After chatting with holistic nurse consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dominique Fontaine, I was left with an interesting thought to ponder, what exactly is integrative health? 

As the founder of Sage Integrative Wellness, Dominique has dedicated her life and career to alternative practices and workshops to help her patients address the many facets of health and wellness as a whole. 

By marrying Western medicine with a broader understanding of wellness, integrative health practices put the patient’s needs in the center of care to address the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of health. 

In short, integrative health views wellness as abstract, rather than vertical. 

Taking an integrative approach to wellness enhances a patient’s ability to not only get well, but stay well, long-term. Whether through cannabis, meditation, aromatherapy, yoga, etc. there are several avenues of integrative health to explore. 

While integrative practices may differ, their defining principles remain the same.  

• Partnership- In integrative health, patients and practitioners are seen as equal partners who contribute to the healing process. 

• Individualization- Integrative health practices recognize that no two people are the same, which is why treatments are tailored to meet the specific needs and requirements of the patient. 

• Holism- Mind, body, and spirit play an important role in integrative health. By addressing all aspects of healing, integrative health aims to heal patients on a holistic level. 

• Prevention- Prevention is a staple in integrative health. Not only is the goal to treat, but change lifestyles to prevent future illness. 

• Exploration- Integrative health providers understand that they don’t have all the answers, and are in a constant state of exploration to improve modalities of care. 

• Science- Science plays an important role in integrative health. By understanding the body’s healing response, integrative health practices meet biological needs. 

When it comes to health and medicine, we don’t have all the answers. But as we grow and develop as healthcare professionals, we have responsibility to open our mind to alternative healing methods in order to understand optimal healing practices.  

If you’re curious how nurses like you are using their passion for integrative health to start their own businesses, contact us today! 

Check out my call with Dominique Fontaine here