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Integrative Medicine, which originally originated in the USA, has also now become firmly established in Europe over the last 20 years. It is a relatively new medical specialty and accompanying paradigm that has been adapted to the existing aspects of traditional medical systems from natural medicine and complementary medicine. It has been combined with the established procedures of conventional medicine and contains holistic, evidence-based, and patient-centered elements to its procedures. In the USA, Integrative Medicine, together with Mind Body Medicine, was the first specialization to give Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) a considerable degree of visibility and a foothold, even at large and established academic medical institutions such as Harvard Medical School or Stanford University School of Medicine. This means that today, now that the term Integrative Medicine has been well established, it is referred to as Complementary and Integrative Medicine (CIM).

Today in North America the scientific-academic process known as Integrative Medicine is administered at the so-called Academic Consortium (www.imconsortium.org). At the US National Institutes of Health, there is a highly visible department called the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIM), which emerged from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine (NCCAM). Institutes, university chairs, educational and training facilities as well as clinics and outpatient clinics for the application of Integrative Medicine have been established in many locations across North America: Thanks to intensive research funding and performance, knowledge of Integrative Medicine is continuously growing.

In Europe, especially in German-speaking countries, there is a long tradition of so-called “naturopathy”. The concepts of modern naturopathy date back to ancient medicine as well as scientific endeavors in theory, basic, and applied research. However, this field as it is known today has not experienced a comparable rate of growth in Central Europe as it has in North America over the last 30 years. The various therapeutic and theoretical directions in the field of naturopathy and complementary medicine have experienced difficulties in finding a common basis with Integrative Medicine including Mind Body Medicine.

Be that as it may, several academic chairs and institutes have been founded in Europe in the last 10 years that have had either the term “naturopathy”, “Integrative Medicine”, “integrative health”, “integrative health promotion” or “integrative healthcare” in their names. One thing is clear: Integrative Medicine has not only been reaching patients and physicians, it has also had a considerable effect on the academic world. It is also being noticed with ever-increasing frequency by all those involved in working within the healthcare system.

There is also resistance to this development of Integrative Medicine: Current discussions surrounding, for example, the abolition of additional names from the field of complementary medicine, as well as the still small amount of research funding for the scientific investigation and establishment of integrative and complementary medicine should also be mentioned in this context. We would like to point out the passionate internal discussions taking place within the medical profession regarding definitions, terms, target groups, placements in the healthcare system, and the indications for Integrative Medicine – as well as the relationships between the various disciplines involved and “health professionals” among one another. This complex situation still needs to be negotiated in further detail in the future. These developments indicate how important and timely it is to raise discussions surrounding future Integrative Medicine to all concerned parties on a larger, more visible, and easily accessible stage.

The question of whether and why the term – or the specialization – of Integrative Medicine exists/ought to exist and how it can be defined remains a controversial topic. Having a clearly defined term is of the utmost importance for the further development of the whole field, however, especially but not exclusively, in an academic context. Questions of billing and reimbursement in the healthcare system, the concrete care structures or services, and the legitimacy of the various healthcare professions involved in the successful implementation of Integrative Medicine must also be taken into account. All of the above aspects are addressed in this book.

Both an expert and an interested layperson will quickly find out: Integrative Medicine provides us with an immensely exciting, inspiring, and innovative field in which far more has been achieved than is widely recognized. Patients, one might say, have always known in a sense what this branch of medicine has to offer. These therapies are often used in combination with other types of therapy and have always been a source of inspiration.

This book is intended to reflect the current state of knowledge and experience of Integrative Medicine, not to make any pre-determinations or to correspond to the plurality of the current discussion. It is also important to note that in addition to the historical embedding of the topic in the various cultural spheres, space has also been given to current developments and related areas from other departments, and disciplines:

Interprofessionalism and cooperation on the one hand, and clearly identifying the discipline on the other hand, do not have to be mutually exclusive. Today, various medical and therapeutic specializations have a close connection to Integrative Medicine, but also superordinate contexts such as artistic therapy methods, nursing, and other medical systems are considered in an exemplary manner. This relates to the current status of Integrative Medicine – in terms of disciplines, care, systems and structures, but also in terms of theory formation, the image of man and science. It concerns the future of empathetic, communicative and highly effective medicine in the digital age. This is what we would like to let you be a part of with this book.

We, Benno Brinkhaus and Tobias Esch are doctors who possess many years of clinical and specialist experience including important aspects of naturopathy and Integrative Medicine, including Mind Body Medicine. In the process, international influences have also come to the fore in various ways, be it through professional societies or actual work abroad over several years. Despite our different focuses in patient care, teaching and science, we are both united in our pronounced interest in an integrative approach relying on pluralistic methods and perspectives, and, at the same time, on science- as well as evidence-based trends in medicine, with a special reference to Integrative Medicine. In addition, we both understand medicine as an art of healing, not science exclusively.

Let us conclude by expressing our thanks and hopes: A big thanks to our publishing house, its management and its staff, for their extremely professional, always pleasant and supportive assistance. A warm thanks also to our colleagues who have accompanied us on the path of engagement with naturopathy and Integrative Medicine, and of course also to our families, who all too often had the chance to miss us because of our activities concerning this book, just as we missed them back. This book was a challenge for everyone who took part. It came together with considerable foresight and patience and a common goal clear in mind. It was the hope that the contributions that make up this book, as individual pieces or the common theme behind them, may help to outline a vision of medicine for the future. We hope that in a small way we can help to improve the state of medicine as a whole and to lend some courage to those who wish to make the medicine of the future more integrative, holistic, and patient-oriented. Let’s be positive about the future of medicine in the interest of our patients!

Prof. Dr. med. Benno Brinkhaus and Prof. Dr. med. Tobias Esch

Berlin and Witten, March 2021