MHS 612 INTRODUCTION TO INTEGRATIVE HEALTH AND BIOLOGICAL AND BODY-BASED INTERVENTIONS
In this course, students examine the fundamental concepts of integrative health and wellness (IHW) including the history, philosophies, and methods of prominent integrative therapies. Perceived differences between and limitations of traditional ?allopathic? medicine and IHW ?nontraditional? medicine are identified. Patients? motivations and patterns of use of IHW approaches are explored. Components of the five major areas within IHW as identified by the National Institutes of Health are introduced. These areas include alternative medical systems, body-based systems (massage, chiropractic, rolfing), mind-body medicine, biological approaches (herbal medicine, nutritional approaches, pharmacological therapies, Ayurveda), and bioelectromagnetics (energy healing). The state of basic scientific knowledge and data from controlled trials relating to the safety, efficacy, and mechanisms of action of integrative therapies are presented. In the second half of the course, an overview of the scientific evidence for the integrative biological and body-based approaches are provided. Theories for how these approaches function to affect health are examined, such as psychoneuroimmunology, the role of inflammation, and the gut microbiome. Key practice, legal, and ethical issues facing CAM researchers and practitioners are reviewed.