Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Not yet recruiting
Administrative data
| NCT number |
NCT05141097 |
| Other study ID # |
aahmed2 |
| Secondary ID |
|
| Status |
Not yet recruiting |
| Phase |
Early Phase 1
|
| First received |
|
| Last updated |
|
| Start date |
December 1, 2021 |
| Est. completion date |
August 30, 2022 |
Study information
| Verified date |
November 2021 |
| Source |
University of Arizona |
| Contact |
n/a |
| Is FDA regulated |
No |
| Health authority |
|
| Study type |
Interventional
|
Clinical Trial Summary
Integrative Medicine is an approach to health that addresses a person's mental, physical,
social, spiritual, and environmental factors. Chronic diseases are best treated if the root
cause is addressed, improving one's overall health. Health is defined by the WHO as "a state
of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity." Many national institutions, such as the American Heart Association, American
College of Cardiology, American Diabetes Association, and more, all affirm that lifestyle
modifications are the number one treatment and prevention for the most common disorders: high
blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. The generic term "lifestyle
modifications" encompasses many aspects that can be impacted by Integrative Medicine.
Patients present to be treated by Integrative Medicine practitioners frequently, and we would
like to see how their quality of life is improving by being treated by this practice
approach.
Description:
At the turn of the 19th century, medicine made great strides in the field of bacteriology.
Development of antibiotics, pasteurization, sterilization and antiseptic techniques led to
tremendous advances in the understanding of disease pathophysiology.
Unfortunately, with increased longevity came increased rates of chronic diseases, a shift
referred to as the "epidemiological transition." Lifestyle risk factors have been directly
linked to the increase in diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke - with these
conditions overtaking infectious diseases such as TB, influenza, cholera, and pneumonia as
the major sources of mortality in the developed countries.
These major external or modifiable factors contributing to US mortality were subsequently
labeled the "actual causes of death" and included tobacco usage, physical inactivity, diet,
alcohol, sexual behaviors, and others (McGinnis, 1993). This same analysis has persisted into
the 21st century. An analysis by Mokdad published in JAMA, 2004 found that tobacco, poor
diet, physical inactivity and alcohol use were the leading causes of death, collectively
accounting for 36.8% of all deaths in 2000. In 2014, chronic diseases remain the leading
cause of mortality and morbidity in the US and the main contributors to these diseases are
tobacco use, poor diet, physical inactivity, alcohol use, hypertension and hyperlipidemia -
all modifiable risk factors. As medical research shifted toward addressing these chronic
health conditions linked to lifestyle risk factors, the clinical practice of medicine shifted
to a disease-oriented model.
At the core of Integrative Medicine, physicia strive to delineate factors that have caused a
person to be who they are at this current stage, all the way from when they were in utero
until now.
Integrative Medicine is a practice approach to medicine that strives to achieve health, the
definition of health being a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity, as defined by the WHO.
The Andrew Weil Center of Integrative Medicine has the following principals at the core of
its practice: the patient and practitioner are partners in the healing process; all factors
that influence health, wellness and disease are taken into consideration, including mind,
spirit and community, as well as the body. Appropriate use of both conventional and
alternative methods facilitates the body's innate healing response. Effective interventions
that are natural and less invasive should be used whenever possible; the broader concepts of
health promotion and prevention of illness are paramount.
