Lourdes Health System is committed to bringing patients the best in allopathic (conventional) and complementary medicine. This combination of services is called “integrative medicine,” which has been a tradition at Lourdes since 1979, when the Lourdes Wellness Center opened in Collingswod, New Jersey. This was something that few, if any, health facilities offered at the time, and therefore, Lourdes was well ahead of its peers in the healthcare field in recognizing the importance of preventive health and the benefits of non-traditional forms of therapy.
What is Integrative Medicine?
Integrative Medicine blends mainstream medicine with a variety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities, such as intravenous (IV) and oral supplementation, nutrition, acupuncture, energy work and other forms of bodywork.
The Integrative approach is holistic. It takes into account a broad view of the whole person-body, mind & spirit. Integrative Medicine treats the underlying imbalances that cause disease symptoms. Most importantly, the goal of an integrative approach is to support the body’s own innate healing abilities, while respecting a person’s biochemical individuality.
Outpatient and Inpatient Integrative Care
The Lourdes Wellness Center offers integrative family medicine, in which a medical doctor, provides a blend of traditional and complementary medicine. Integrative Family Medicine encourages a healthy lifestyle, supported by complementary therapies, natural supplements, nutritional and vitamin support, detoxification and other therapies that encourage a healthy immune system.
Integrative Medicine at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center is offered in the form of wholistic nursing care, which provides reflexology, guided imagery, massage and therapeutic touch to inpatients. Nurses at the hospital also offer a Prepare for Surgery program for patients about to undergo surgery. Integrative medicine has been shown to improve outcomes for patients—decreasing the length of stay and reducing postoperative pain.
Lourdes Wellness Center
From its inception, the Lourdes Wellness Center has been combining mainstream medicine, alternative therapies and spirituality to enhance a healthy lifestyle. The Center offers acupuncture, massage, yoga classes, health education programs and many community-based services. The Center averages more than 30,000 visits annually.
The Wellness Center is also home of the Lourdes Institute of Wholistic Studies, which offers degree programs in massage therapy as well as certificate programs in yoga.
See these summaries of programs and presentations on stress and integrative-medicine by Lourdes experts:
