Integrative Medicine Research

Traditional medicine — including drugs, devices and surgery — has improved health and extended lifespans but sometimes falls short. These approaches often react to health problems, rather than working to prevent them. They are narrowly focused on disease, rather than looking at a person’s overall health.

Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine (SCIM) combines traditional approaches with acupuncture, lifestyle change, mindfulness based stress reduction, herbal remedies and other evidence-based techniques to treat the whole person, not just the disease.

Researchers at Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine study a variety of holistic treatments to determine their safety and effectiveness. While anecdotal evidence may provide clues to a treatment’s value, only rigorous clinical testing allows us to proceed with certainty.

Studies at Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine address new approaches to treat:

• Cancer
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Pain

For more information about current integrative medicine research at Scripps, visit the active studies page.