In this world of social media and endless information, it can be hard to differentiate between fact and fiction. With so much information at our fingertips, it can often leave us more confused than informed, especially when it comes to defining the three of the largest medical therapies: conventional, holistic, and integrative.
Conventional Medicine
When you think about going to a doctor’s office for your yearly physical, you may often think of a doctor, nurse practitioner, or other medical professional, walking into a small room, asking you some questions and doing a basic physical exam on you. To many people, this is the quintessential example of conventional medicine. In other words, conventional medicine takes a very linear approach to healthcare. A doctor will examine the patient, run labs, and devise treatment plans for any diagnoses they conclude. However, much of the process of conventional medicine focuses on finding a specific cause for each ailment or diagnosis rather than focusing on the whole picture or any other underlying issues that may be contributing to the ailment or diagnosis.
Holistic Medicine
You may hear the term “Holistic Medicine” thrown around a lot in this day and age, but what is holistic medicine? Merriam-Webster defines holistic as “Relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts.” In other words, holistic medicine focuses on the entire human body and its intricate systems, rather than a specific part, symptom, or disease that more conventional medicine often does. Thus, giving you the peace of mind that the root cause of your allergies, arthritis, inflammation, knee pain, Lyme disease, tick bites, or other ailments will be properly treated at the source.
Integrative Medicine
Imagine you’re at an ice cream parlor and you’re given the option between vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream. The choice between the two flavors can be overwhelming. Thankfully, there’s a third option, both. Much like choosing both chocolate and vanilla, integrative medicine is a combination of both conventional medicine and holistic medicine. With integrative medicine you get a perfect blend of the linear conventional medicine process and the more in depth wide picture of holistic medicine. It truly is the best of both worlds.
Conclusion
While conventional medicine and holistic medicine can work great on their own, integrative medicine allows for the most thorough care to be provided to you through the use of both conventional and holistic medicine. At Premier Health and Holistic Medicine, Dr. Ridinger takes a personalized approach with integrative medicine that ensures top quality care for her patients that improves overall health and wellbeing.
