Andrew Weil

Integrated medicine: Imbues orthodox medicine with the values of complementary medicine

Integrated medicine (or integrative medicine as it is referred to in the United States) is practising medicine in a way that selectively incorporates elements of complementary and alternative medicine into comprehensive treatment plans alongside solidly orthodox methods of diagnosis and treatment. The concept is better recognised in the US than in the United Kingdom, but a conference in London next week, organised by the Royal College of Physicians and the US National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, may help to raise its profile in the UK. Integrated medicine is not simply a synonym for complementary medicine. Complementary medicine refers to treatments that may be used as adjuncts to conventional treatment and are not usually taught in medical schools. Integrated medicine has a larger meaning and mission, its focus being on health and healing rather than disease and treatment. It views patients as whole people with minds and spirits as well as bodies and includes these dimensions into diagnosis and treatment. It also involves patients and doctors working to maintain health by paying attention to lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, quality of rest …

Integrative Medical Education: Development and Implementation of a Comprehensive Curriculum at the University of Arizona

Dissatisfaction with the U.S. health care system is increasing despite impressive technologic advances. This dissatisfaction is one factor that has led patients to seek out complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and led medical schools to start teaching CAM. This paper focuses on the University of Arizonas approach to developing and implementing a comprehensive curriculum in integrative medicine. Integrative medicine is defined much more broadly than CAM. It is healing-oriented medicine that reemphasizes the relationship between patient and physician, and integrates the best of complementary and alternative medicine with the best of conventional medicine. Since its inception in 1996, the Program in Integrative Medicine (PIM) has grown to include a two-year residential fellowship that educates four fellows each year, a distance learning associate fellowship that educates 50 physicians each year, medical student and resident rotations, continuing medical and professional education, an NIH-supported research department, and an active outreach program to facilitate the international development of integrative medicine. The paper describes the PIM curriculum, educational programs, clinical education, goals, and results. Future strategies for assessing competency and credentialing professionals are suggested.

Bufo alvarius: a potent hallucinogen of animal origin

Anthropologists have long speculated that ancient peoples of Mesoameria used a toad, Bufo marinus, as a ritual intoxicant. This hypothesis rests on many iconographic and mythological representations of toads and on a number of speculative ethnographic reports. The authors reject B. marinus as a candidate for such use because of the toxicity of its venom. A more likely candidate is the Sonoran desert toad, Bufo alvarius, which secretes large amounts of the potent known hallucinogen, 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT). The authors demonstrate that the venom of B. alvarius, although known to be toxic when consumed orally, may be safely smoked and is powerfully psychoactive by that route of administration. These experiments are the first documentation of an hallucinogenic agent from the animal kingdom, and they provide clear evidence of a psychoactive toad that could have been employed by Precolumbian peoples of the New World.

A Deficiency of Nutrition Education in Medical Training

1 Gaples Institute for Integrative Cardiology, Deerfield, Illinois and Division of Cardiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois; 2 Weil Foundation, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona; 3 Samueli Institute, Alexandria, Virginia and Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Nutrition, Boston, Massachusetts; 4 Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona; 5 Preventive Medicine Research Institute, Sausalito, California and Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California; 6 Section of Integrative Medicine and Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico; 7 Department of Family Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; 8 Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona; 9 Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Medical School

The state of the Integrative Medicine in the U.S. and Western World

Introduction Andrew Thomas Weil (born June 8, 1942), Lovell-Jones Professor of Integrative Rheumatology, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Professor of Public Health, is best known for establishing and popularizing the field of integrative medicine (IM). He is the world leader of integrative medicine, founder and Program Director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, which was fi rst established in 1994 at the University of Arizona.

Integrative medicine primary care: assessing the practice model through patients’ experiences

BackgroundThe University of Arizona Integrative Health Center (UAIHC) was an innovative integrative medicine (IM) adult primary care clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. UAIHC used a hybrid payment model to deliver comprehensive healthcare that includes conventional and complementary medical treatments.MethodsFidelity measures were collected to evaluate how well the IM care delivery process matched ideals for IM. Patient experiences are presented here. Patients visiting UAIHC on 1 of 10 randomly selected days between September 2013 and February 2015 were surveyed. Patients were asked about their experience with: holistic care; promotion of health, self-care, and well-being; relationship and communication with practitioners; and overall satisfaction.ResultsEighty-three patients completed surveys. Based on patient-reported experiences, UAIHC delivered IM care as defined by the practice model.ConclusionsPatients received holistic care, established positive caring relationships with providers who promoted their self-care and well-being, and reported high overall satisfaction with UAIHC.