Exploring the Differences between Western and Integrative Medicine

Written By Maribel Dugas

Make It Stand Out

All societies around the world have their own unique, cultural practices of medicine. After all, this ancient science was, and still is, necessary to keep a community healthy. And as new technology, research, and trends evolve, so has medicine.

Speaking of the evolution of medicine and the many forms it takes in different cultures and parts of the world, it’s worth remembering that medicine doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all approach. Today, we have a wide variety of treatment modalities and systems available, so that people can get the healthcare that best fits their unique needs and circumstances.

Two noteworthy branches of medicine that I want to shift your attention to are WESTERN medicine and INTEGRATIVE medicine.

And in this blog, we’ll be exploring their histories and differences in regard to healthcare goals, specialties, treatments, and MORE!

Are you ready to begin? (I know I am!)

About Western Medicine

Whenever you go to your doctor for a check-up or treatment, you're likely engaging with Western medicine––aka, modern medicine.

It's the most common form of healthcare throughout the United States and Europe and is heavily focused on diagnosing medical conditions, predicting their progression, prescribing medications, and utilizing medical procedures like surgery to restore health quickly and effectively.

Its roots date back to the time of Hippocrates (460-370 BCE) and his followers. Known as the father of medicine, Hippocrates believed that natural factors are the primary causes of all disease and that the body is capable of healing itself.

And so, he developed a system of medicine that centered around observation, diagnosis, and natural remedies.

Several thousand years later, after evolving through various stages of development and going through the Medieval and Renaissance periods, Western medicine eventually became what we know it to be today, and it remains to be one of the most trusted medical systems.

The only drawbacks? Western medicine can typically be costly and pose additional health risks.

About Integrative Medicine

On the other hand, integrative medicine is a relatively new field that follows a more flexible approach. How?

Unlike Western medicine, it incorporates the use of both conventional and alternative treatments. The goals of integrative medicine go beyond treating the symptoms—instead, its main objective is to address the underlying causes of a health condition, such as lifestyle or environmental changes, which also elevate a person’s holistic well-being as a result.

Its roots can be traced back to the 70s and 80s––the peak of the Holistic Health Movement. At the time, the appeal of non-conventional or alternative health treatments was growing rapidly within the medical field because many practitioners started acknowledging that the mind, body, and spirit are all interconnected and equally affect a person’s overall health.

Today, integrative medicine is practiced all over the world by a diverse range of health providers. Some of the most common alternative techniques, activities, or modalities associated with integrative medicine are…

  • Acupuncture

  • Breathwork

  • Chiropractic therapy

  • Massage therapy

  • Music therapy

  • Yoga

  • Culinary medicine

  • Meditation

By combining the best of conventional wisdom with more holistic approaches to healthcare, integrative medicine becomes a viable solution to treat a wide array of complex health conditions, like chronic diseases, mental health issues, sleep issues, obesity, breathing disorders, and more.

But do note that integrative medicine should never be viewed as a direct substitute for standard medical care. Not all modes of integrative medicine are recommended for addressing particular health conditions, so be sure to consult with your primary care providers first!

Working With Evidence

On top of what we’ve already discussed, there’s one other key factor that distinguishes Western medicine and integrative medicine from each other, and it can be seen in the way these systems evaluate the efficacy and safety of their procedures.

Western Medicine

Because this standardized medical system relies on conventional, scientific health solutions like drugs, medical devices, surgical, and other traditional healthcare procedures, determining their effectiveness is only possible through Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs).

Designed to reduce the biases surrounding factors like age, gender, and lifestyle, RCTs are facilitated by randomly assigning human test subjects to two kinds of groups: the intervention group and the placebo group.

After administering the corresponding test treatments––without having the subjects know which group they’re in––the test results will then be studied and measured by utilizing standardized procedures like blood tests, imaging studies, or quality-of-life surveys.

