IF you have been looking around for 'alternative' or 'integrative' centers or clinics, you have most likely come across a myriad of therapies and possibilities.
Nearly all centers will be one of two types;
1. Alternative medicine focused, i.e. a chiropractic focused integrative center, or naturopathic focused center. Upon investigation you will notice that what these actually are, is a collaboration of various therapists who function under the same roof, perhaps with a loose cross-referral system, but no real communication when it comes to treating the WHOLE patient with a common approach. Typically it is a group of therapists using their own various disciplines to treat the patient within their own paradigm, and then hoping for the best! Such centers generally do not have an MD on staff, and therefore do not have access to the resources that conventional medicine has to offer. This approach limits TRUE integration to that of only alternative medicine options, which are often quite disparate themselves. For example, chiropractic is structurally based, while acupuncture, reike and homeopathy are energetically based, there is also the combined physical/energetic basis of such therapies as cranio-sacral.
2. Conventional medicine focused, i.e. typically an 'integrative' center directed by MD's who have elected to add some complementary therapies to their menu. Therapies that have been shown in research studies to have some beneficial effect, are offered, but there is (upon investigation) no obvious rhyme or reason to how these are applied, or evaluated. This approach, although called integrated, is really only a medical model using some complementaryalternative medicines. This model does not take into account the possibilites of how looking at an illness from a completely different viewpoint or paradigm has to offer. These centers are therefore limited in their effectiveness of applying the alternative therapy, and they are not utilizing the "entire philosophy" of the true integrative approach. Typically these MD's have received their training by correspondence or part time programs in these modalities. While this is certainly sufficient for a cursory understanding, it is hardly adequate to understand all the complexities and subtleties of a new medical approach. Some of these alternative modalities and disciplines are just as complex as Western medicine (we could hardly expect a massage therapist, for example, to learn conventional medicine in a few months or even 100 hours of correspondence/classroom sessions).
Fortunately, there is another approach which endeavors to TRULY INTEGRATE numerous different medicine approaches. This is a tremendous challenge that is being recognized, and faced, by many universities, and public & private organizations. There has been some excellent research and a summation done on an English model (see links). We at IMI are constantly evaluating our approach and techniques, this is a a continual process as no two patients are alike, and we learn from each patient who walks in our door.
Integrative Medicine Institute approach, uses a unique combination of ALL medicines. We use a scientifically derived framework within which to assess, evaluate and then apply therapies. Such an approach allows conventional medicine and alternative medicines to work together synergistically, capturing the best aspects of both realms. The pre-requisites for this integration include;
•a common theory of illness and its occurrence
•a framework within which to assess and apply therapeutic interventions
•a willingness on all sides (practitioner's and patient's) to explore different perspectives
Just a thought - whatever you have been doing up until now, has gotten you exactly where you are, and continuing doing these same things will surely only maintain that path. If it is indeed true that every symptom is a 'red light' on our dashboard, a signal from the body that something is out of balance somewhere, then it behooves us to look closer at that symptom and learn what it is warning us of. If every symptom IS a message, then we need to be opening that door to greet the messenger. The willingness to open that door, without knowing what the message may be, is the key element to moving forward and through an illness or symptom, and even to preventing future illness.
Following is a short summary of the approach used at IMI towards illness and healing, our "Hypothesis of Healing". By definition an hypothesis is a theory that describes what has been observed in nature to occur. In the Scientific Method, the theory is then tested and, if proven true, is adopted, if proven false, is discarded or modified, and re-tested. IMI has found the basis of this approach, in clinical application, to be very effective in addressing the underlying causes of illness. We endeavor to continually refine and evaluate this hypothesis on an on-going basis (see I-MED INDEX).
Hypothesis of Healing
Physical Healing
Energetic Healing
Mental/Emotional Healing
Subconscious Healing
Spiritual Healing
