The Ohio State University Center for Integrative Health and Wellness (CIHW) improves human lives through innovative integrative healthcare, education, research and community engagement.
Integrative care is personalized, participatory, relationship-based care, promoting optimal health. It emphasizes healing of the whole person to achieve each individual’s unique physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and social health goals. The primary therapies used to achieve these goals are healthy habits (nutrition, activity, sleep, mindful self-care and fellowship) in a healthy habitat (social, natural and built environment). Integrative healthcare skillfully uses the best of both conventional and complementary strategies to attain patients' health goals.
Whereas conventional care tends to focus on preventing and treating diseases, integrative care also fosters flourishing human health.
Examples of Common Health Goals for Human Flourishing
| Physical |
Emotional |
Mental |
Spiritual |
Social |
| Comfort and sense of ease |
Cheerfulness |
Clarity, insight |
Wisdom |
Nurturing fellowship |
| Vigor and vitality |
Calm, confidence |
Focus and awareness |
Compassion, Love |
Generosity |
| Strong immunity |
Resilience to stress |
Good memory |
Forgiveness |
Harmonious relationships |
