INTEGRATIVE HEALTH SCIENCES AND COVID 19. PREVENTION, THERAPY AND REHABILITATION. REVIEW ARTICLE

Abstract

Integrative medicine includes the use of the best possible treatment and procedures of science, allopathic medicine in combination with the best methods of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and is based on the individual needs of the patient. On the basis of scientific achievements of official medicine in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, integrative medicine has taken the best of complementary medicine. Integrative medicine is essentially the application of a holistic approach to health care that re-integrates science and the art of healing. Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by the Novel SARS-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first described in Wuhan, China in December 2019. SARS-CoV-2 is a large RNA virus of the coronavirus family. Its route of infection mimics other members of the Coronaviridae family, which are responsible for many common upper respiratory infections. Viral infection of mucosal epithelial cells occurs and may be followed by aggressive replication that spreads the virus down the respiratory tree to the upper and lower lungs. Integrative medicine emphasizes the therapeutic relationship between practitioner and patient, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapies. As more effective conventional treatments for COVID-19 become available, and as primary prevention with a vaccine is developed, integrative approaches are likely to remain critically important in re-establishing well-being. A focus on restoring homeostasis plays a key role in IM. Even when diseases do not have clear treatment, practitioners can use the principles of IM to facilitate recovery.