Integrative Medicine

This clinical tool equips GPs and other health care professionals with the information needed to provide more integrative therapy in medical practice. Drawing on available scientific evidence and the authors' first-hand experience, it offers practical guidance and support for recommending complementary therapies to treat many common conditions seen in the primary care setting. It covers therapies such as botanicals, supplements, mind-body, lifestyle choices, nutrition, exercise, spirituality, and more. A discussion of the philosophy of integrative medicine is followed by sections that specifically define the pharmaceutical treatments as well as the nutritional, mind-body, supplemental, and botanical treatments for common disease states. An emphasis on disease prevention helps the reader direct patients toward health maintenance and wellness. An invaluable Tools for Your Practice section offers suggestions and advice on topics such as Recommending Meditation, The Elimination Diet, Exercises for Back Pain, and Taking a Spiritual History.

• A practical, disease-focused approach makes it easy to reference clinical applications and recommendations based on a patient's disease state.
• The holistic aspects of integrative care focus on the root of the disease process, offering improved care for chronic disease that does not respond as easily to traditional pharmacological treatment.
• The Therapeutic Review and Prevention Prescription sections offer practical overviews of the recommendations discussed in each chapter for fast access.
• Note boxes highlight important, therapy-based pearls that the reader can apply to practice.
• Dosages and precautions are included for supplements and botanicals.
• The Tools for Your Practice section presents "how-to" discussions and handouts to help patients follow specific recommendations.

David Rakel, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine; Medical Director, Integrative Medicine Program, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, WI