The patients' agenda for healthy living

 Fuelled by my upbringing, integrated healthcare has long been a dream of mine, and I have been inspired to discover more about the weaving together of CAM and orthodox medicine over recent years.

I was pleased to attend a conference last December about patient-centred care in the integrated management of chronic illness. The event held by the Royal College of Physicians, proved to be a stimulating day.

Dr John Launer discussed the importance of really listening to the patient’s narrative, and using their stories to guide the consultation and treatment. 'The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient with the disease', (William Osler).

The emphasis on patient self-management should be improved to enhance outcome. Over a year a patient lives with a chronic condition for just under 10,000 hours, but on average will receive only 10 hours of medical contact. The importance of encouraging patient involvement was stressed, and we were asked to strive to motivate community groups, with the focus of maintaining health rather than driving off illness.

Empowering people to help themselves was discussed by Dr Florin Ruths, who led a guided meditation to emphasise the importance of bringing mindfulness into medicine, which was certainly a highlight of the day. He proposed that through serenity, we may develop the courage to accept chronic illness, and draw upon wisdom to distinguish this from transformable conditions. I feel this is particularly important to help people move from merely existing with chronic conditions to regaining their lives and starting to live alongside illness.      

The type and degree of research into CAM is recognised issue, and an important point was raised by Professor May from the University of Southampton. Despite lack of evidence supporting CAM, if conventional approaches fail, 'Would you stand at the end of the bed and do nothing?' The evidence base for CAM to treat specific illnesses was discussed, such as hypnotherapy and acupuncture for IBS, and medicinal herbs to treat depression. By the end of the day most of the audience voted to consider the use of these in the future.

I left the conference with a thought provoking message. The burden of chronic disease and its impact on our society is worsening in the 21st century. If patients have successfully been able to integrate the use of CAM and orthodox medicine through self-management, then health practitioners should also be able to find this balance, and work together to best guide and support the patients of the future.