Conventional medicine and public health have collectively improved health and saved the lives of millions. Yet, as we confront the escalating crisis of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), it becomes increasingly clear that conventional approaches alone are no longer sufficient. A new, evidence-based paradigm shift is necessary. Integrative health, which combines conventional medicine with complementary and lifestyle medicine, offers that shift. To assess its effectiveness, we identified and reviewed 14 clinical trials published within the past 5 years in widely read, high-impact factor journals (and their sub-specialty counterparts) – including The New England Journal of Medicine , the Lancet , the BMJ and JAMA. These trials directly compared integrative health interventions with conventional medical treatments across conditions such as insomnia, obesity, age-related disorders, Parkinsonism, and motor neuron disease. The included trials assessed outcomes related to mental health, pain management, and quality of life. Across these studies, we found that integrative health interventions were consistently associated with improved health outcomes. While we acknowledge that stronger evidence is needed, the research findings represent an important step toward exploring a well-balanced, evidence-based approach to integrative health.
Mamtani et al. (Sat,) studied this question.