Optimal Health is much more than the absence of sickness. It is the conscious pursuit of the highest qualities of the physical, environmental, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social aspects of the human experience. Integrative Medicine is the art and science of healing that addresses the whole person – body and mind. The practice of integrative medicine integrates conventional and alternative therapies to prevent disease and, more importantly, to promote healthy aging. It embraces the idea that the body is innately self-healing and attempts where possible to promote healing rather than suppressing symptoms. It emphasizes the therapeutic healthcare practitioner-patient relationship and makes use of all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative to stimulate healing.

Lifestyle modification is the cornerstone in the early prevention of disease through natural interventions such as diet, exercise, stress management and smoking cessation to combat chronic and degenerative diseases such as heart diseases and cancer. Integrative medicine provides a supportive setting where patients can take responsibility for their own health by making healthy choices based on proper education by the doctor. Patients should take control of their own lives by making informed decisions to prevent illness and to promote health. All aspects of lifestyle including nutrition, physical activity, stress, sleep, spirituality, family relations and functioning at work must be taken into account. “Your body is your vehicle for life. As long as you are here, live in it. Love, honor, respect and cherish it, treat it well, and it will serve you in kind.” Suzy Prudden