Why do most pcp mds not incorporate integrative medicine into their practice?

Not widely accepted: Traditional medical education does not include integrative or holistic medicine in its curriculum. There are some exceptions to this: for those who choose, there is an integrative family practice residency program associated with university of arizona. The most comprehensive post-graduate (post-residency) program is the fellowship in integrative medicine at ua. Look for a fellowship-trained doc.

Not trained right: Its not part of the "common dogma" very unfortunate.

Time: Time and training. Insurance reimbursement almost requires doctors to see 4-6 patients an hour to make ends meet. One cannot practice good integrative medicine in 10 minutes. My typical appointment is 1 hour.

Integrative Medicine: It not only takes special education not normally given in medical school until recently (integrative medicine program at the University of Arizona under Dr. Andrew Weil's leadership is currently placing integrative medicine rotations in medical schools), it also takes more time listening to the patient.

Integgrative: Often there is a knowledge gap of evidence-based integrative or complementary practices. These are not typically taught in med school or residency. Often practitioners do not believe in these practices regardless of evidence of safety and efficacy. State licensing boards may not be supportive. Legal issues such as "standard of care" problematic. Malpractice insurance can also be an issue.

PCP's integrative: Most PCP's can't offer integrative medicine because it is not covered by insurance. There are many reasons for this, including that it is difficult to 'prove' the efficacy of integrative treatments with the kinds of research protocols that are used in conventional western medicine. Also, it takes a long time to master any medical technique and most PCP's have not had time for that kind of training