Integrative medicine is a whole-person approach to healthcare that combines conventional medical treatment with evidence-informed lifestyle, functional and complementary medicine safely, thoughtfully and in a coordinated way.

It’s not “alternative” medicine, and it’s not about rejecting standard care. It’s about asking a bigger question: What does this individual need to heal and thrive: physically, emotionally, and functionally?

At NCIM, as well as offering Integrative Medicine through our clinical services with a range of specialised doctors and nutritional therapists, we also offer education for health professionals – a master’s Diploma in Integrative Medicine. This training is structured over two years, first building knowledge of integrative approaches, then applying them across complex conditions such as cancer, metabolic disease, chronic fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. The course offers both philosophical foundations and practical tools showing how personalised, evidence-informed integrative care can support patients alongside conventional treatment.

How does Integrative Medicine differ from conventional medicine?

Integrative Medicine assesses illness across multiple levels:

• Subcellular (mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum)
• Cellular (mast cells, immune function)
• Systemic (nervous system regulation)
• Whole person (mental, emotional, spiritual health)
• Lifestyle and environmental influences

Rather than targeting one pathway alone, practitioners might ask: what predisposed this person? What precipitated the illness? What is perpetuating it? This framework guides truly personalised care.

Using post-viral syndrome and Long COVID as an example, we can see how Integrative Medicine applies a layered, systems-based model to medicine. Long COVID has brought renewed attention to post-viral fatigue syndromes and accelerated our understanding. Previously, post viral syndromes were under-researched, often dismissed or misunderstood and lacking clear biological explanations. After the pandemic, Long COVID meant attention for post viral syndromes was brought to the fore and conventional medicine has since advanced research in areas including:

• Dysautonomia (autonomic nervous system imbalance)
• Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS)
• Mast cell activation and histamine dysregulation
• Mitochondrial dysfunction
• Chronic inflammation

What COVID-19 highlighted was how immune imbalance, gut health and pre-existing inflammation can significantly influence recovery.

Practical interventions for post viral syndromes applied in Integrative Medicine may include:

• Anti-inflammatory nutrition
• Low-histamine or exclusion diets where appropriate
• Gut support
• Targeted supplements (e.g., CoQ10 for mitochondrial function, glutathione support)
• Liver support through brassica vegetables such as broccoli and watercress
• Acupuncture for autonomic regulation
• Herbal medicine and homeopathy
• Structured exercise and mindfulness

The aim is always about restoring balance, NOT suppressing symptoms.

Anthroposophic Medicine within Integrative Medicine and Integrative Oncology

Anthroposophic medicine, is a medical system developed in the early 20th century and now practised in over 80 countries. Anthroposophic medicine expands conventional biomedical understanding by viewing the human being across four interrelated dimensions:

1. Physical body – structure and biochemistry
2. Vitality – life energy and resilience
3. Emotional/soul life – thoughts, feelings, desires
4. Individuality or “I” – self-awareness and agency

This framework is particularly valuable in chronic illness and cancer, where vitality, emotional resilience and meaning-making profoundly affect wellbeing.

Consultations tend to be longer and more exploratory than conventional medicine, identifying:

• Predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating factors
• Areas of imbalance across physical and emotional domains
• The patient’s own capacity for healing

Treatment may include plant-based medicines, homeopathic preparations, supplements, artistic therapies, movement therapies such as eurythmy, and lifestyle support.

Integrative Oncology

The field of Integrative Oncology has evolved immensely in the last two decades. What was once simply “oncology with some complementary therapies” has matured into a sophisticated discipline: Integrative Oncology. Today, practitioners practicing Integrative Oncology must not only understand the biology of cancer and the rapidly evolving conventional treatments as well as evidence-based integrative therapies and how to safely combine them.

A cornerstone of european Integrative Oncology is mistletoe therapy (Viscum album).

Developed within anthroposophic medicine in the 1920s, mistletoe is now one of the most widely prescribed herbal cancer therapies in parts of Europe. Over 1,000 publications explore its use. Research has found mistletoe therapy may:

• Support immune function
• Improve vitality and energy
• Reduce cancer-related fatigue
• Enhance mood and sleep
• Reduce treatment side effects
• Support warmth and rhythm regulation
• Exert direct cytotoxic effects on tumour cells

It is commonly administered by injection (subcutaneously) or can be taken orally and can be safely integrated alongside chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and pain management when prescribed appropriately.

Importantly, mistletoe is not a single product but a family of preparations, differing by host tree and manufacturing process, requiring clinical expertise in its application. There are very few trained doctors in Mistletoe Therapy practicing within the UK and NCIM is proud to be one of the few clinics able to offer this service. We are also holding a two day Mistletoe Training day in July for healthcare professionals wishing to learn more or perhaps qualify in this therapy to support cancer patients.

Homeopathy within Integrative Medicine and Integrative Oncology

Homeopathy is a system of medicine developed by Samuel Hahnemann in the late 18th century. Homeopathy is based on the principle of “like treats like.” A substance that produces symptoms in a healthy person may, in highly diluted form, stimulate healing in someone experiencing similar symptoms.

In Integrative Oncology, homeopathy may be used to:

• Support emotional shock following diagnosis
• Reduce side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy
• Aid surgical recovery
• Enhance resilience and mental wellbeing

Remedies are highly individualised and can be safely used alongside conventional treatments.

Medicinal Mushrooms and Immune Modulation

Medicinal mushrooms have been used for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine and increasingly studied for immune modulation and gut health.

Research suggests medicinal mushrooms may:

• Regulate immune responses
• Act as adaptogens, supporting stress resilience
• Support gut microbiome balance
• Provide antioxidant effects

Key species include:

• Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi)
• Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s Mane)
• Inonotus obliquus (Chaga)
• Lentinula edodes (Shiitake)
• Grifola frondosa (Maitake)

Active compounds such as beta-glucans interact with immune cells in the gut and lymphatic system, helping regulate immune responses. Extracts are often preferred for therapeutic use due to concentration and bioavailability.

The Core Principle: Personalised, Whole-Person Care

Integrative Medicine is not an “alternative” to conventional care, it is a broadened, systems-based approach that:

• Respects modern biomedical science
• Recognises the complexity of human health
• Supports self-regulation and resilience
• Addresses physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions
• Personalises treatment

Whether working with post-viral fatigue, chronic inflammatory disease, or cancer, the goal remains the same: to understand the individual deeply, identify imbalances across multiple levels and apply safe, evidence-informed therapies to restore balance.

In an era of increasingly complex disease and treatment pathways, this integrative model offers not just symptom management, but meaningful support for healing, resilience and growth.