Does this graphic reflect your thoughts about all the terms being used in healthcare today? We sympathize, these terms can be confusing, especially when they're evolving. We hope to make it a little easier in this video so that you'll be able to explain to your patients what integrative therapies are. Remember, integrative health is an emerging term that replaces the word Complementary and Alternative Medicine, as more and more of these therapies are being integrated into a whole plan of care. The shift to the term integrative conveys the importance and power of language. Complimentary seemed to indicate that allopathic medicine was the main mode of healing, while the other practices were simply on the side. The term integrative offers a more inclusive collaborative way of viewing healthcare. The term is also descriptive in other sense including and integrating the whole person into a care plan, as we shall discuss. In contrast to allopathic biomedical care, the purpose of most integrative health and healing practices is to optimize well-being, and when necessary facilitate the body's own healing responses to restore balance and harmony. The underlying premise of many integrative practices is that optimal human health requires uniting and balancing the body, mind, and spirit. This holistic view also recognizes that social, environmental, and energetic issues play a role in the health and wellness of individuals, societies, and our planet. In addition, integrative therapies aim to create a healing relationship between provider and patient and use evidence informed practices to promote health and well-being. Integrative therapies include a variety of practices and modalities offered by trained practitioners. One way of categorizing this variety is shown here. It includes mind-body practices, such as meditation, yoga, and biofeedback. Energy-based therapies such as healing touch and Reiki, manual therapy such as massage, biologically-based therapies such as botanical medicines, essential oils, and dietary supplements like fish oil, and whole systems of medicines such as traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. We'll be discussing some of these therapies in later lessons. As healthcare increasingly began to focus on well-being and patient-centeredness as well as an evidence-based approach, the team integrative medicine or integrative healthcare was coined. The Academic Consortium Integrative Medicine and Health, defined integrative medicine as, the practice that affirms the importance of the relationship between the practitioner and the patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic and lifestyle approaches, healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and well-being. According to this definition, integrative medicine is a subtype of medicine. Note that while the word medicine is used here, it includes all healthcare. Integrative medicine refers to clinical care and does not look at the full complement of social determinants of health. Although care in the clinic setting is important, we need to consider the more inclusive concept of integrative health, Witt et. al. in 2017, worked with the input of more than 200 researchers clinicians and educators to come up with the definition of integrative health. Although integrative health and integrative medicine have been used interchangeably, integrative medicine focuses more on clinical care, where integrative health is more encompassing to the full array of health determinants. Integrative health is affected by individual biologic factors and behaviors, social values and public policy, and the physical, social, and economic environment. An integrative health approach involves the active participation of the individual and the healthcare team in applying a broad spectrum of preventative and therapeutic approaches. It encourages individuals, social groups, and communities to develop ways of living that promote meaning, resilience, and well-being across the life course. In short, this definition considers a broad contexts that includes preventative and therapeutic approaches to holistic health. We hope this video leaves you with some inspiration to explore integrative therapies some more. Check out the next steps listed here.