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Integrative Medicine

A Commentary on Integrative Medicine in the the Canadian Family Physician asks:

Is integrative medicine the future of family medicine?

Integrative Medicine takes into account all aspects of lifestyle, including nutrition, physical activity, stress, sleep, spirituality, and occupational functioning.

I also have some questions:

  • How will the articulation of this new vision integrate all the aspects of a patient’s lifestyle into the busy workload of a primary care physician?
  • Looking at all the aspects of lifestyle with a patient will take more time but how can this be done in the context of a primary care physician shortage?
  • Should doctors perform tasks such as nutrition counseling that can be done by nutritionists?
  • Is the human body really innately self-healing?
  • Is the popularity of alternative medicine a rejection of evidence or science-based medicine?
  • What is Woo ?

Who has time for family medicine? Canadian Family Physician; Jan 2008.

…to fully satisfy the US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations, a physician would have to spend 1773 hours per year, or 7.4 hours per working day, providing preventive services

Video: Dr. Steven Knope debates Andrew Weil. (Part 1)

Related Links:
Science-Based Medicine
Who has time for family medicine?
Roman Acupuncture

Alternative medicine for type 2 diabetes

Medical Journal Club article for June 2009:

Complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of type 2 diabetes | Canadian Family Physician Journal -

“Chromium, and possibly gymnema, appears to improve glycemic control. Fibre, green tea, and fenugreek have other benefits but there is little evidence that they substantially improve glycemic control. Further research on bitter melon and cinnamon is warranted. There is no complementary and alternative medicine research addressing microvascular or macrovascular clinical outcomes.”

QUALITY OF EVIDENCE?