The field of integrative medicine (IM) emerged as an attempt to promote health by using treatment options from seemingly incompatible health systems. As for the simplistic explanations, IM refers to a peculiar form of medical practice in which alternative treatments are applied in combination with the advances of conventional medicine (Gall et al., 2021; Womack, 2010). For instance, in 1993, the UCLA East-West Center was established to integrate the West’s organic approaches with the East’s energy-based understanding of healing and health restoration (Womack, 2010). Thus, the field of IM is a response to the ongoing inter-system conflict in medicine and seeks to resolve it.
To continue with the explanation, the field is focused on doubling treatments’ beneficial impacts on patients, so IM practitioners apply strict selection criteria to non-conventional procedures. One example of IM is integrating acupressure treatments into standard care for those suffering from dry eye disease (Womack, 2010). Acupressure has been chosen for integration due to showing more improvement in the condition’s symptoms as opposed to artificial tears (Womack, 2010). IM maintains clear quality standards about evidence, requiring effectiveness/safety-related data for any non-conventional treatments to be used.
The role of Shamans and other healers in IM includes providing IM researchers with treatment modalities and techniques to consider in terms of efficacy, thus facilitating the selection of non-traditional practices and approaches to implement. In the 1960s-1970s, Shamans’ and healers’ consideration of socio-psychological factors during rituals inspired a series of anthropological studies to resulted in IM’s emergence (Womack, 2010). Practices within the frame of shamanism were explored concerning their psychological components and beneficial impacts on individuals’ overall mental well-being (Womack, 2010). Some Shamanic rituals, such as hallucinogenic substances as part of healing, find no reflection in actual IM projects as the field still prioritizes total patient safety (Womack, 2010). Nevertheless, traditional healers’ role as inspirational figures in IM is undeniable.
References
Gall, A., Butler, T. L., Lawler, S., & Garvey, G. (2021). Traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine is used among Indigenous peoples with diabetes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 45(6), 664-671. Web.
Womack, M. (2010). The anthropology of health and healing. AltaMira Press.