Models of Integrative Medicine
Integrative Medicine is a new emerging concept in today’s health care. The use of
CAM is slowly evolving into the practice of Integrative Medicine. The National Center
of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health,
states that integrative medicine "combines mainstream medical therapies and CAM therapies
for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness."
Models of integrative medicine are present here in Houston, Texas at the Texas Medical
Center with their annual Geriatric Interdisciplinary Student Competition. In 2012,the
Houston Geriatric Education Center, whom sponsors this competition invited the American
College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine to contribute and further enrich the
interdisciplinary nature of this program. The objectives of this program are 1) to
increase the knowledge and skills of health professional students from a variety
of disciplines on the issues facing elder adults, 2) encourage the development of
positive attitudes and ethical beliefs about aging and 3) demonstrate through experiential
learning the importance of inter-professional collaboration in geriatric care.
