The Role of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Integrative Preventive Medicine

Integrative preventive medicine (IPM) identifies complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as a key contributor to the goal of extending disease-free high-quality life; CAM provides therapeutic approaches that are amenable to self-care, are cost-effective, are minimally invasive, and have minimal potential for side effects. Using CAM in IPM results in a shift away from passive screenings and treatment-centered approaches to prevention-focused care. Integrative preventive medicine redefines and expands the levels of prevention to include evidence-based CAM at each level of prevention alongside conventional approaches. And CAM reemphasizes the value of primary prevention as an underused level of prevention in our current approach to healthcare. Integrative preventive medicine affirms the value of evidence-based CAM in treating the major risk factors for morbidity and mortality and encourages physicians to actively discuss the diverse array of CAM therapies with their patients and to incorporate evidence-based CAM into their treatment plans.