1. Western Medicine vs. Integrative Medicine: Finding a Nourished Balance

In this heartfelt and informative episode of Nourished, Dr. Anikó Gréger explores the nuanced relationship between Western medicine and Integrative and Complementary approaches to healing. Drawing on her experience as a double board-certified Integrative Pediatrician and Postpartum Specialist, she unpacks the strengths and limitations of both systems and why it’s not about choosing one over the other, but about finding the right balance for you.

With clarity and compassion, Dr. Anikó invites listeners to step out of rigid medical silos and into a more expansive, whole-person perspective. Whether you’ve felt dismissed by conventional providers or overwhelmed by wellness trends, this episode reminds you that true nourishment comes from understanding your body, trusting your intuition, and creating a care approach that aligns with your values and needs.

Episode Highlights:

• The roots of Western medicine and why it became the dominant model
• What complementary and integrative medicine actually mean
• The power of listening to the whole person, not just the symptoms
• When Western medicine saves lives and when it falls short
• How to bridge the two approaches for deeper healing

There’s no one-size-fits-all path to healing. The more we honor the intersection of science, intuition and whole-body awareness, the more nourished our lives can become. Tune in to find the balance that is right for you.

Connect with Dr. Anikó:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.aniko/

Website: https://www.draniko.com/

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Disclaimer:
The content of this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you heard on this podcast.

Transcript

Dr. Anikó: [00:00:00] you are listening to Nourished with Dr. Aniko Gregor. I'm an integrative physician and I am so passionate about helping people find their pathway to their very best life. I hope you enjoy. Hey everyone.

 Today I thought I'd talk a little bit about when to choose alternative and complimentary methods. And when to choose conventional methods for healthcare and medicine. And my answer is gonna be a little bit biased because of course, I'm an integrative physician, so my answer is usually gonna be all of the above.

 So from my point of view, we really don't have to choose between conventional methods and other types of medicine. All we need to do [00:01:00] is choose which tool in our toolbox of medicine fits our situation the best. Fits our condition, fits our lifestyle, fits our mindset, fits our values at times. So if forced to decide, I would say that western medicine typically does an amazingly good job when it comes to trauma to acute situations.

There's of course a role for complementary alternative medicine. Even there, there's some really interesting studies where. Hypnotherapy. So hypnosis techniques done for surgeries reduces bleeding, reduces the time it takes to recover, but it's not gonna replace the surgery. So that's why I always say both.

But also if you're running into issues with Western medicine, because typically. At least in the United States, most of [00:02:00] us can access Western medicine sometimes more easily than other alternative or complimentary methods. And so if you feel like you are not getting the results that you need or would like with Western Medicine, that's a perfect time to start integrating other modalities.

And that's why I keep using the word integrate. Again, you don't really have to choose one way or the other. You can sort of see where you're not getting the results that you need and incorporate something else there. And I will say too, that now we have people that specialize in lifestyle medicine, for example, and that's amazing.

And really going over those pillars of health, like what you're eating. How much are you moving? What kind of movement are you doing? How are you sleeping? Mind, body things, stress relief, and those have sort of been claimed in some ways by [00:03:00] integrative medicine, lifestyle medicine, only because in Western medicine, the way that it's structured now doctors and other health professionals simply aren't given the time to address all those things the way they deserve to be addressed.

It's not that your doctor or healthcare professional doesn't care about those things, typically, it's that they are given such a small timeframe in which to see you, that they're only able to kind of hit these certain points. And a lot of times people see doctors by the time they see them, they're in such a difficult place and their symptoms are so severe that they're wanting.

A procedure or a medication or something to help their pain or help get their symptoms under control, and that's their number one thing that they wanna do. It's not that lifestyle, medicine and diet and all those things don't fall under the umbrella of Western medicine. They absolutely do. [00:04:00] It's just that the way that Western medicine has been run in our country, not necessarily by healthcare professionals.

Has squeezed the time out of visits so that people can really address it. Now, in terms of chronic conditions, Western medicine does have a lot of great approaches to chronic conditions, And that's the place where integrative medicine and alternative medicine can really shine. And also I'd like to clarify what I mean with all these terms.

I'm kind of throwing them around without really explaining them. So complimentary and alternative medicine. When we talk about complimentary medicine, that is modalities. So types of treatments that are used that are outside of the scope of western medicine, but they're used together with western medicine.

Alternative treatments are typically used in the place of Western medicine. Integrative medicine [00:05:00] is a term that was coined to reflect the fact that when people practice integrative medicine, they're integrating all these different types of medicine into their care. So for example, when I see a patient, I may recommend acupuncture.

Going to the ear, nose, and throat doctor in the same visit. So I'm not saying we have to stick to one camp or the other because to me, like I said, it's all this wonderful one big toolbox, and I'm so grateful for everything that everyth type of medicine has to offer. The other thing about integrative medicine and lifestyle medicine, for that matter that I.

Always like to talk about and set expectations around is that it's really rare to have. One supplement, one silver bullet kind of treatment that will turn everything around. It's really incremental change in many [00:06:00] cases. It's incremental change in many different areas that over time, so we're not talking about days, we could be talking about months, even years at times.

Not that you won't see any improvements for years, but you might not get to the place where you can say, you know what? I feel truly vital. Now I feel like I have the energy and the vitality that I need and want to live my best life. Depending on where you're starting from, that might not happen for years.

I think for some people that can be, I. Discouraging because we're used to a very, not just one stop shop, but also quick results kind of world. Our world is very fast already. It's very fast paced. We talk fast. Our TV is fast, but the reality is that the rhythms of nature and the rhythms of healing are typically very, very slow compared to the fast-paced life that we live.

But because they're [00:07:00] happening slowly. The change also lasts for a really long time. And basically anybody, anybody can benefit from improving their sleep, their movements, their stress levels, what they put into their bodies, how they eat, their time and nature. There's certain building blocks that are just good for human beings no matter where your starting point is or what kind of chronic or acute conditions you may have.

What's also really nice about integrative medicine is that it's not really limited to. Modern medicine. There are so many ancient medicinal treatments and so many ancient philosophies around health like Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine. And I will also say back to the point of it's not just Western medicine.

That's great for acute [00:08:00] care. There's something called battlefield acupuncture where people learned certain acupuncture techniques to help in the battlefield to help with pain. And for example, tea tree oil was used in Australia as an antiseptic on the battlefield, so. There's so much overlap, and that's what I love, not just about the term integrative medicine, but the reality of integrative medicine is that you're able to choose which one fits you best and you're not limited to one camp.

And I'd also like to offer and invite people. To broaden their minds in terms of their perhaps conscious or unconscious judgements about different types of medicine. So there's certainly people that think certain types of medicine, even well-established and research ones like [00:09:00] acupuncture, sound weird or hokey or out there.

And then there's other people that feel like all of Western medicine is poison and awful. I would like to offer that all types of medicine have their place, and I have personally experienced the lifesaving role of both Western medicine and all other different types of medicine. I think that expansiveness can allow us to walk this path of healing and health with ourselves and our children and our families.

In a way that truly opens up us up to all the possibilities available to us and doesn't limit us in any way. Now, certainly we can be limited in terms of what our local area has to offer. There's so many wonderful resources online. There's so many wonderful books. There's so much available to us [00:10:00] now that we don't even really have to be limited to what's around us locally to be able to access some of these healing modalities that can truly be life changing.

I hope this episode not only cleared up some misconceptions about different types of medicine, but also feels really empowering and inspiring to you so that you can go out into the world and navigate the world of healthcare and medicine in a way that feels like it really fits you and really leads you to a place of even better health for yourself and for your family.

 [00:11:00]