Integrative Medicine and Functional Medicine Are More Than Band-Aid Health Solutions

Integrative medicine is the combination of conventional medicine and alternative medicine modes of health care such as herbal medicine, nutrition, acupuncture, massage, yoga or stress reduction. It is a holistic medicine model that recognizes that the whole person is important in health and wellness. Functional medicine takes into consideration why an illness has developed in the first place, so that it can be addressed.

While complementary medicine has been around for a while, some people question the validity of alternative treatments. Integrative medicine tries to combine the most scientifically proven of complementary methods along with conventional medicine.

Home First Aid

Both patients and providers often find this "best of both worlds" approach to be more fulfilling.

Functional medicine is also holistic, but is a way of looking at medicine that is based upon finding and addressing the root causes of illness. For instance, a functional medicine practitioner would look at environmental toxin inputs, nutrition and microbial imbalances, how the detoxification system is working, the nervous and endocrine systems, intestinal system function, and the impact of stress. They would look at the genetic and biochemical systems involved in a particular problem and how those systems vary between individuals.

In other words, functional medicine looks at how all systems are inter-related and how they influence illness and health. Rather than focus solely on multiple separate disease entities, functional medicine recognizes disturbances of a web-like interconnected system and aspires to restore health and balance to the foundation of that system.

Practitioners might use any appropriate combination of conventional medicine, nutritional interventions, acupuncture, stress reduction techniques or other sound methods to restore wellness to the system. And, rather than stopping there, these same principle would be used to institute ongoing preventive habits.

Let's look at an example. Let's say someone has chronic irritable bowel symptoms. It would be easy in the conventional model to consider that an isolated intestinal system problem. Those symptoms might generate an intestinal system work up. Now, irritable bowel syndrome is a particular problem that has also come to be considered as having a psychological component. So, there is an example of conventional medicine bringing in the possible role of stress, just as a holistic or integrative medicine doctor would.

But wait. Now, scientific studies are coming up with evidence that in irritable bowel syndrome, some people have bacterial overgrowth in the small bowel that might benefit from treatment, the immune system might be involved and respond to probiotics, and the nervous system might be calmed by acupuncture. Maybe some yoga or meditation would improve the contribution by stress.

By expanding the way the problem is viewed, looking for where the root of the problem might be, and drawing upon many different methods of care, a more holistic, functional and integrated plan of care can be offered.

With more of the U.S. population suffering chronic health problems and demanding more holistic health care, we can expect to see approaches like integrative and functional medicine becoming part of the solution.

Integrative Medicine and Functional Medicine Are More Than Band-Aid Health Solutions

Dog Health - Puppy First Aid And Top Three Problems You Can Solve At Home

Bringing home a new puppy can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. The excitement is obviously due to the new addition, but the case of nerves can come from all of the things that you think are out to get your four-legged friend. Puppies are like small children in that they are susceptible to so much, yet our minds seem to create even more of an issue with their health than what they are probably already experiencing. Good puppy parenting is about finding a balance between paranoia and concern, and knowing the difference between problems you can solve on your home and those that require the care of a veterinarian.

To help get you started, here are a few of the most common problems that your puppy may experience that you don't have to seek veterinary care for.

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Cuts and Scrapes

Cuts and scrapes are part of the life of a puppy; just like children, they tend to get into everything and part of learning what is safe and what is not is getting into things that are not the best idea. This means that cuts, scrapes, and scratches will occur in the life of your pet, and it is your responsibility to discern between what things are safe to have in your small dog's environment, and what things are not.

Whether your dog stays in the house all day or they spend a majority of their time outside, it is going to be difficult to pick up any and everything that could potentially draw blood from their delicate skins. Sharp objects, rocks, and even other pets can cause cosmetic damage to the skin of your pet, but remember that it is just that-cosmetic. They won't kill your pet, and if you clean them right and do the right thing you might not even have to worry about a scar later on down the line.

In this case, some warm water and antibacterial soap is the best thing to have around. Your dog's skin heals a lot like yours, so keeping the wound clean and bandaging it if necessary can make all of the difference in the world.

Paw Problems

Again, remember that your puppy is new to the world and they are going to have to find out a lot of things the hard way. Chances are that whether you have them inside or out, they are going to stick their noses-and their paws-where they don't belong. This means that somewhere along the line they may end up with an object or a piece of an object in their delicate little paw pads.

While your little guy may be wailing like there is no tomorrow, don't let that fluster you. This type of thing happens all the time but as dogs get older the skin on their paw pads gets tougher, as do they. You may see a bit of blood, but what is important is removing the object (usually with the help of a pair of tweezers) and cleaning the area as you would any other wound. Paw pads go directly on the ground, so it may be harder for them to keep this area clean than other wounds they may incur. Be careful to pay close attention to the area and make sure that it looks clean and that is as comfortable for them as possible.

Internal Parasites

Another part of puppy-hood is contracting internal parasites. They can come from a variety of places, and they can be pretty nasty at that. If not treated, worms and other parasites can do harm to the inside of your dog's body and so it is your responsibility to make sure that your pet is de-wormed and ready to go. Luckily, this does not require the services of a veterinarian, at least in common cases.

Worms can be cured with a simple pill that can be bought over the counter, or picked up from your vet's office. After they take the pill, the worms will likely be flushed out of the body; they should be fairly apparent in your pup's waste material.

Of course, getting your dog to swallow the pill is half the battle. In most cases rolling it up in a piece of cheese or lunch meat or hiding it in a glob of peanut butter should do the trick just fine-your little guy probably won't even notice!

Dog Health - Puppy First Aid And Top Three Problems You Can Solve At Home