Prolegomena to a True Integrative Medical Paradigm

Babak Daneshfard, MD, PhD(c); Majid Nimrouzi, MD, MPH, PhD; Mohammad Reza Sanaye, PhD

When a paradigm starts to show signs of failure to cope with significant questions in any basic/applied branch of human knowledge, there come on the scene those who have perused the related literature enough to either answer those major questions according to the established paradigm or proffer a (wholly) new way of looking at things. In the latter case, the history of science tells us, a paradigm shift takes place. Modern medicine cannot be proven to be totally disconnected from its traditional roots. Where traditional medicine came to give its place to present-day conventional medicine, a number of humanistic aspects of healing, in addition to some axioms of old wisdom, were actually lost. Employing a personalized strategy by considering the patient’s specific conditions, integrative medicine endeavors to apply all appropriate interventions from a whole set of science branches to bring back health. However, this does not remain fully without its own challenges from almost all sides. Complementary and alternative medicine, on the one hand, and evidence-based medicine, on the other, have their own rightful say in the affair. Delving deep into the details of medical history’s ups and downs, and examining—from the philosophy of medicine’s and philosophy of science’s standpoints—the pros and cons of integrative medicine, this present treatise makes a systemic, interdisciplinary effort to put forward the best possible paradigmatology in a methodical way as far as the demands of society are concerned.

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