SASIM is a non-profit network of medical and allied health practitioners who support the practice of Integrative Medicine (IM). We exist to support like-minded health care providers on their journey to develop their current healing practices in line with holistic, safe and effective integrative medical approaches.
SASIM’s community of experienced IM practitioners promote ongoing education (CPD accredited lectures and courses), daily knowledge sharing and live support (via our medical WhatsApp groups for members). We promote IM in South Africa by facilitating the advancement of science and research and providing advice on current health issues and chronic disease management.
SASIM also educates the general public on integrative self-care, disease prevention and the effective and sustainable application of IM for treating chronic disease. This website provides the public with access to our national database of registered IM practitioners, to enable everyone to find practitioners in their vicinity.
Integrative Medicine recognises the holistic and unique nature of human beings, which encompasses physio-energetic information systems. It investigates the multi-factoral causes of disease. In this approach the practitioner and the sick individual form a team working towards an integrated protocol of management best suited for that person.
The priority is to support health using the least invasive and most natural approach; this does not exclude symptomatic treatment of disease, where appropriate.
Dr Julienne Fenwick explains it in this video:
Integrative Medicine:
- Is based on a partnership of patient and practitioner, within which conventional and alternative modalities may be used to stimulate the body’s healing response;
- Shifts the orientation of medicine from one of disease to one of healing;
- Engages the mind, spirit, and community as well as the body;
- Neither rejects conventional medicine nor uncritically accepts alternative practices;
- Is committed to good science that is driven by inquiry and open to new paradigms;
- Is grounded in the philosophy that prevention is a primary responsibility of medicine and that healing is possible even when curing is not;
- Works to activate innate, natural healing mechanisms
- Uses natural, less invasive interventions before costly, invasive ones whenever possible; and
- Asks that practitioners seek to model health and healing and commit to the process of self-exploration.