Integrative or Standard Care
Should I choose Western “Standard/Modern” Medicine or Eastern/Ancient/Holistic Medicine?
Yes, for both. We should consider any care model that will improve the health and well-being of our patients. This is precisely why we need to have an individualized care design for our patients. A one size fits all approach is impersonal and unfortunately does not factor in the patients’ goals of care. In many instances, a one size fits all approach limits the quality and access to care as patient’s will avoid having the discussion at all as to not upset their current health care provider.
The great divide between functional/integrative medicine and “standard” care medicine is putting our patients in the middle of having to make the difficult decision of which model to select. A patient may feel pressed to choose one or the other and they miss out on the opportunities and benefits of the care option they decided to abandon. We see this a lot in oncology patients.
In oncology, we have rigid guidelines of chemotherapy protocols and/or radiation depending on the stage and type of cancer that is plaquing the individual. There is little tolerance in allowing patients to incorporate holistic measures and “non-standard” treatment even if safe to do so. This pushes people to trying alternatives which may be beneficial but, a combination of the standard protocol plus a holistic or integrative option may improve the body’s response and recovery even more. There needs to be a call to balance and acknowledgement of the divide and the negative impact it is creating.
Functional and Integrative doctors are hostile towards “western” health care providers and vice versa. Neither rarely attempts to reach across the aisle to put their differences aside and value the others opinion and expertise. There have been abuses on both sides of the spectrum. Some of these “holistic” doctors have essentially stolen thousands of dollars with testing and treatments that have done nothing to help the patient; rather, delayed better care and cost them their savings. On the other side we have health care providers that bill insurance carriers repeatedly for their visits but provide little effort to partner with their patient and spend a little time learning and listening. They would prefer to send a prescription to the pharmacy instead of reviewing a food journal or exercise plan.
Working to blend these two primary care models on a small scale may ultimately have a larger impact. Health care providers can prioritize an openminded approach and investigate the scientific evidence that exists for integrative medicine treatments and implement into their current practices. Additionally, we need to advocate for insurance coverage to be expanded to our functional and integrative colleagues to allow more access and more affordability. This would lead to more research and education for all providers to better serve a larger prospect of patients.
At Red Letter DPC, we often make treatment recommendations that may appear more integrative and functional, but we are always interested in incorporating both approaches to better serve my patients. We are open to researching safe alternative methods of treatment and if appropriate incorporating into individualized care for patients. A blend of standard and complimentary medicine approach may be best for one patient and not another. My goal is to support the patient and their work toward their wellness success.
