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torrancememorial.org PULSE | 35 Blended T H E R A P I E S WRITTEN BY KRISTIN REYNOLDS COMBINING CONVENTIONAL, COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IS HELPING PATIENTS PREVENT AND TREAT DISEASE AND STAY HEALTHY B reak a leg, and there's nothing better than what an ER can do to get you on the mend. Develop a puzzling, chronic illness or pain, and sometimes modern medicine can use a little help. "ere are lots of things Western medicine does really well," says Kate Niehoff, MD, a family medicine practitioner at Torrance Memorial Medicine Center. "And there also are areas where it can fall short. Integrative medicine can help fill in those gaps. Many of the practices optimize a patient's health so we can cut off a condition before it becomes a full-blown illness," she adds. Many Americans, including South Bay residents, are agreeing with Dr. Niehoff. Nearly 40% of U.S. adults are using some sort of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM), including supplements and herbs, lifestyle practices such as meditation or yoga, or modalities like acupuncture or chiropractic. "Really any condition can benefit from an integration of therapies," Dr. Niehoff says. "e ones I find people seek out the most are for chronic conditions such as pain, insomnia, mood disorders, anxiety and depression, metabolic syndrome, obesity, fibromyalgia, MS and others." Oen patients seek out CAM as a last resort. "Any condition for which the Western world hasn't found a 'miracle' treatment, those patients look for alternatives," Dr. Niehoff explains. Wade Nishimoto, MD, an oncologist at Torrance Memorial, used several tried-and-true medications to relieve his chemotherapy patient's nausea, with no success. "Let's try acupuncture," he suggested. It worked. Dr. Nishimoto has recommended a variety of nonconventional (non- Western) therapies like acupuncture to his patients, thanks to success stories like this one. And more and more, research is showing the benefits of using Eastern medicine therapies to complement Western medicine, and in the case of cancer treatment, to enhance standard chemotherapies. "ere are many things we can do in place of pills to relieve pain, stress and nausea," Dr. Nishimoto says. He is known to recommend aromatherapy, herbal therapy and visual imagery to his patients before, during and aer chemotherapy, and he recommends meditation and massage therapy too. "I try to take a more natural approach when I can," he says, adding that more than half of oncology patients are using some form of alternative therapy to complement standard-of-care treatment. Acupuncture and Reiki (energy healing ), meditation and breathing exercises, yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong (movement and balance), massage, herbs and supplements, nutrition and exercise counseling are some of the therapies that have played a role in disease prevention and treatment in other countries for thousands of years. As these therapies gain popularity in the United States, with more Americans turning to them for overall health and well-being, physicians and researchers are taking note. And the use of integrative medicine—mainstream medicine combined with complementary therapies to speed the healing process (or prevent disease altogether)—is becoming increasingly common. COMPLEMENTARY, ALTERNATIVE AND INTEGRATIVE DEFINED e federal government is also taking the trend seriously. e National Institutes of Health has an agency dedicated to research on integrative medicine called the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). e NCCIH defines complementary medicine as "when nonmainstream practice is used together with conventional (Western) medicine." It defines alternative medicine as "when nonmainstream practice is used in place of conventional medicine" and adds that strictly adhering to alternative medicine is uncommon. And it defines integrative medicine as "bringing conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way." e NCCIH has also set forth principles of integrative medicine, defined as: • A partnership between patient and practitioner in the healing process • Appropriate use of conventional and alternative methods to facili- tate the body's innate healing response • Consideration of all factors that influence health, wellness and disease, including mind, spirit and community as well as body • A philosophy that neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically • Recognition that good medicine should be based in good science, be inquiry-driven and be open to new paradigms • Use of natural, effective, less-invasive interventions whenever possible • Use of the broader concepts of promotion of health and the prevention of illness as well as the treatment of disease • Training of practitioners to be models of health and healing, committed to the process of self-exploration and self- development IMPORTANCE OF AN OPEN MIND "It's generally a good idea for both physician and patient to be open to exploring mind-body therapies as treatment options," says Tim Norcross, DO, of Norcross Family Medicine in Rolling Hills Estates.