Western Integrated Medicine

Western Integrated Medicine (WIM) has been receiving a lot of attention lately. It is actually the combination of both complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and conventional Western medicine. This is no surprise, given how more and more people are using herbs, natural pain remedies, and other alternative options, especially for medical conditions that cannot be treated completely by modern medicine.

But what exactly is Western Integrated Medicine, and what does this mean for alternative therapies now being used by millions of people worldwide? If you’ve been using remedies from herbalists and other therapists who do not have a doctor’s degree, then it’s time you learned about what WIM is all about.

Western Integrated Medicine Updates

Eastern medicine, alternative medicine, and complementary medicine have received a lot of criticism from doctors and other health professionals. However, studies have shown that some of the alternative therapies available actually work. Below are some of the updates on Western Integrated Medicine.

• Alternative therapies are now recommended, as long as there is evidence to support their use. It is the belief of WIM practitioners that although complementary and alternative medicine holds promising treatments, the scientific approach of western medicine should be applied accordingly. In other words, reason, logic, and evidence have to exist before a specific alternative treatment should be used. That’s just about fair, right?
• The National Institutes of Health established the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine to further support research on alternative therapies. If you prefer natural pain remedies instead of pills and over-the-counter drugs, then this is good news for you.
• Medical schools have started to incorporate Complementary Medicine and Alternative Medicine into their curriculum. Yes, even medical schools have started to notice the value of natural pain remedies and other alternative treatment.
• Western Integrated Medicine is the best of both worlds. Western medicine alone seems too snobbish, while alternative medicine relies heavily on hearsay instead of solid evidence. WIM, however, is the integration of both. This shall lead to a shift in belief and practice worldwide. After all, neither party is perfect, which is why both Western and alternative medicine have critics and haters.

In other words, Western Integrated Medicine is a team effort. Both sides cooperate to come up with a solution. If you are a fan of western medicine, you should also be open to alternative therapies and should watch out for research on these. If you prefer natural or alternative medicine, then you should seek out evidence to prove that they indeed work. And with western integrated medicine, you get to have your cake and eat it, too. This is especially true for headache treatment, such as shown HERE.

If you have come across alternative therapies or natural pain remedies that work for you, share them with us and we shall do the research! Let us find out if it really works for most people – that’s what Western Integrated Medicine is all about, after all. Leave us a comment and we will write about your preferred natural pain remedy!

Alma Jones wrote this article on Western Integrated Medicine. She is an advocate of holistic approaches to cure and prevention, relying on hard facts for the articles that she writes. A graduate of medicine, she has seen the value of Western Medicine research and Eastern Medicine treatment.