What will you do when treatment may cure your disease which is not proven scientifically yet? I believe many people prefer to do it. It includes complementary or alternative medical methods based on the safety and effectiveness of original medicine. It is called integrative medicine or complementary and alternative medicine. It embraces philosophy, approach method, and therapy about various ranges of treatments that patients use.

▲ Defintion of integrative medicine

First, there are some advantages when we use integrative medicine. Its ideas and methods can be helpful to treat patients. It also helps to cover up the weak point of an original medicine to treat chronic diseases. It can improve patients' satisfaction and quality of life. Moreover, by the use of integrative medicine, it considers the human mind and body as one organism and uses various methods for treatments.

However, integrative medicine has some disadvantages. Some treatments are objects that are effective to some people but ineffective to others. Also, it does not have enough scientific evidence, so it is not proven scientifically. Therefore, it can be useless to some people. Moreover, people can be exposed to illegal treatment just to cure their diseases.

To sum up, integrative medicine is helpful to patients, but it can be ineffective, too. So, we have to do some researches and develop it more. Also, we have to be interested in integrative medicine, and not only doctors but also therapists have to participate in making treatments. Then, patients can be cured more easily and quickly with better treatments. In our country, South Korea, the integrative medicine system does not spread widely compared to developed countries. Therefore, to provide better remedies to patients, we should learn about integrative medicine more and discuss it repeatedly with lots of people to change our system.

▲ Providing patients better treatments

2020.1.11

By Jin Hyun Hui