Integrative medicine

Abstract

Integrative medicine is an emerging field described as the blending of conventional and evidence-based complementary medicine with a focus on healthy habits in a healthy habitat. Broad categories for integrative therapies include: lifestyle (nutrition, exercise, environmental and mind body medicine), biochemical (medications, herbal remedies, nutritional supplements), biomechanical (massage, spinal manipulation chiropractic and osteopathic adjustments and surgery), and bioenergetics (acupuncture, therapeutic touch, prayer and spirituality, homeopathy). Statistics from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), showed that approximately four out of ten adults, and approximately one in nine children (11.8 %), and more than 50 % of children living with chronic illness, used complementary therapies in the United States in 2007. The prevalent use of complementary and integrative therapies contrasts sharply with the low disclosure rates to medical providers. This chapter offers an overview of the field and a review of research on the use of integrative medicine in those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).