Philosophy

It is my belief that each child has gifts and strengths and that “the universe will conspire with us” to reveal them.  It is my mission to help each child reach their full potential with a wholistic and integrative approach.

Nurturing Wellness was created to be a medium for inspiring optimal living from the ground up (or the baby up).  We are helping children and families thrive by bringing you information, ideas, research and expertise from an inclusive and analytical perspective.

As a pediatrician and child advocate, I have the challenge and benefit of seeing the world through different lenses than the average adult.  But what if I could inform and inspire others to see the world through these lenses … and what if I could inspire others to make decisions based off what was best for children…just imagine the possibilities?!!!  

My Story

“I feel fortunate that in my life’s work, my calling, and my true passion, I am able to share in these feelings of gentle amazement and reverence of each child I care for.” – Kathy Anderson

Born and raised in New York to parents from abroad, Dr. Kathy Anderson spent time observing children and families from across the globe from a young age.  She developed not only a curiosity, but also an appreciation for how things were done differently and how things were done the same.  She had exposures (both within and outside of her home) to different conceptualizations of health and healing, and different practices of medicine.  

It is from this vantage point that Dr. Anderson has crafted her study of medicine and designed her path to provide a comprehensive, inclusive, evidence-based healing practice.  She is committed to the lifelong process of learning and is continually acquiring knowledge and skills to meet the needs of her children, patients, and families.

What is Integrative Medicine?

Integrative medicine is an approach to care that puts the patient at the center and addresses the full range of physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental influences that affect a person’s health. Employing a personalized strategy that considers the patient’s unique conditions, needs and circumstances, it uses the most appropriate interventions from an array of scientific disciplines to heal illness and disease and help people regain and maintain optimum health.

Definition

Integrative medicine is grounded in the definition of health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” 1

Integrative medicine seeks to restore and maintain health and wellness across a person’s lifespan by understanding the patient’s unique set of circumstances and addressing the full range of physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental influences that affect health. 2 Through personalizing care, integrative medicine goes beyond the treatment of symptoms to address all the causes of an illness. In doing so, the patient’s immediate health needs as well as the effects of the long-term and complex interplay between biological, behavioral, psychosocial and environmental influences are taken into account. 3

Integrative medicine is not the same as alternative medicine, which refers to an approach to healing that is utilized in place of conventional therapies, or complementary medicine, which refers to healing modalities that are used to complement allopathic approaches. If the defining principles are applied, care can be integrative regardless of which modalities are utilized.

The defining principles of integrative medicine are:

• The patient and practitioner are partners in the healing process.

• All factors that influence health, wellness and disease are taken into consideration, including body, mind, spirit and community.

• Providers use all healing sciences to facilitate the body’s innate healing response.

• Effective interventions that are natural and less invasive are used whenever possible.

• Good medicine is based in good science. It is inquiry driven and open to new paradigms.

• Alongside the concept of treatment, the broader concepts of health promotion and the prevention of illness are paramount.

• The care is personalized to best address the individual’s unique conditions, needs and circumstances. Practitioners of integrative medicine exemplify its principles and commit themselves to self-exploration and self-development.

In addition to addressing and handling the immediate health problem(s) as well as the deeper causes of the disease or illness, integrative medicine strategies also focus on prevention and foster the development of healthy behaviors and skills for effective self-care that patients can use throughout their lives. 4

https://www.dukeintegrativemedicine.org/about/what-is-integrative-medicine/