AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: Integrative medicine gains popularity in Central New York as number of practitioners increases
John Tangel: April is National Stress Awareness Month, and Central New Yorkers are gathering at the Oncenter to learn about how a healthy lifestyle can impact their overall health. NCC’s Sophia Dominicis has more.
Sophia Dominicis: Thank you, John. Integrative medicine combines traditional medicine with healthy habits, and it’s on the rise in Central New York. Integrative health practitioner Susan Stone says more doctors are specializing in this kind of healthcare.
Susan Stone: I would say more recently, there’s about a half-a-dozen folks.
Dominicis: Stone says recent social media discussion surrounding preventative healthcare has caused an uptick in those seeking alternatives to traditional medicine.
Stone: I think they’re not necessarily getting some of the answers. Maybe they have conditions that are again, not super well addressed in the conventional model, so they might feel dismissed.
Dominicis: International student at Syracuse University Maia Johansen says that in the United States, without integrative practices, getting access to medicine seems too easy.
Maia Johansen: In the U.K. for example, I’ve had to jump through a lot more hoops.
Dominicis: Med student Abhigna Dugaputi says she’s seeing integrative medicine taught more often.
Abhigna Dugaputi: Some of my professors, they have expressed that the class that I am learning all this stuff, is relatively new.
Dominicis: For Central New York schools such as SU, students have access to integrative health related services such as therapy through on-campus medical centers. For NCC News, I’m Sophia Dominicis.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Integrative medicine is gaining popularity in Central New York after a growing number of practitioners dedicated themselves to the field.
As opposed to traditional medicine, the integrative approach evaluates a person holistically. In integrative medicine, doctors evaluate patients in terms of their mental, emotional and physical health.
Susan Stone, integrative health practitioner and medical doctor, said in the past having access to certified integrative health professionals was rare. Now, Stone said there are many more options.
“I would say more recently, there’s about a half-a-dozen folks,” Stone said.
Stone said that recent social media conversation promoting alternatives to traditional medicine helped increase the demand for integrative healthcare.
“I think they’re not necessarily getting some of the answers. Maybe they have conditions that are again, not super well addressed in the conventional model, so they might feel dismissed,” Stone said.
Maia Johansen, international student at Syracuse University, lived in Hong Kong, Australia, Norway and England. Johansen said that abroad, prior to receiving medication, patients had to first try alternative solutions such as therapy. In comparison, Johansen said in the United States, when integrative practices were less common, getting access to medicine was too easy.
“In the U.K. for example, I’ve had to jump through a lot more hoops,” Johansen said.
The increase in integrative medicine is not limited to Central New York, though. Abhigna Dugaputi, a student studying medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, said she noticed integrative medicine being taught more often.
“Some of my professors, they have expressed that the class that I am learning all this stuff is relatively new.”
Central New Yorkers curious about integrative medicine learned more at the Integrated Care Conference hosted in Syracuse. The conference continues tomorrow from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Oncenter.