| Integrative Medicine |
The Leading Standard of Health CareWhat is integrative medicine? Integrative medicine draws on all styles of medicine including traditional, or conventional, and alternative medicine, in order to provide you, the patient, with the best treatment options available. Integrative medicine has many advantages; that is why it will most likely be the standard for the future of medicine. Integrative medicine is unique in that it does not exclude any treatment based on its association with a particular style of medicine. Instead it evaluates all treatments on the basis of their proven effectiveness and safety. The predecessor of Waters Integrative Health Center had been practicing integrative medicine since its outset in 1983 as part of its goal to provide patients with only the best comprehensive health care. What is alternative medicine? The generally accepted definition of alternative medicine is anything that conventional medicine does not use on a widespread basis. This includes the primary form of health care that 65 to 80 percent of the world’s population uses.1 Conventional medicine is clearly missing a piece of the puzzle when you consider that the United States has a very poor health record compared to the other countries of similar development. Many of these other styles of medicine have been proven by thousands of years of use by other cultures. The alternative treatments in use by Waters Integrative Health Center have often been scientifically tested and proven effective by the same, or even stricter, standards in use for conventional treatments. Often, alternative treatments are cheaper, less harmful and more beneficial than the standard conventional treatments. There are definitely benefits to be gained by investigating these alternative approaches. Alternative medicine has been associated with a new style of medicine from the conventional approach. Alternative styles of medicine in general are usually used to effect healing rather than treat symptoms quickly, like conventional medicine often does. In case of an emergency this is appropriate, but in perspective of your long-term health, the root of the health problem must be addressed and prevention is of utmost importance. Prevention by nature changes the relationship between practitioner and patient. Instead of a patient being perceived as a diagnosis with a set of symptoms to be treated, the patient is seen as a person in context of their life that affects their health. Your health is also seen less as an absence of disease or symptoms, and more as a measure of the level your body is functioning at. How can interactive medicine affect me? Your visits to Waters Integrative Health Center and your experiences as a patient are going to be different than what you are used to with a traditional practitioner. At Waters Integrative Health Center, we place a great deal of emphasis on preventative medicine and treatments that will have positive long-term effects on your health. We want to guide you to become healthier by addressing the source of your health problems and improving your health through nutrition, supplements, and other preventative means. It is important that you are patient with your body’s response to the changes that you will make in your diet, lifestyle and supplementation. Your body needs time to heal. Understand that there are many transformations taking place even if you are not openly aware of them. Often, the visible changes in your health when they happen are dramatic and improve the quality of your life as you begin to attain optimal health. You can have confidence in our qualified and compassionate medical professionals. Not only is our primary health advisor, Robert S. Waters, M.D. trained as a traditional MD but also has been practicing integrative care for over 25 years. Dr. Waters is assisted by a trained staff to provide you with a wide variety of treatment options and diagnostic services. You will find more information about Dr. Waters in his biography located in this Patient Orientation Packet. References: |