and identify additional tools to support healing alongside your current treatment plan.
integrative medicine
The Future of Medicine
A WHOLE-PERSON APPROACH TO HEALING
Integrative medicine is a patient-centered, evidence-informed approach that blends the best of conventional Western medicine with complementary healing traditions from around the world. It goes beyond managing symptoms — aiming instead to understand the root causes of illness, support the body’s natural healing capacity, and treat the whole person: mind, body, and spirit.
Rather than choosing between “mainstream” and “alternative” options, integrative medicine brings together therapies that are grounded in both scientific evidence and clinical wisdom. Practices such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, yoga, mindfulness, and bodywork are used alongside modern diagnostics and pharmaceuticals — creating a comprehensive care plan that is personalized and sustainable.
This model doesn’t reject Western medicine. It evolves it — by expanding our understanding of health, honoring the interconnectedness of body systems, and valuing what matters most to each individual patient.
As more physicians are trained in integrative medicine and research continues to validate many long-standing healing traditions, the lines between “Eastern” and “Western” medicine are beginning to dissolve. What were once labeled “alternative” therapies are increasingly recognized for their clinical value — and may one day be fully woven into medical education and practice around the world.
More than anything, integrative medicine is a shift in how we think about healthcare. It asks not just how long we can live, but how well. It invites us to look beyond the diagnosis, beyond the prescription — and toward the whole human story.