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.

WONCA Europe Professional Definition

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.

World Health Organization Official Definition

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.

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World Health Organization Official Definition

Complementary 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.

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World Health Organization Official Definition

Integrative 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.

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Therapeutic Approaches

Selected traditional and complementary healthcare approaches described in World Health Organization publications.

World Health Organization Traditional Medicine

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.

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World Health Organization Official Definition

Herbal 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.

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World Health Organization Benchmarks for Training

Osteopathy

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

Definitions and terminology on this page follow the World Health Organization and WONCA Europe, where applicable.