Integrative health teams

> Chiropractors, for example, might want to hear how massage therapy works *with* their own treatments.

Too often chiropractors consider massage therapy as a tool to prepare their client for chiropractic treatment. Most do not appreciate the idea that MTs can actually provide complementary treatment.

To provide truly holistic services, health care providers must develop a network of people who can help them provide complete diagnostic, treatment and on going wellness alternatives. While multidisciplinary teams are not new to healthcare, they are relatively new to complementary and alternative medicine. Traditionally, CAM providers have had solo practices, working in isolation, using the particular therapy in which they were trained.

We need to provide services that are integrative, holistic in that the treat all aspects of the person (body, mind & sprit), are patient centered and stress prevention over cure.

We need to form either referral groups or integrated practices to provide this type of complete health care. Forming these groups requires establishing trust based relationships and a willingness to open up to new
ideas and teamwork.

Carl W. Brown