In fact I just attended such a meeting at our local hospital. The speaker, Dr. Alan Embry, was the new Integrative Medicine Specialist at the hospital. I think he means that health care needs to treat more than the symptoms, using more than a single treatment approach. The truth is that almost half of all people who go to a physician also use some complimentary medical treatment. The outside treatment may include acupuncture, herbs and diet supplements, nutrition, yoga, exercise and so on.
People go to their physician for treatment then to someone else as well.
The tendency is for each practitioner to downplay the other s ability to provide adequate treatment. We know what MD s think of Chiropractors, and what Nutritionists think of surgeons, and so on. You get the picture. All these healers are in competition for our business. Our insurers will pay for some of it, but we pay for the rest.