Traditional Medicine/Whole Systems
Defining Whole Person Health
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, whole person health involves looking at the whole person—not just separate organs or body systems—and considering multiple factors that promote either health or disease. Many of the medical systems that focus on whole person health are vibrant traditional systems of medicine practiced by cultures throughout the world. Examples of major Eastern whole medical systems include traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda. Whole medical systems of the West include homeopathy and naturopathy. Other systems have also been developed by Native American, African, Middle Eastern, Tibetan, and Central and South American cultures.
While whole medical systems differ in their philosophical approaches to the prevention and treatment of disease, most share a common element: the belief that the body has inherent power to heal through engagement of mind, body, and spirit. Approaches to whole person health encompass philosophical models for optimization of health, individualized treatment programs, and use of specific therapies.
While integrative medicine is not considered a whole medical system like the other traditional systems mentioned, it has quickly become a critical subspeciality within oncology that utilizes therapies from the other whole medical systems. There has been an important shift in cancer care with both patients and providers wanting a more comprehensive, individualized approach to treatment and survivorship. Integrative oncology fills that need.
