We’ve all seen the words “complementary,” “alternative,” and “integrative,” but what do they really mean? This fact sheet looks into these terms to help you understand them better and gives you a brief picture of ICIHS’s mission and role in this area of research and Practices. Complementary Versus Alternative
more than 60 percent of adults and about 30 percent of children—use health care approaches developed outside of mainstream Western, or conventional, medicine. When describing these approaches, people often use “alternative” and “complementary” interchangeably, but the two terms refer to different concepts:
If a non-mainstream practice is used together with conventional medicine, it’s considered “complementary.”
If a non-mainstream practice is used in place of conventional medicine, it’s considered “alternative.”
True alternative medicine is uncommon. Most people who use non-mainstream approaches use them along with conventional treatments. Integrative Medicine
There are many definitions of “integrative” health care, but all involve bringing conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way. The use of integrative approaches to health and wellness has grown within care settings across the World. Researchers are currently exploring the potential benefits of integrative health in a variety of situations, including pain management , relief of symptoms in cancer patients and survivors, and programs to promote healthy behaviors. ICIHS generally uses the term “complementary health approaches” when we discuss practices and products of non-mainstream origin. We use “integrative health” when we talk about incorporating complementary approaches into mainstream health care. Types of Complementary Health Approaches
Most complementary health approaches fall into one of two subgroups—natural products or mind and body practices. Natural Products
This group includes a variety of products, such as herbs (also known as botanicals), vitamins and minerals, and probiotics. They are widely marketed, readily available to consumers, and often sold as dietary supplements. Researchers have done large, rigorous studies on a few natural products, but the results often showed that the products didn’t work. While there are indications that some may be helpful, more needs to be learned about the effects of these products in the human body and about their safety and potential interactions with medicines and other natural products. Mind and Body Practices
Mind and body practices include a large and diverse group of procedures or techniques administered or taught by a trained practitioner or teacher. The new research showed that yoga, chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation, meditation, and massage therapy are among the most popular mind and body practices used by adults. The popularity of yoga has grown dramatically in recent years, with almost 200 billions peoples are practicing yoga as per a article. Other mind and body practices include acupuncture, relaxation techniques (such as breathing exercises, guided imagery, and progressive muscle relaxation), tai chi, qi gong, healing touch, hypnotherapy, and movement therapies (such as Feldenkrais method, Alexander technique, Pilates, Rolfing Structural Integration, and Trager psychophysical integration). The amount of research on mind and body approaches varies widely depending on the practice. For example, researchers have done many studies on acupuncture, yoga, spinal manipulation, and meditation, but there have been fewer studies on some other practices. Other Complementary Health Approaches
The two broad areas discussed above—natural products and mind and body practices—capture most complementary health approaches. However, some approaches may not neatly fit into either of these groups—for example, the practices of traditional healers, Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy,Unani medicine,Siddha medicine and naturopathy. ICIHS’s Role
ICIHS is the first Institute of its approch in Intigrative Health care for education & scientific research on complementary and integrative health approaches. Mission
The Institute of Complimentary & Integrative Health Sciences (ICIHS) is a private education institution whose mission is to empower by promoting a holistic approach to wellness. ICIHS models an integrative approach to develop and inspire compassionate professionals, nurture vibrant lives and foster a healthy community. Vision
Transforming Healthcare Holistically
At ICIHS we believe your success is our success. ICIHS’s Commitment: The ICIHS is committed to providing the highest quality of education possible. Each of our three programs values an extensive focus of hands-on clinical approaches throughout all ICIHS curricula. ICIHS is a pioneer in providing an educational environment that integrates the best of both Eastern and Western healing modalities. At the heart of all our programs is the desire and commitment to help our students treat the body, mind and spirit of each client.
