Integrative Medicine for Orofacial Pain

Integrative Medicine is a specialty within medicine that:

• combines conventional medicine and complementary/alternative therapies for a personalized healing-oriented approach

• provides a whole person (mind and body) healthcare approach to address symptoms and to optimize care

• is evidence-based

• incorporates natural and less invasive therapies along with traditional medical treatments

A common misconception of Integrative Medicine is that it is an anti-medication or anti-conventional medicine approach. 

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Integrative Medicine (IM) is not anti-medication or anti-conventional medicine: IM is literally an integration of standard medical care combined with supportive care to fully personalize healthcare for an individual's needs.

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Integrative Medicine is also frequently confused with Functional Medicine (FM). 

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Integrative Medicine is not Functional Medicine, though the 2 approaches can overlap. IM is a recognized medical specialty; FM is not. In general, most IM trained providers tend to use a detailed history and exam to determine if any additional testing is needed. Extensive testing is not routinely indicated. 

For pain management, an Integrative Medicine approach looks beyond the symptoms by thoroughly assessing and addressing the many factors (ie sleep, nutrition, stress) that can contribute to pain and can slow down healing. Integrative Medicine has been shown to help people who suffer from fatigue, anxiety, pain, cancer, headaches and fibromyalgia.

Dr. Wang follows an Integrative Medicine model for all of her patient care. However due to time constraints and individual patient preferences, she does not routinely provide extensive detailed Integrative Medical style treatment plans. For patients interested in a personalized Integrative Medicine pain management treatment plan, please discuss with Dr. Wang in order to coordinate your wellness care.