Integrative Health Month: Strategies To Enhance Health And Wellness
Integrative Health Month is celebrated annually in January. This month aims to represent health from a holistic perspective, exploring strategies to improve one’s health. Below, learn about Integrative Health Month, the importance of integrative health, and ways to improve overall health and wellness with treatments from a conventional healthcare provider.
What’s the history of Integrative Health Month?
What is integrative health care?
Integrative health is a form of care involving strong collaboration among various professionals. In this type of care, professionals in numerous healthcare disciplines unite, including doctors, nurses, social workers, and various types of therapists. Integrative care also involves the intersection of conventional medicine and complementary approaches to health, such as yoga, probiotics, and acupuncture. Formerly referred to as complementary and alternative medicine, integrative care focuses on the whole person rather than just one organ system.
In some cases, integrative health providers share practices used in ayurvedic medicine, naturopathic medicine, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. However, you may consider speaking with a healthcare provider before trying any treatments from ayurvedic medicine or other types of medicine, such as herbal medicines. In some cases, natural treatment may interact with certain medications, other supplements, foods, or health conditions and could have adverse effects. A specialist who knows how to treat chronic health conditions and who understands commonly known holistic medicines may be able to advise you on which herbal medicines are safe for you if you want to try them.
The BetterHelp platform is not intended to provide any information regarding which medication or medical treatment may be appropriate for you. The content provides generalized information that is not specific to one individual. Do not take any action without consulting a qualified medical professional.
What are some ways to practice integrative health?
Integrative health often involves a team of health professionals, often including doctors, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and mental health professionals. A well-rounded team is typically better equipped to treat the whole person than one professional alone.
A team of professionals may recommend some holistic practices that individuals can implement at home to complement conventional treatments like medication. The following are just a few practices that may be recommended as part of an integrative health approach.
Engage in regular exercise
Research shows that exercise can improve physical and mental health simultaneously. Exercise can improve cardiovascular health and lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Physical movements can also lead to the release of endorphins, which are often called feel-good hormones. If possible, try to engage in outdoor exercise several days per week. Research suggests that spending time in nature can improve cognition and memory. Even 20 minutes of indoor exercise may benefit your physical and mental health if you can't get outside due to the weather.
Prioritize nutrition and evidence-based food education
Nutrition is typically essential for physical and mental health. Eating well isn’t necessarily about achieving weight loss or a certain body form; it’s about eating nutritious foods that provide energy and help you thrive throughout the day. Consider asking a dietician or nutritionist what foods might benefit you. Each person has different needs, and a specialist may help you tailor your food choices to your needs as part of an integrative health plan.
Yoga for integrative health and wellness
Integrative health practitioners worldwide often recommend yoga as a valuable practice. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, research suggests that the benefits of yoga may include pain relief, reduced stress, improved sleep, enhanced emotional health, and improved quality of life for people living with chronic diseases. There are various types of yoga, including Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin, and Ashtanga. If you don’t find a certain type useful at first, you might ask a yoga instructor if they recommend a specific style of yoga for you at this stage in your health journey.
Try evidence-based meditation
While some might think of meditation as involving long retreats, this practice can entail brief practice throughout the day. Some people may benefit from mindfulness meditation, which can be done in five to 10 minutes. The practice typically consists of observing thoughts as they come and go without judgment. Mindfulness meditation may relieve stress and improve focus throughout the day.
Therapy to improve health and wellness
Integrative health typically involves caring for mental and physical health in addition to physical health. This may involve therapy, not just for mental disorders but also for preventive care. Mental health care may help reduce stress, which can have numerous deleterious effects on a person’s physical and psychological health.
Online therapy as part of integrative healthcare
Some people might live in an area with few mental health providers. Others may be hesitant to speak with a therapist in person. In these cases, speaking with a licensed online therapist through a platform like BetterHelp may be helpful. Online therapists can often help with integrative health practices like mindfulness meditation. Online therapy allows individuals to speak with a therapist in whatever way is comfortable for them, whether by audio, video, or live chat. They can also contact their therapist at any time through in-app messaging, and the therapist will respond as soon as possible.
Research shows that online therapy is also effective for many mental illnesses. One study published in 2017 found that online cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) was effective for depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, and bipolar disorder, among other disorders.
Takeaway
Frequently asked questions about integrative healthcare
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about Integrative Health Month.
When was the first Integrative Health Month?
Integrative Health Month was established in January 2023 by the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine (AIHM).
What is the integrated approach to health and health education?
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describes integrative health as follows: “Integrative health brings conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way. Integrative health also emphasizes multimodal interventions, which are two or more interventions such as conventional health care approaches (like medication, physical rehabilitation, psychotherapy), and complementary health approaches (like acupuncture, yoga, and probiotics) in various combinations, with an emphasis on treating the whole person rather than, for example, one organ system. Integrative health aims for well-coordinated care among different providers and institutions by bringing conventional and complementary approaches together to care for the whole person.”
How big is the alternative medicine market?
The complementary and alternative medicine market reached approximately $128.93 billion in 2023.
What’s the difference between integrative health care and alternative medicine?
One of the main differences between integrative health and alternative medicine is that integrative health practices are typically used in tandem with conventional medicine, whereas alternative medicine often replaces conventional medicine.
What are some evidence-based integrative healthcare approaches?
Integrative health approaches can vary according to the needs of each person. The following are some approaches that some people may use:
- Acupuncture
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Herbal therapy
- Tai chi
For some approaches, there may be a stronger evidence base than for others. If you’re not sure about a specific practice, you might consider speaking with a conventional medical provider who also has knowledge of complementary health approaches.
What is an example of integrated health?
An example of integrative health is a healthcare clinic that prioritizes non-traditional medicines and offers various support options that are unique and client-focused. They may avoid the disease care model that treats all patients as numbers in a file and instead look at whole health factors and lifestyle to help patients make long-term changes. They might offer various services, such as massage therapy, dietary supplements, acupuncture, medications, and counseling, depending on the types of professionals working at the clinic. Often, the goal of integrative clinics is transforming health in a holistic way.
What is the difference between holistic health and integrative health?
Holistic healthcare uses alternative medicine to treat patients. Holistic healthcare can be a type of integrative health, but integrative health is not necessarily holistic. Integrative providers can also practice western medicine or other types of treatment in their practice, and not all holistic clinics are integrative, as they may not offer patient-centered care or include a team of different types of providers.
What is the difference between functional health and integrative health?
Functional medicine and integrative health both aim to offer patient-centered holistic care in many cases. However, functional medicine is more about symptoms and disease treatment rather than full integrative lifestyle changes.
What is the meaning of integrated health?
Integrated health refers to a form of healthcare that prioritizes patient needs by looking at all aspects of their life and health when considering healthcare decisions. Often, this form of healthcare is holistic, providing non-conventional treatments and approaches through multiple providers in a healthcare team to treat symptoms, conditions, or challenges. The alternative medicine market reached new highs in recent years, showcasing integrated health’s popularity in global complementary holistic health treatment.
What is integrated health therapy?
Integrated health therapy is a type of mental health treatment in which a client has a care team of multiple providers who offer client-centered care. This type of therapy may also involve non-traditional forms of support, such as energy healing, massage therapy, acupuncture, and other services.
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