Establishing an Integrative Medicine Program Within an Academic Health Center: Essential Considerations.

Integrative medicine (IM) refers to the combination of conventional and "complementary" medical services (e.g., chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, mindfulness training).

A model of integrative care for low-back pain.

Objectives: While previous studies focused on the effectiveness of individual complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies, the value of providing patients access to an integrated program involving multiple CAM and conventional therapies remains unknown. The objective of this study is to explore the feasibility and effects of a model of multidisciplinary integrative care for subacute low-back pain (LBP) in an academic teaching hospital.

Design: This was a pilot randomized trial comparing an individualized program of integrative care (IC) plus usual care to usual care (UC) alone for adults with LBP.

Addition of choice of complementary therapies to usual care for acute low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.

Study Design: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness and cost of usual care plus patient choice of acupuncture, chiropractic, or massage therapy (choice) compared with usual care alone in patients with acute low back pain (LBP).

Summary Of Background Data: Few studies have evaluated care models with facilitated access to and financial coverage for adjunctive complementary and alternative medicine therapies.