Although this helps the facilitators find high-quality evidence to gauge the effectiveness of a treatment in question, it’s worth mentioning that it still has some glaring limitations, which include:

1 Cost 

RCTs can be expensive to conduct and may not always be feasible for all research projects.

2 Time-consuming

RCTs can take a long time to plan, conduct, and analyze, which can delay the availability of results.

3 Limited generalizability (external validity)

While RCTs are considered to have high internal validity––meaning they’re good at determining causes and effects––they may have limited external validity. RCTs are often conducted in highly controlled settings, and the results may not be applicable to real-world situations. For example, a study conducted on a small sample made up entirely of middle-aged Caucasian men or of all elderly Asian women will probably not be generalizable to the larger, more diverse population.

4 Ethical concerns

Because RCTs require a control group, some participants may receive a placebo or suboptimal treatment. This can raise ethical concerns if the treatment being tested is known to be effective because it means these patients continued to suffer from their illness or health condition when a more effective treatment was already available. As another example, it is highly unethical to randomly assign participants to a smoking intervention.

5 Limited feasibility

Some research questions are not answerable using RCTs due to practical or ethical constraints. For example, it is extremely difficult to study the long-term effects of a particular drug because you can't control how people live their lives. Over the years, many different factors would have interacted with the medicine, making its effects impossible to isolate.

Integrative Medicine

Integrative medicine looks at a much broader range of evidence because it has a different scope and looks at more holistic health goals. On top of RCTs, it also relies on…

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

These are studies that analyze the results of multiple RCTs on a particular treatment to provide a more comprehensive understanding of its effectiveness.

Observational studies

To further assess the effectiveness of a treatment in question post-trial, patients are observed in a natural setting.

Observational studies may not produce results as accurate or reliable as RCTs, but they are still capable of providing added insights. Plus, they can catch things RCTs often miss, like the interaction between the treatment and the person’s environment, stressors, and lifestyle habits.

Expert consensus

Integrative medicine practitioners often rely on and build on the experience and expertise of other practitioners to gauge the efficacy and safety of treatment procedures.

Traditional and historical use

Many integrative medicine practices are based on traditional or historical use, which can provide evidence for their effectiveness.

A Life-Changing Interplay

Now, we’re not here to tell you one tradition of medicine is better than the other. In fact, it’s great that these two modalities are so different from each other! When we integrate the two, we can get the unique strengths of both methods to create something that significantly changes lives for the better.

Here are some of the key benefits that emerge from integrating Western and Integrative medicine…

More Comprehensive Treatment Plan

By having access to both types of medical systems, you can get a more comprehensive healthcare treatment plan tailored to fit your needs. 

Improved patient outcomes

You get the precision and accuracy of Western medicine as well as the lifestyle modifications and natural remedies of integrative medicine.

All in all, you’ll be rewarding yourself and your loved ones with a well-rounded kind of care that covers your entire well-being.


Improved quality of life

The combination of treatments offered by integrating Western and integrative medicines can help improve your quality of life in numerous ways—from helping manage chronic pain and reduce stress levels to improving sleep quality and overall energy levels. Additionally, by addressing physical and mental/emotional aspects at the same time, these treatments can lead to long-term healing rather than just short-term symptom relief.

The Verdict

In the end, both Western and integrative medicine have one shared goal: to help people live better, healthier lives.

They have their own strengths and weaknesses, and neither approach is inherently superior to the other. The choice between Western medicine and integrative medicine also depends on many things, like the specifics of the illness or condition and the experience and expertise of your healthcare provider.

But as I’ve mentioned before, there is currently a growing number of healthcare providers that have been incorporating elements of integrative medicine into their practice, recognizing the value of a more holistic approach to healthcare. If you’d like to try out integrative medicine, give it a shot! You only have better health to gain.

Hopefully, now you can make more informed decisions about your own healthcare and work with your designated healthcare providers to develop a treatment plan that best meets your needs.

If you made it to the end of this blog, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you took something from it!

Sources:


Maribel Dugas
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