Integrative Medicine: the Golden Opportunity for Family Medicine

Abstract

The discipline of Family Medicine is now recognised as an essential component in the health care system with a unique body of knowledge, skills and attitudes embodied in defined post graduate curricula in various academic institutions worldwide. Integrative Medicine should be incorporated into the paradigm of Family Medicine to combine the best insights of both conventional and alternative/complementary medicine, while providing a unifying perspective to guide physicians in intelligently combining these heterogeneous systems of thought.