Integrative Medicine is the future

In recent months a campaign has been unleashed in Spain against the natural medicines. From the so-called “skeptical circles” and even from the Collegiate Medical Organization (OMC) reports and complaints have been made against professionals with a recognized track record.

The professionals attacked -like doctor Odile Fernández- have not hesitated to define the situation as a true “Witch hunt”. Dr. Fernández believes that ignorance and fear influence this smear campaign.

“Integrative medicine training for healthcare professionals is very limited,” he explains. “But integrative medicine is the future and it is what is being imposed in Europe and the United States. Schopenhauer said that all truth goes through three phases: in the first it is ridiculed; in the second, he receives violent opposition; and in the third it is accepted as self-evident”.

For Esther de la Paz, president of the Spanish Association of Integrative Physicians, the WTO report it has lacked ethics and justice by mixing unconventional therapies with suspects of intrusiveness. De la Paz has defended the evolution of medicine towards integration.

WHO supports integrative medicine

The World Health Organization (WHO), which represents the consensus of the main international medical organizations and guides public policies, approved a strategy for the years 2014 to 2023 in favor of integration of traditional and complementary medicines in national health systems.

The WHO recommendations are very clear:

take advantage of the contribution from traditional and complementary medicines to people-centred health care.Promote safe use and effectiveness of complementary therapies through regulation.encourage coverage universal health care through the integration of complementary therapies into national health systems.

“European citizens would like complementary medicines to be accessible through hospitals and care centers, and offered by both well-trained doctors and therapists,” according to the report. Cambrellacommissioned and financed by the European Union.

The situation of integrative medicine in the most advanced countries

Some countries have already collected the WHO recommendations regarding integrative medicine.

In Germany therapists are regulated

Citizens must choose between public or private insurance that offers coverage for some complementary treatments. They may be administered by physicians or therapists (heilpraktiker) who must pass official exams and be registered.

Acupuncture, anthroposophic medicine, homeopathy and naturopathy are legally regulated.

Switzerland has put the complementary ones in its Constitution

In 2009 a referendum was held and more than 67% of voters supported the introduction of a constitutional article that would guarantee the inclusion of complementary medicines in healthcare.

Pursuant to the Constitution, the inclusion in the compulsory health insurance anthroposophic medicine, classical homeopathy, herbal medicine and Chinese medicine.

Sweden supports training and research

This country has stood out for the introduction of complementary therapies in the training of doctors and investigating its effectiveness with qualitative methods, not just quantitative ones.

That is, the impersonal, statistical, double-blind studies typical of pharmacological medicine are not the gold standard for evaluating complex medical systems that should be best assessed with “real-world experiments,” which are “meaningful, valuable, and applicable”.

Swedish laws include dietitians and chiropractors among the health professions. Acupuncture is paid for by social security when administered by healthcare professionals to treat pain and nausea.

Denmark protects the rights of citizens

Danish doctors are allowed to deal with whatever means they deem useful and with social security financingwhich also pays for chiropractic treatments.

On the other hand, there is an agency responsible for the voluntary registry of non-medical therapists that use complementary therapies, so that citizens have a guarantee on their training and can claim in case of negligence.

France funds homeopathy

acupuncture treatmentshomeopathy, anthroposophic medicine, chiropractic or phytotherapy are fully or partially financed by social security as long as they are prescribed by doctors from the national health system.

The United States brings integrative medicine to universities

In 1991, the US government founded the Alternative Medicine Agency, which in 1998 became the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and in 2014 changed its name again to finally be the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

The successive names illustrate an evolution: from “alternative” to “integration”. The main objective of this government department is fund researchtraining and dissemination.

Refering to health care of the population, about 40% of hospitals offer some alternative therapy. On the other hand, half of the medical schools offer specific training and more than 40 have research, training or integrative care centers.

In Japan and China traditional medicine is normal

84% of Japanese doctors use drugs kampo (plant based) and many are subsidized.

In China traditional and conventional medicine are practiced in parallel at all levels of health services. Citizens can freely choose what kind of treatment they want to receive.

Integrative medicine in Spain

95% of the Spanish Do you know any natural therapy? The most recognized are yoga, acupuncture, tai chi, chiromassage and homeopathy. 24% have ever used natural therapies. The most used are yoga, acupuncture, chiromassage, foot reflex therapy and tai chi.

The average user of natural therapies is upper middle class, and from 36 to 45 years. Among women it is more frequent to resort to complementary drugs. Patients rate satisfaction with natural therapies with 4.2 out of 5. They have a positive image of complementary medicines. They consider that they are beneficial on a physical and mental level.

In Spain there are 9,000 doctors who routinely prescribe homeopathy, and 3,000 practice acupuncture. There are currently more than 80,000 professionals who pay taxes under the heading of naturopath, acupuncturist and other parasanitary techniques.

In Spain there are no lawsnational policies, plans or official agencies related to non-conventional medicines.

The homeopathic products They are considered by Spanish legislation as medicines, prepared in accordance with the procedures of the European Pharmacopoeia and the Royal Spanish Pharmacopoeia, and can only be sold in pharmacies. Doctors can prescribe homeopathy, but it has to be paid for by the patient.

In 2011, the Ministry of Health, Social Policy and Equality published a document with a view to a possible regulation who valued osteopathy and acupuncture as useful for certain indications.

Complementary therapies are administered by doctors or therapists who may have received enough training or not. If a therapy center has a responsible doctor, it can be classified as a health center.

Some public hospitals offer acupuncture to treat pain or reiki (in this case, at the request of the patient and administered by volunteers).