Integrative medicine is the term used to describe the combined use of modern medicine, traditional healing and other alternative methods of healing by licensed MD physicians and other complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) healthcare providers. The Seekers Centre for Integrative Medicine was established in Ottawa in 2006 to offer effective treatment for a wide range of medical problems using this integrative approach.

Our special focus has been to go beyond the usual approach to Integrative Medicine - but to do so in a responsible manner. Most Integrative Medicine centres with academic affiliations focus on nutrition, exercise, stress management and a few herbs and vitamins. We go one step further to incorporate leading-edge approaches to diagnosis and treatment - including detoxification, hormone balancing, treating allergies and emotional traumas. These come from traditional healing systems and leading-edge medical clinics from around the world. This leading-edge approach is balanced by a wealth of scientific knowledge and internal research that allows us to focus on the therapies that make the most sense and that work the best.

Philosophy

We believe that drugs and surgery are not the only ways to effectively treat disease. We combine conventional medical knowledge, testing and treatment with a wide range of other tools that can help patients return to health.

We believe in evidence-based medicine. This should guide treatment whenever possible and our therapies are based on evidence when it exists. We also collect outcomes data to generate evidence supporting integrative medicine therapies. Nonetheless, the vast wealth of traditional healing wisdom and anecdotal evidence gained from clinical practice should not be ignored. This is based on a realistic understanding that most research funding comes from the pharmaceutical industry to promote the use of their patented products.

We believe in seeking better solutions. While doctors are taught to follow guidelines and standards of conventional medical practice, they have stifled innovation and true progress in medicine. Clinical practice guidelines have improved patient care, but the individual physician-scientist has been an important figure in the advancement of medicine throughout its history and this should be encouraged in the spirit of discovery and progress.

These systems all suggest that our health is not possible without the health of our environment, and we believe that human health is the most important reason to heal the planet.

Why Seekers?

Physicians who are interested in complementary and alternative medicine need to seek out this information for themselves. They cannot rely on guidelines or medical conferences to deliver this aspect of their continuing education until a huge amount of evidence makes their benefit irrefutable. Thus, this sort of physician is, by nature, a Seeker.

Patients must be seekers too. In the age of the internet, information is no longer the domain of a privileged elite. It is freely accessible to all. To get the best care, many people with serious illness no longer solely rely on their doctors for information - they are taking responsibility for their own health - for their own lives.

However, a little information can be a dangerous thing. Without a background of medical training and clinical experience, patients can often spend time and money pursuing therapies that are less likely to be effective. Our Centre aims to offer training and guidance to doctors and patients who consider themselves Seekers.

Mission Statement

Our mission at the Seekers Centre is to integrate effective CAM therapies and traditional healing systems into the standard medical approach to the diagnosis and treatment of disease by:

• Providing effective treatment for people with chronic medical problems
• Conducting research in partnership with practitioners, researchers and organizations to critically evaluate specific CAM therapies
• Promoting awareness and understanding of Integrative Medicine in our community and around the world

Our goals

• To provide our patients with the best Integrative Medicine to help them return to health.
• To create a Centre of Excellence in Integrative Medicine that is a part of the University of Ottawa hospital system
• To teach physicians and organizations about Integrative Medicine and how it can help save healthcare