Integrative Medicine Research (IMR) is the official journal of the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine. On the other hand, there are still many TCM doctors using herbs to treat many TCM diseases or Western diseases according to the TCM theory called ‘Bian Zheng Lun Zhi' (symptomatic and dialectical therapy), a special pure traditional Chinese medicine theory which has been used for more than one thousand years 9 Sometimes, TCM doctors seem not to need modern techniques and medical methods to adjust or modify their treatment regimen.
In addition, complementary and alternative medicine involves whole medical systems, in the form of homeopathic medicine, which seeks to stimulate the body's ability to heal itself; traditional Chinese Medicine which uses herbs, meditation, and massage to obtain balance in the body; Ayurveda which originated in India; and Naturopathic Medicine, which supports the body's ability to heal itself through the use of dietary and lifestyle changes together with herbs, massage and joint manipulation.



Integrative Medicine reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, health care professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing.
This movement is well on its way in Canada: the Association of Complementary and Integrative Physicians of British Columbia and similar provincial organizations, as well as the Canadian Complementary Medical Association, offer an education- and action-based forum for medical doctors interested in learning more and in practising and promoting these other healing modalities; the Canadian Interdisciplinary Network for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research is an interdisciplinary, collaborative research network created to foster excellence in CAM research; and the Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Undergraduate Medical Education curriculum project is working with all 17 Canadian medical schools to organize an appropriate curriculum in CAM.

Just this February 2009 the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension held two historic hearings on Integrative Medicine, while the Institute of Medicine simultaneously held its Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public in Washington, DC. Integrative Medicine has never received such sustained and favorable focus in our nation's capital.
The goals of the IMH approach are consistent with the quadruple” aim: improved health outcomes, patient satisfaction, decreased costs, and provider well-being (see Katherine A. Gergen Barnett's article, In Pursuit of the Fourth Aim in Health Care: The Joy of Practice ,” in this issue).
Because of Natural Therapy and the Essential-Nutrients line of products, my patients now have access to affordable nutritional supplements that complement their mainstream medical care and enhance health, improve longevity, as well as enrich and improve the quality of their lives.

Generally, manufacturers of dietary supplements can claim, without having to provide evidence for safety or efficacy to the FDA, benefit to the body's structure or function (eg, improves cardiovascular health) but cannot claim benefit for treating disease (eg, treats hypertension).
This meeting is convened by the European Society of Integrative Medicine (ESIM) and serves as the 10th European Congress for Integrative Medicine and the 12th International Congress on Complementary Medicine Research sponsored by the International Society for Complementary Medicine Research (ISCMR).

The European Society of Integrative Medicine e.V. is an international association with the aim to facilitate the advancement of science, research, education and further training, to support best and evidence based medical care and to provide advice on policy in the realm of Integrative Medicine (the interaction between conventional and complementary medicine based on evidence based results).
Access in primary care is the ease with which a patient can secure an appointment with a clinician without experiencing administrative and financial barriers (Bell 2002) 14 The UAIHC hybrid financing approach was established as a means to increase patient access to healthcare through shorter wait times for appointments, same day appointments when clinically warranted, a broader primary care team, and longer appointments.

Any therapy that is typically excluded by conventional medicine, and that patients use instead of conventional medicine, is known as alternative medicine.” It's a catch-all term that includes hundreds of old and new practices ranging from acupuncture to homeopathy to iridology.