You will find an integrative medicine center in almost every major academic medical center now. The problem is we still don't know what integrative medicine means.
At the heart of #integrativemedicine is the need to integrate different perspectives of the human being from different cultures - a noble and necessary practice. The most divergent of these perspectives is that of the materialist perspective (represented by the body) and the idealist framework (represented by mind)–hence the divide between mind and body in modern medicine, beginning with our grossly incomplete model of human anatomy.
If we hear what #mindbodymedicine is actually trying to tell us, it will blow our minds. Today, the common understanding is that the mind influences the body. Yes. True. But it goes much further.
The cultures that have deep expertise in mind-body medicine, like ancient India and China, situate their medicine on philosophies such as #Sankhya, #Advaita#Vedanta, and #Taoism. These philosophies do not acknowledge the material world as primary, in direct contrast with the modern philosophy of #medicine and our model of human anatomy.
Truly walking the path of integrative medicine begins with opening to new perspectives, and ultimately results in a significant shift in our worldview. This opens new pathways to healing and brings about healing on an all-encompassing scale.
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