Integrative medicine & Positive Health and the Physical Environment

Prevention and self-management are becoming increasingly important for public health. The Louis Bolk Institute works closely with health professionals, government authorities, businesses, patients and local residents to investigate how people's health can be maintained or improved, and puts this knowledge into practice by setting up evaluation processes and supervising implementation.

Our population continues to grow older, needs more care and is becoming increasingly outspoken. More and more patients are seeking information about and access to complementary care. Our research shows that people are able to many things, themselves, to benefit their health and quality of life. Encouraging and equipping them to do so has become an important task of public health care, also to counter rising costs. Integrative Medicine contributes to this. We study the effectiveness of complementary care supporting current regular health care; in other words, integrated care and health. This is why the Louis Bolk Institute is one of the participants in the Dutch Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health (CIZG)

Positive Health and the Physical Environment

Integrative Medicine seamlessly connects to the concept of Positive Health. This concept no longer defines health as the absence of disease, but as the dynamic ability of people to adapt and take control of their own well-being.

Our studies and advisory reports, therefore, also focus on a healthy physical and social environment in both urban and rural areas. Our other fields of knowledge, such as biodiversity in agriculture and nature, are complementary and allow us to use a systems approach to contribute to a better physical environment in the broadest sense of the word.

More information and contact

If you are interested in researching or implementing Integrative Medicine or Positive Health, then please contact Herman van Wietmarschen.