Blending Complementary & Alternative Medicine

Integrative Psychiatry: A Modern Approach

More patients than ever are exploring Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). This creates a new challenge — and opportunity — for psychiatrists. Many people now blend conventional psychiatric care with approaches like nutrition, herbal support, acupuncture, yoga, mindfulness, or energy-based therapies. Understanding how these methods interact with medication and psychotherapy is becoming essential.

Our healthcare landscape is divided. Traditional medicine exists alongside naturopathy, Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, chiropractic care, health coaching, yoga therapy, homeopathy, massage, manual therapies, herbal medicine, and more. Each field has its own way of understanding illness, which means patients often receive advice from several providers who may see their symptoms very differently.

How Common Is CAM Use?

Research shows CAM is not a fringe trend — it’s part of mainstream behavior:

• A landmark JAMA study (Eisenberg et al., 1998) found Americans made more visits to alternative practitioners than to primary care doctors.

• A 2008 survey by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the CDC reported:

  • 38% of U.S. adults

  • 12% of children
    used some form of CAM in a single year.

• The most common approaches included:

  • natural products

  • deep breathing

  • meditation

Many patients do not tell their physicians about the supplements, herbs, or treatments they are using. Others actively seek guidance from integrative psychiatrists on how to combine diet, lifestyle changes, and complementary therapies with traditional psychiatric care.

Navigating the Research

Although evidence for some CAM therapies is still limited, a growing body of research supports many complementary approaches. Helpful places to explore the science include:

• Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

• Cochrane CAM Field

• Natural Standard Database

• NCCAM/NCCIH website

The Rise of Integrative Medicine

After years of skepticism, medicine is shifting toward a more open and evidence-informed integration of CAM. Integrative Medicine is now recognized as a formal subspecialty. The American Board of Physician Specialties defines it as:

“The practice of medicine that reaffirms the importance of the practitioner–patient relationship, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and uses all appropriate therapeutic approaches to achieve optimal health and healing.”

This approach blends the best of both worlds — modern medical science and time-tested complementary practices.

How Integrative Psychiatry Works

Psychiatrists rely on both evidence and clinical intuition. Treating mental health conditions often requires a thoughtful mix of approaches. Increasingly, complementary practices are woven into mainstream care.

For example:

• Mindfulness is now a core part of:

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MB-CBT)

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Integrative Psychiatry looks at the whole person. Treatment may include:

• medication when appropriate

• psychotherapy

• nutrition and lifestyle changes

• mind–body strategies

• targeted supplements

• stress-reduction techniques

The goal is not to choose between conventional or complementary care — but to use both intelligently.

Why Training Matters

CAM is rarely taught in medical school. As a result, many patients know more about supplements, herbs, or holistic therapies than their clinicians. Psychiatrists who practice integratively often pursue additional training in:

• nutrition and supplements

• mind-body medicine

• yoga or meditation

• stress physiology

• functional medicine

This allows them to guide patients safely, avoid harmful interactions, and offer the most complete care possible.

This article originally appeared in “The Newsletter of the New York County Psychiatric Society, a District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association,” Fall 2014.