Ioannis Dimitriou
General Practitioner MD · PhD
General & Integrative Medicine
Acupuncture Herbal Medicine Osteopathy Clinical Practice · Research · Medical Education
General & Integrative Medicine
Clear definitions based on internationally recognised terminology from WONCA Europe and the World Health Organization.
General Practice / Family Medicine
General Practice / Family Medicine is an academic and scientific discipline with its own educational content, research, evidence base and clinical activity, and a clinical specialty oriented towards primary care.
General practitioners provide comprehensive, continuous and person-centred medical care. They address acute and chronic health conditions, support prevention and health promotion, coordinate care and manage health concerns in their physical, psychological, social, cultural and environmental dimensions.
When a condition requires expertise or treatment beyond the scope of general practice, the patient is referred to the appropriate specialist, while continuity and coordination of care are maintained.
Read the WONCA Europe definition
Traditional, Complementary &
Integrative Medicine
Official definitions used by the World Health Organization.
Traditional Medicine
Traditional medicine refers to codified or non-codified systems for healthcare and well-being, comprising practices, skills, knowledge and philosophies originating in different historical and cultural contexts, which are distinct from and pre-date biomedicine, evolving with science for current use from an experience-based origin.
Traditional medicine emphasizes nature-based remedies and holistic, personalized approaches to restore balance of mind, body and environment.
Read at WHOComplementary Medicine
Complementary medicine refers to additional healthcare practices that are not part of a country’s mainstream medicine.
Evidence-based complementary medicine has the potential to support mainstream medicine and more comprehensively support people’s health and well-being needs.
Read at WHOIntegrative Medicine
Integrative medicine is an interdisciplinary and evidence-based approach to health and well-being by using a combination of biomedical and traditional and/or complementary medical knowledge, skills and practices.
Read at WHOTherapeutic Approaches
Selected traditional and complementary healthcare approaches described in World Health Organization publications.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture remains the most common form of traditional medicine practice, with its use acknowledged by 113 Member States in the WHO global report on traditional and complementary medicine 2019.
Read at WHOHerbal Medicines
Herbal medicines include herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations and finished herbal products that contain as active ingredients parts of plants, other plant materials, or combinations thereof.
Read at WHOOsteopathy
Osteopathy, also called osteopathic medicine, relies on manual contact for diagnosis and treatment. It emphasizes the relationship of body, mind and spirit in health and disease, the structural and functional integrity of the body, and the body’s intrinsic tendency towards self-healing.
Read at WHO