CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine. Complementary medicine is used together with conventional medicine, and alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. Integrative medicine combines conventional and CAM treatments for which there is evidence of safety and effectiveness.

Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin R. CDC National Health Statistics Report #12 - NCCAM/NIH

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Functional medicine focuses on prevention and understanding a person's core clinical imbalances that underlie various disease conditions. Functional medicine seeks prevention as the key component for the cultivation of health especially with regards to chronic disease. By targeting the underlying cause of disease versus focusing on just accommodating symptoms functional medicine seeks to improve outcomes by targeting one objective, the disease, to accomplish multiple benefits, reducing the symptoms. In the cases of chronic disease with the goal of understanding each individual's physiological, environmental, and psychosocial contexts becomes a necessary part of the diagnostic process.

While functional medicine is perspective of more recent terminology the historical systems of healing (e.g. Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, Tibetan medicine, etc.) have utilized the holistic view as a means of approaching disease. All of the healing systems mentioned above seek to target the disease to reduce symptoms in concert with constitutional/personal diagnosis all of which Everspring Health embraces and offers as a part of our service offerings.

This question was once addressed by Dr. Bernie Siegel where he mentioned that we may not be able to cure every disease but people can indeed be healed. The concept here is noting a difference in perspective. The discussion surrounding a cure is focused on a disease and the context of specifically eliminating the disease whereas the discussion of healing is in relation to the individual as a whole. When we seek to cure a disease our focus is on the disease and the process of eliminating that disease. Since healing involves improving the quality of life for the individual as a whole, a disease may still be targeted but in concert with the intent to improve the quality of one's daily life.

An example of healing would be the process where a disease is controlled or reduced to a point where a person's quality of life may be such that the disease no longer interferes with their daily productivity. So while an individual may still have diabetes, for example, they may have no signs of the disease and/or the disease no longer hinders the quality of one's experience in daily living. A key benchmark in the process of healing includes liberation from the disease even if the disease may still be present. This liberation is the experience where one's perspective shifts from focusing on, and possibly being dictated by a disease, to being focused on the appreciation of one's life as a whole. This perspective may still include the presence of a disease but more importantly the focus shifts to the many opportunities they have before them.

This definition of healing is why Everspring Health incorporates healing into the functional mission of our cooperative. We are a lifestyle, health and healing cooperative because each of those concepts is at the heart of what we do everyday. Healing is the process of cultivating quality of life and quality of life is our mission.

Integrative health is a somewhat evolving terminology with a definition that is equally still evolving. However, Everspring Health suggests that integrative health is a metric that we can use to gain perspective of our health as a whole and in turn use that information for our benefit. The perspective of integrative health requires us to consider all intersecting aspects of an individual's life and lifestyle before a final diagnosis is made and subsequent plan is implemented.

Through the use of integrated protocols (see Integrative Medicine) we make note of a web of symptoms or experiences where the final diagnosis is based on the value of the intersecting points and the relation of all possible factors within one's experience. We finalize this process by asking how do these experiences relate to one's overall quality of life. The diagnosis in relation to one's quality of life becomes our chief objective for developing a plan for integrative health, namely quality of life.

To benefit from this perspective the client needs to find a practitioner who is well trained to determine which intersecting points are valid to the diagnosis and most importantly which are valid to the client's quality of life. Quality of life is our mission and integrative health is the service we strive to provide at Everspring Health.

Dietary therapy can range from strict dietary protocols used in hospitals to everyday programs that can enhance an individual's quality of life. In general, for diet to be used as a therapy it does need to involve a targeted result which may range from disease abatement to the reduction of daily aggravations to weight loss/management to helping control biometrics like cholesterol or blood pressure or post operative recovery among many others.

While all of the above are a part of Everspring Health's dietary therapy service we do so with a focus on quality of life - meaning we develop a program to help make your day better. So while impeding conditions are an obvious opportunity to use diet as a therapy by pursuing quality of life we have so many more opportunities to effectively use this resource.

Anyone who has ever had an acute or chronic skin breakout, digestive malady, headache or other seemingly annoying issue that shouldn't be normal but isn't so severe for a medical procedure may distinctly benefit from dietary therapy. At the same time individuals who might be looking to refine their daily experience by possibly reducing fatigue, improving alertness, improving on a training regimen would likely see benefit from a personalized dietary plan.

It is important to note that what is good for us does not always mean that our food cannot taste good. In fact, while some habits may need to be dissolved, most experience a better quality of life not just because of what they are feeling but also because they are enjoying their food. Mealtime shifts from something we have to do to a time where we can enjoy what we are doing as well as who we are with.

Yes, acupuncture is a great resource for a pregnant woman or a woman who is thinking of becoming pregnant to consider. Acupuncture can be effectively used when planning pregnancy, for women who are currently pregnant, for those preparing for birth and finally for those ladies who have entered the postpartum phase of their pregnancy.

There is growing research that suggests that acupuncture leading up to and during implantation phase helps improve implantation chances. This is especially true for IVF and the current recommendation is to receive acupuncture within 24 hours before egg transfer and within hours post egg transfer to improve odds as best as possible. Odds continue to improve when acupuncture is a regular part of any program leading up to IVF and the transfer itself.

While acupuncture is more readily known as being a part of programs addressing issues of infertility it is important for a woman to know that acupuncture is a very low to no risk, high reward resource that supports a woman’s overall quality of life, including during pregnancy. Acupuncture can be helpful for many of the discomforts a woman may experience throughout the course of pregnancy including pain, swelling, constipation among other issues that do not need to be a normal or acceptable part of a woman’s pregnancy. Everspring Health offers acupuncture as a part of a holistic program that is customized to the needs of the client.

Everspring Health reintroduces the cooperative health model because we fully believe that it is the ideal business model for the new era of healthcare. In the most general sense the cooperative business model is designed to accomplish two objectives; engage individuals and maximize resources. This more than anything is the key to refining the healthcare business model for the benefit of the individual.

Through research and planning Everspring Health intends take the cooperative model further to maximize every advantage of the cooperative intent and resources. For healthcare to truly evolve health must become a personal pursuit partnered with and facilitated by practitioners. The health resources now available make the application of resources the key factor to significantly changing outcomes. For application to be ideal clients and practitioners must be able to work together for the benefit of the client. Cooperative health, however it is implemented, will be the foundation on which the new era of healthcare is established. Everspring Health intends to stay ahead of that curve.