The Progressive Health Center is a unique resource dedicated to    helping individuals improve their quality of life through    complementary and alternative medicine that are integrates well    with conventional medical treatments. Our experienced    practitioners specialize in a wide range of therapies that    include nutrition, stress management, acupuncture, massage    therapy and more. These high-quality services are integrated    into personalized treatment plans that are designed to heal and    strengthen the mind, body, spirit and emotions of each    individual, while enhancing the continuum of care available to    achieve specific health and wellness goals.  
    Allison Archard, MD  
    What is CAM?  
    Complementary and Alternative    Medicine  
    The National Center for Complementary and Alternative    Medicine (NCCAM) defines CAM as:a group of diverse medical and    health care systems, practices, and products that are not    generally considered part of conventional    medicine(National Center for Complementary    and Alternative Medicine website.http://nccam.hih.gov)  
    What is Complementary Medicine?  
    consists of therapies that are used to    complement/enhance conventional    medicine  
    What is Alternative Medicine?  
    consists of therapies that are used in place    of conventional medicine  
    What is Integrative Medicine?  
    Integrative Medicine = CAM + conventional    medicineHealing-oriented medicine that takes account of the    whole person (body, mind, and spirit), including all aspects of    lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and makes    use of all appropriate therapies, both conventional and    alternative.  
    (Rakel, D. Integrative Medicine. Philadelphia:    Suanders Elsevier, 2007)  
    Importance of weighing risks and benefits  
    What Integrative Medicine is NOT:  
    Alternative Medicine  
    NEVER encourages patients to abandon their conventional therapy  
    may use alternative therapies, but not without conventional    medicine  
    A cure  
    Integrative medicine emphasizes difference between healing    and cure  
    Healing can take place in absence of cure  
    Why is Integrative Medicine important?  
    approximately 38% of U.S. adults aged 18 years and over and    approximately 12% of children use some for of CAM.    (2007 Statistics on CAM use in the United States.http://nccam.nih.gov/news/camstats/2007)  
    Isnt Integrating CAM going to cost more    money?  
    The Bravewell Collaborative report:The Efficacy and    Cost-Effectiveness of Integrative MedicineInteresting    facts in the report:     comprehensive lifestyle change program: 80% of participants    able to safely avoid heart surgery or angioplasty, saving    almost $30,000 per patient in the first year.     in 2005, corporations involved in a health and wellness    program for employees experienced an average 26% reduction in    health care costs.(The Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of    Integrative Medicine: A Review of the Medical and Corporate    Literature. Bravewell Collaborative website.)http://bravewell.org/content/IM_E_CE_Final.pdf)  
    If you are new to the Center, we invite you to schedule an    appointment for an initial 30-minute consultation with one of    our practitioners at the Center. The consultation is $30. The    purpose of this meeting is to acquire your medical history    information as well as to conduct an initial assessment of your    specific mental, emotional, physical and spiritual needs. The    practitioner will also provide you with information about the    Center, our range of customized services and programs and    available payment options, which include cash, check, Visa,    Master Card, and Health Savings Account (HSA). Follow-up    sessions can be scheduled to discuss specific treatment    recommendations. Our practitioners are also available to confer    with patient physicians on your behalf.  
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Integrative Medicine - Progressive Health Center