Keys to Success with Integrative Medicine

April 8, 2021

More and more individuals around the world are turning to integrative medicine to enhance their body’s wellness and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Common practices of the integrative medicine model include: acupuncture, massage therapy, aromatherapy, meditation, music therapy, nutritional coaching and more. These methods stray away from conventional medicine and have gained a traction of skepticism from many; however, this integrative approach of healing brings in dedicated patients who trust the treatments and methods.

Below are the keys to success for using an integrative medicine model.

Food First

Food is medicine. Getting proper macronutrients, like fats, protein, and carbohydrates, as well as micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. To improve our health, the first thing to do is to clean out our pantries. Take the two-week challenge: eliminate sugar in all its forms. This means no alcohol, no sugar, and no simple carbs. Also, eliminate gluten and dairy, which can lead to everything from arthritis to skin rashes. Substitute these foods with fruits and vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and kale, which taste good and have fiber that fills us up. Additionally, we should drink lots of water and choose healthier forms of protein, like lentil soup.

Balance Your Hormones

When hormones are unbalanced, we can experience fatigue, weight gain, anxiety, and more. That’s why it’s important that we get our thyroids checked and our hormone levels assessed, in particular, our adrenal – or stress – hormones, such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol. High cortisol can cause midline weight gain and contributes to diabetes and high blood pressure.

Get Physically Active

Even small amounts of physical activity are associated with significant health benefits. Exercise leads to lower blood sugar and triglyceride levels, helps control midline weight, and improves our sleep as well as our mood.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

To do this, we should limit our intake of alcohol, sugar, and dark chocolate. And, at bedtime, we should put away light sources such as computers and cell phones.

Get to Know Your Genes

Genes are not destiny, but our genetic makeup has huge impacts on our health. Our genes are related to our body mass index, how we metabolize drugs, and our predisposition to chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. That’s why we should learn what foods and supplements we need based on our individual genetics. Today’s technology allows assessment of our genes through blood and saliva testing. Remember, how we live our lives – i.e., what foods we choose to eat – supersedes genetics.

Transform Your Stress Response

How we see the world affects our health. In other words, our response to events can determine whether we are happy, depressed, lonely, or anxious, and these emotional states affect our well-being. Simply put, stress can make you ill. Meditation, however, can cure what ails you. There was a study in which a group of random patients with high blood pressure saw a 48 percent reduction in their risk of heart attack, stroke, and sudden death by meditating 20 minutes twice a day.

Connection

For better health, we should strengthen our bonds with people, nature, and our purpose – essentially, to what matters most in our lives.

Spiritual Life

A person is made up of mind, body and spirit. If you neglect your spiritual life you are neglecting a huge piece of your being. Studies prove the happiest people are those who have a grounded and solid spiritual life. Happiness leads to reduced cortisol levels, less stress and a longer and more balanced life.

Integrative medicine is making a difference in the lives of many who suffer from a range of health issues, like anxiety and fibromyalgia and other debilitating medical complications to individuals seeking calmness in their lives. Reach out to us today to learn how integrative medicine can better your wellbeing.

Categorized in: