You have heard of primary care, but what is integrative primary care? And how does integrative primary care differ from traditional primary care models?
Integrative medicine is defined as healing-oriented medicine that takes account of the whole person, including all aspects of lifestyle.
What does this mean for you?
First, integrative medical providers partner with their patients. This means you can expect them to ask questions that build an understanding of what you want from your health and why. A foundational goal of integrative primary care is to build a lasting relationship over time that allows for a deep understanding of you and your health goals.
Second, integrative primary care believes in catching a concerning health trend before it becomes a chronic disease. Prevention is a core value of integrative healthcare and valued over reactive or responsive care. An in-depth conversation, physical exam, and laboratory evaluation is indispensable in accomplishing this.
Third, your integrative medical provider will seek to understand the underlying causes of illness. Instead of solely treating your symptoms, your integrative practitioner will look to why those symptoms are happening in the first place, in order to address the root cause.
Fourth, your integrative medical provider will make personalized lifestyle recommendations to optimize your well-being. Integrative medicine utilizes prescription drugs as needed and recognizes the power that your daily choices have on your health. Many common illnesses–such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes– can be reversed or treated by making lifestyle changes!
Lastly, an integrative medical provider will use a diverse skill set to treat health problems with the most effective and least invasive method available appropriate to a situation. Examples of recommendations could include nutritional changes, Traditional Chinese Medicine, psychotherapy, medication, or surgery.
At Integrative Family Medicine of Asheville, our providers work as a team to help you not only understand how to optimize your health but how to put that into action. Because of this, our medical team might recommend that you meet with our nutritionist or health coach. Nutrition support can offer targeted advice, strategies, and information about a way of eating to support your long-term health. Health Coaching is geared to help you bridge the gap between what you know and what you do. Our Health Coach can meet with you regularly or on an “as needed” basis, to provide accountability and support.
Health is dynamic and therefore changeable. Integrative primary care offers the relationship, understanding, and recommendations needed to help you achieve and sustain your best health!
To learn more about how Integrative Family Medicine of Asheville does healthcare differently, visit our website.