Integrative healthcare trends to watch in 2021

Community-driven medicine

Healthcare professionals cannot move forward in 2021 without acknowledging the racial and social justice movements that sparked in 2020, which, among many difficult yet important conversations, revealed health disparities, racial inequalities, and systemic biases in healthcare and the effects on racial minority access and usage of complementary and integrative medicine.

In the integrative healthcare community, these conversations were long overdue. Integrative or “wellness” services have inadvertently become synonymous with privilege, a luxury only a select few can afford. Beyond patient care, Black practitioners are largely underrepresented in the integrative healthcare space.

The next year is the time for action to confront racism in integrative medicine. While creating more equitable and inclusive communities will not happen overnight, integrative practitioners must make conscious efforts to create true health and wellbeing in their communities.