Oct 27

What is there to integrate in medicine

The human body is the best picture of the human soul.

Ludwig Wittgenstein

This introductory chapter, as well as the book itself, is about the integration of health sciences, that is, a return to the holistic concept of health. It is high time to gather the scattered stones of medical knowledge. Hence the nascent new and exciting field I shall be writing about that is called “integrative medicine.”

A Past Unfortunately Forgotten

The word “integrative” comes from the verb “to integrate”, to unite, to form a single whole. It is the opposite of “differentiate”, or to divide and split. The medical community chose differentiation or narrow specialization as the principal avenue of development as recently as in the late 19th century.

A narrow specialist is supposed to deal with his or her “own” part of the body, occasionally even with a single specific condition. Some argue there is nothing wrong with this philosophy. Indeed, the current incredible progress in science and technology makes it problematic for experts such as heart surgeons or oncologists to keep track of developments in other fields of medicine. Specialization has been the engine of amazing breakthroughs that save lives of patients who would be doomed just three or four decades ago.

On the other hand, the never-ending process of specializations has gradually led to an ever-increasing shortage of doctors who can see the forest, not just the trees, and comprehend health in general rather than certain maladies or symptoms. In other words, we came to a point where few doctors are capable of a holistic approach to their patients. Hence integrative medicine was born, a discipline that combines the achievements of mainstream science with the experience of complementary and alternative medicine.

Integrative medicine as a science emerged in 1992, while the term itself has been used since 1993.

One may think that health and healing entirely related to the national health care system. Indeed, this system is designed to be the main framework for addressing all health-related problems. Yet a close look at the structure of this mammoth mechanism makes one wonder whether it is at all connected with health per se. Even Soviet Russia had a public health system with mandatory regular checkups and a network of rehabilitation resorts. The United States has certainly made enormous progress in the treatment of complex, serious and chronic diseases, yet health per se l is mostly a matter of interest for laymen. On the one hand, consummate accomplished medical experts who have little time or desire to deal with health. On the other hand, crowds of amateur “healers” with some pseudo-scientific theories who hardly care for the professional serious study of health. Quite a paradox, right?

So, what is integrative medicine?

The bizarre imbalance that I have just described is addressed by integrative medicine, a relatively new discipline that has been gradually making it into medical school curricula in America. Integrative medicine investigates the mechanisms of biological control and self-healing at the cell level, analyzes genetic processes while at the same time assimilating ancient medical traditions and concepts (that may sometimes sound quite exotic) to integrate them with the mainstream medical science.

So far such integration has barely started. Yet we can already say that the focus of this new approach is to develop a universal medical language that would unite various fields of health science based on clear terminology understood by medical professionals and patients alike. All innumerable branches of medicine that deal with specific maladies have yet to come under a single umbrella of the universal health science. We do have ample knowledge of disease symptoms and mechanisms, we know how medication works - but then again, body self-control and mechanisms of self-healing still remain pretty obscure.

Doctor-patient relationships also need to be integrated. Today’s passive subjects of medical treatment should start playing a key role in the healing process. That is only natural, since the patient stays in the company of his or her body around the clock, while the doctor inspects it once a week at best. A doctor-patient tandem has a much better chance of defeating disease; a patient who encourages his or her medical condition reduces such chance.

Integrative medicine does not address isolated symptoms or even a system of organs. Instead, it regards the whole body as a self-controlled computer.

Integrative medicine is not about isolated symptoms or even body systems. Instead, it regards the whole body as a self-controlled computer. It endeavors to explain and address various conditions in terms of a single body system that reflects all processes and problems in the organs and tissues that may seem unrelated to the disease.

Amazingly, the muscular system turned out to be the answer. For centuries, this system has hardly been a priority for medical science since it is situated "on the surface" of the body. Experts believed that muscle problems were always secondary to inflammation, traumas. diseases of joints and the nervous system. However, a closer look demonstrated that deep muscle processes such as spasms, pain, inflammation or poor circulation were the first signs pointing to the general weakening of the body as a whole. At some point the reflex muscle-ligament chains were found to follow the pattern of Chinese acupuncture meridians!

The art of Tai chi is believed to date back to the rule of Emperor Futze (III millennium A.D.) who asked his doctor to create "The Great Dance" that would prevent and cure many diseases and could be used for martial arts training.

In the light of recent discoveries, it became clear why ancient healing schools were so keen on muscle movement and stretching. Gymnastics in Greece, yoga in India and tai chi in China were all meant to make a reflex impact on the neuromuscular "keyboard" of our biological computer.

Considerable progress in this area has been made since the late 20th century due to the rapid development of manual vertebral neurology. Practical achievements of American osteopaths and chiropractors, European physical and manual therapists and the mainstream medical science gave a second life to a past well forgotten. Integrative medicine treats the spine and joint pains using the most efficient techniques from various rehabilitation disciplines as well as from non-traditional medicine such as spinal manipulations, neuromuscular relaxation, myofascial decompression of herniated nerve roots, acupuncture or motion therapy.