Integrative healthcare trends to watch in 2020

Environmental medicine

From the release of planetary healthy diet guidelines to global leaders calling for urgent action to combat climate change, the conversation in environmental medicine is shifting from addressing toxicants to actively involving patients in making choices that are beneficial for themselves and the planet.

It is generally accepted that climate change impacts human health acutely and chronically, and environmental toxins have a role in disease. Integrative professionals also typically understand that lifestyle choices benefiting human health have a residual positive impact on the health of the planet. Therefore, practitioners have a unique role to play in facilitating patients to make small, ongoing changes to their diet and lifestyle, with the environment in mind.