What is integrative medicine?
Integrative medicine is an approach to treatment that combines academic medicine with natural therapies such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, therapeutic diet, meditation, yoga, aromatherapy and breathing techniques.
This approach is based on a holistic understanding of health and disease, its origins date back to ancient times. Egyptian, Greek, Chinese and Indian doctors used various healing methods, combining them for optimal support of the patient, placing the person in the center of interest, not the disease.
Hippocrates, considered the father of medicine, was also a pioneer of the integrative approach to human treatment. In his philosophy, health was the result balance of body, mind and environment, and disease is the result of disruption of this natural harmony.
Nowadays, interest in integrative medicine began to grow in the 1970s and 1980s. Along with the dynamic development of science and medicine, there was also a trend to promote natural methods of treatment and practices derived from old medical systems - Indian Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, which treat humans as a unity of body, mind and spirit.
Nowadays, more and more medical centers and hospitals, in addition to traditional methods of treatment, also offer complementary therapies such as acupuncture, acupressure, meditation, yoga, relaxation techniques or dietary therapy. Numerous scientific studies confirm the effectiveness of many of these therapies and their positive impact on the health and well-being of patients.
What is integrative medicine? Andrew Weil, MD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pXsm3qaFIk&pp=ygUUaW50ZWdyYXRpdmUgbWVkaWNpbmU%3D
The Advantages Of Integrative Medicine | Andrew Weil, MD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yInW-itmIoo
What Mayo Clinic experts say about integrative medicine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoSSGqP5Gh4
Mayo Clinic Minute: What is integrative health and how can it help? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsa98vRYhrs
The Roles of Integrative Medicine in the New Paradigm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebzkKD78Q6c
What makes integrative medicine unique?
✅ Puts the patient at the center of attention – treats him or her holistically: body, mind and emotions.
✅ Considers lifestyle, environment, nutrition and emotions as factors influencing health.
✅ Combines the best practices of academic medicine with supportive therapies that have been proven to work.
✅ It places great emphasis on prevention, healthy habits and supporting the body's natural ability to heal itself.
What is integrative cancer treatment?
Integrative oncology is a patient-centered, evidence-based approach to cancer care that uses mind-body techniques, natural products, and lifestyle modifications from diverse traditions alongside conventional treatments.
Its purpose is:
✅ optimizing health, quality of life and clinical outcomes at every stage of cancer treatment,
✅ increasing awareness of prevention,
✅ activating the patient as a conscious participant in the healing process.
The concept of integrative treatment puts the focus man and strives to meet their individual needs to the fullest extent possible – both in terms of physical and mental health, as well as emotions, spirituality and social relationships.
Its basis is holistic approach, which involves treatment the whole person, not just the disease. The patient is a conscious and committed participant in the treatment and recovery process, and thanks to access to knowledge and the ability to co-decide on the choice of therapy, they gain real influence on the course of their treatment.
Supportive therapies Academic treatment offers the following options:
✅ improving the quality of life,
✅ alleviating the symptoms of the disease,
✅ reducing the side effects of anticancer therapies, such as fatigue, insomnia, hot flashes, swelling, nausea or pain.
They can also be used after the treatment is completed, supporting faster regeneration of the body and return to full strength.
What therapies are used in integrative cancer treatment?
These are primarily:
- Dietetics and nutritional supplementation
- Physical activity
- Traditional Chinese medicine practices: acupuncture, acupressure, massages, herbal medicine
- Ayurvedic practices
- Yoga, tai chi and qigong
- Mindfulness and meditation
- Manual therapies: chiropractic, osteopathy
- Phytotherapy
- Aromatherapy
- Art therapy
- Music therapy
Summary
In Europe and the United States approx. 40-50% oncology patients chooses complementary therapies as part of their treatment. Studies show that integrative approaches improve treatment outcomes, quality of life, help alleviate the burden of disease and side effects of conventional treatments. In response to this need, many medical centers are creating integrative oncology departments, where appropriately trained physicians and therapists accompany patients in their recovery (e.g. Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Charité Universitätsmedizin). Organizations such as the American ones are also active. Society of Integrative Oncology Whether European Society of Integrative Oncology, which develop principles and standards of integrative treatment, conduct and publish research on methods of such treatment, and above all spread awareness and knowledge among patients and medical personnel.
Mayo Clinic Minute: How integrative medicine can help people with cancer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGVjC_WganM
The issue of integrative treatment is also taken up in its activities aimed at improving the effectiveness of cancer treatment. European Parliament. In its resolution of 16 February 2022 (Strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer – towards a comprehensive and coordinated strategy 2020/2267(INI)), it emphasises that scientifically recognised integrative medicine, approved by public health authorities, can bring benefits to patients in the treatment of diseases such as cancer. It also emphasises the importance of developing a holistic, integrative and patient-centred approach and encouraging, where appropriate, the supportive use of these therapies under the supervision of medical professionals.
