Holistic care · Your options

Eastern and Western medicine work best as one plan. You can ask for both.

Maybe your back has hurt for months, and a friend swears by acupuncture. Or a parent in the hospital would rather try massage before another pill. It can feel like you have to choose: your doctor's way or the other way. You don't. More and more, the two are planned together, and the research behind that is real. Here is where they already meet, and how to ask for both.

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Two traditions, one plan

Western medicine is what most US hospitals and clinics practice: tests, diagnosis, medicines, surgery, emergency care. It is very good at finding what's wrong and acting fast.

Eastern and holistic medicine includes acupuncture, tai chi, qigong and herbal formulas from Traditional Chinese Medicine, plus yoga, meditation, massage and chiropractic care. It looks at the whole person: body, mind, sleep, food and daily habits.

The National Institutes of Health uses two simple words. Complementary means used together with standard care. Integrative means both are planned as one, with everyone on the same page. That second one is the goal.

You'd be in good company. In 2022, more than 1 in 3 US adults used at least one approach like yoga, meditation, massage, chiropractic care or acupuncture. In 2002 it was about 1 in 5.

Where they already work side by side

This isn't fringe. Major medical groups already put these options into their own advice.

• Low back pain. The American College of Physicians tells doctors to start with options like heat, massage, acupuncture, spinal manipulation, yoga, tai chi and mindfulness, before medication.
• Cancer care. A guideline from two cancer societies says acupuncture should be recommended for joint pain caused by a common breast cancer medicine (aromatase inhibitors). It also says massage may be offered for pain in hospice or palliative care.
• Knees and hips. The American College of Rheumatology strongly recommends tai chi for osteoarthritis of the knee and hip.
• Veterans. The VA's medical benefits include acupuncture, massage, tai chi and qigong, yoga and meditation, when the care team thinks they fit.
• Medicare. Part B covers acupuncture for chronic low back pain, and spinal adjustments by a chiropractor to correct a subluxation.

How to bring both into your care

Start with what matters to you. Less pain? Better sleep? Fewer pills? Say it first. It helps your doctor think beyond the usual list.

Ask the open question. "What else could help with this, alongside my current care?" Then ask what each option is likely to do for someone like you.

Tell your whole team what you use. Herbs, supplements, teas, acupuncture, yoga: all of it. Bring the bottles or the written formula. When everyone sees the full picture, they can plan around it and spot what's working.

Ask about cost before the first visit. Plans decide for themselves which of these they cover and how many visits. The IRS counts acupuncture and chiropractic care as medical expenses, so an HSA or FSA can often pay.

Give it time, and keep notes. Most studies measure results over weeks, not days. Write down how you feel each week and share it at your next visit.

Want to go deeper?

• Eastern and holistic medicine: what the research says about each option
• How do I ask my doctor about other options besides medication?
• Can I get acupuncture or massage while I'm in the hospital?
• Does insurance cover acupuncture?
• Can I use my HSA or FSA for acupuncture, chiropractic or herbs?

The 60-second recap

• You don't have to choose. The goal is one plan that uses the best of both.
• Guidelines already include acupuncture, massage, yoga, tai chi and mindfulness, especially for pain.
• Ask: "What else could help, alongside my current care?"
• Tell every member of your care team everything you use.
• Check coverage first. Your HSA or FSA can often pay for acupuncture and chiropractic care.

Education, not medical, legal or insurance advice.

Sources

• NIH NCCIH — Complementary, alternative, or integrative health: what's in a name?
• Nahin et al., JAMA 2024 — Use of complementary health approaches by US adults, 2002 to 2022
• Qaseem et al., Ann Intern Med 2017 — American College of Physicians guideline on low back pain
• Mao et al., J Clin Oncol 2022 — Society for Integrative Oncology–ASCO guideline on integrative medicine for cancer pain
• Kolasinski et al., Arthritis Rheumatol 2020 — American College of Rheumatology osteoarthritis guideline
• VA Whole Health — Complementary and integrative health
• Medicare.gov — Acupuncture
• Medicare.gov — Chiropractic services
• IRS Publication 502 — Medical and dental expenses
• NIH NCCIH — Start talking with your health care providers about complementary health approaches