The Ethics of Integrative Medicine

Integrative medicine involves both Western and Eastern medical approaches to deliver holistic and effective patient care. Like any medical philosophy, integrative medicine should be held to a high ethical standard as well. Through several case scenarios, we discuss some of the ethical challenges that may arise in the practice of integrative medicine. As patient demand for alternative therapies grows, it will be increasingly important for physicians to be informed and involved in these conversations. Major ethical challenges in the integrative medicine world include rigor of scientific testing for alternative therapies and the ethics surrounding physician recommendations of therapies.