Dear guest and colleague,

In May 2017 the South African Society of Integrative Medicine is hosting the first Pan African Integrative Conference. As a practicing Integrative doctor for more than 35 years I have watched as health professionals from around the world are increasingly interested in an approach which shifts the present focus on disease management towards supporting health.

Chronic diseases of lifestyle are now responsible for 60% of deaths in the world and these are due to unhealthy diets, smoking, lack of exercise, environmental toxins and stress. This had led to the epidemic of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, along with the associated morbidity.

What is required now are health practitioners that understand good lifestyle practices and ways to return ill-health to superior health again. Health does the healing.

The Integrative Conference features four medical specialists from overseas: an Integrative Medical Oncologist, an Integrative Medical Paediatrician, a PhD expert in fatty acids and nutritional interventions for neurological disorders, and a Associate Professor of Medicine. Many other experts in the field will be presenting.

Integrative medicine is an approach that meets concerns by the public and the medical profession for more effective, compassionate, patient-centered medicine. It takes into account the whole person (body-emotions-mind-spirit and matter-energy-information), including all aspects of lifestyle. It uses both conventional approaches such as drugs and surgery, but tends to emphasize approaches that support healthy functions using natural products. Over the past 15 years the number of medical schools providing education related to Integrative Medicine has grown significantly around the world, as doctors become frustrated with symptomatic approaches and seek approaches that heal the person and revert ill-health to better health.

Integrative medicine combines both the art and the science of medicine in a way that is fluid, creative and honors the needs of the patient and the dynamic way the body attempts to heal itself.

Please join us in a creative conversation that speaks to the needs of our time to change mindsets, and open medicine to a more health-orientated approach to dealing with the chronic disease burden.

Best regards,

Dr. Bernard Brom
Integrative Medical Doctor