What is patient-centered medicine? / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

‘Integrative medicine’is heard everywhere in Japan. Because the definition of integrative medicine has been misunderstood in various ways, in 2010 the Japanese Government launched an integrative medicine project team. Confusion and misinterpretation of the conceptual distinction between ‘integrative medicine’and ‘complementary and alternative medicine’is a serious problem. The goal of ‘integrative medicine’is not to promote or establish evidence of the effects of particular practices of complementary and alternative medicine. In order to develop integrative medicine in Japan, acupuncture and moxibustion are indispensable, because they are already certified by the national license system, and there are many acupuncture and moxibustion clinics everywhere in Japan. This means that acupuncture and moxibustion treatments are assured of quality, accessibility, and availability. The goal of this proposal is to clearly describe the philosophy and concept of integrative medicine, and especially, the role of acupuncture and moxibustion within the movement toward integrative medicine.