Integrative Medicine under the spotlight in the European Parliament https://www.ivaa.info/integrative-medicine-under-the-spotlight-in-the-european-parliament
Strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer
European Parliament resolution of 16 February 2022 on strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer – towards a comprehensive and coordinated strategy (2020/2267(INI))
https://cam-europe.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/20202267INI.pdf
World Health Organization (WHO) has been emphasizing the importance of integrating traditional, complementary and integrative medicine into national healthcare systems for years. In its numerous appeals, WHO encourages member states to take action that will enable the combination of traditional treatments with modern biomedicine – always based on scientific evidence, patient safety and respect for local heritage.
A review of the WHO strategy on traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine from the perspective of academic consortia for integrative medicine and health https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11201178/
Key WHO initiatives:
Global Traditional Medicine Center (GTMC), which serves as an international center for traditional medicine. Its activities focus on building a database and conducting research, strengthening health systems, supporting sustainability and equity, and developing innovation and technology for global health. Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Unit (TCI)
TCI Unit (Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Unit) works with Member States and partners to promote the integration of traditional and complementary medicine into national healthcare systems, based on scientific evidence of effectiveness and safety.
Plans for 2025
On November 29, 2024, a meeting of the Group of Friends of Traditional Medicine was held in Geneva, during which the directions of joint actions for 2025 were agreed. At the center of these actions will be the strengthening of cooperation and coordination between WHO member states in order to more effectively use the potential of traditional and integrative medicine for the benefit of public health. https://www.who.int/news/item/10-12-2024-friends-of-traditional-medicine-agree-agenda-for-action-for-2025
Why are we doing this?
Comment by Maja Surowicz
Founders and Presidents of the Rakiety Oncology Foundation, Member of the Society for Integrative Oncology and the European Society for Integrative Oncology
Integrative medicine has been a standard in many countries for years, such as Germany, the USA, Japan and China. It combines classic treatment with safe supportive therapies, the aim of which is to improve the quality of life of patients and strengthen the healing process. Unfortunately, in Poland this approach is still confused with alternative medicine and treated as a kind of exoticism. In reality, integrative medicine does not replace conventional treatment, but complements it - taking comprehensive care of the body, psyche, spiritual aspects and lifestyle of patients.
The lack of clear regulations in Poland is causing chaos: on the one hand, it limits access to proven, professional therapies, and on the other – it encourages the development of uncontrolled and often dangerous practices. I fully share the concerns expressed in the article "Lex Quack: Who Benefits from the Battle for Medical Truth?"– current legislative proposals may harm patients by closing the path to proven, integrative care and opening the door to the underground, often represented by people without knowledge, experience and qualifications to conduct specific practices. Therefore, I appeal to the Ministry of Health to establish a Committee for Integrative Medicine at the Health Commission and to include experts from Poland and abroad in the dialogue, in order to develop safe and modern regulatory standards – following the example of Germany.
The vast majority of the patients of the Rakiety Oncological Foundation are people who approach the healing process in a holistic and comprehensive way. None of these people give up classical treatment in favor of alternative methods. On the contrary - our integrative approach has repeatedly helped patients return to the path of treatment in accordance with current medical knowledge, enriched with activities supporting physical and mental health. Our patients do not drop out of the labor market during treatment, do not give up their previous activities and social life, and they often go through the disease treating it as one of many projects to be completed in life.
I would like to thank you very much for all your expressions of support, commitment and readiness to jointly develop this area. I encourage skeptical people to read more and expand their knowledge – below are links to renowned training courses in the field of integrative medicine, conducted in leading oncology centers in the world. At the same time, I would like to emphasize that our Foundation conducts dialogue only in a substantive and polite manner – we believe that we have a common goal, which is the life and health of our recipients, which is why we do not intend to get involved and respond to distracting arguments, scuffles and offensive communication.
Thank you!
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Scientific research
A Comprehensive Definition for Integrative Oncology
https://academic.oup.com/jncimono/article/2017/52/lgx012/4617827
Integrative Oncology: An Overview
https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.14694/EdBook_AM.2014.34.233
Growth of Integrative Medicine at Leading Cancer Centers Between 2009 and 2016: A Systematic Analysis of NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center Websites
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/29140485
Integrative Approaches to the Treatment of Cancer
https://europepmc.org/article/MED/36497414
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Publications
Complementary Medicine in the Treatment of Cancer by Dr. Jorge Pérez-Calvo Soler, presented during the European Parliament Working Party on Health (ENVI) webinar in October 2021, presenting the importance of an integrative approach in oncology care: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/240636/Calvo%20Soler_final.pdf
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Centers and specialists
Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center https://cccc.charite.de/en/about_us/
Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center
https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/integrative-oncology/overview/ovc-20542190
Memorial Sloan Kettering
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/diagnosis-treatment/symptom-management/integrative-medicine
UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
https://www.uclahealth.org/medical-services/integrative-oncology
UCLA Center for East-West Medicine
Osher Center for Integrative Medicine (Harvard Medical School)
Osher Center for Integrative Medicine (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden)
Complementary and Integrative Medicine (University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany)
Dr. Henning Saupe, The Arcadia Praxisklinik (Bad Emstal, Germany)
Dr. Hüseyin Sahinbas, Praxis für Hyperthermie (Pradus Medical Center am Kaiserteich, Düsseldorf, Germany)
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Contact person:
Joanna Niewolik
Board Representative for Integrative Medicine
tel. 796 395 555, [email protected]
