How We Work

At the Montreal Centre for Integrative Medicine (MCIM) we take the best of both worlds of conventional and alternative medicine. Why shouldn’t we be able to make use of all the appropriate interventions possible to restore health and prevent disease (as long as scientific principles, the “do no harm” philosophy, and a sliding scale of evidence* are upheld)?

We believe in primary care. However, good quality primary care takes time in order to practice it effectively. Without adequate time, a physician has little opportunity to address the root causes of disease or to address the maintenance of health and ends up spending time and energy on managing disease.

The traditional family doctor carries an average patient load of 1700 patients (current 2009 statistic from the Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec) though this is often a low number. We aim for each physician to have one-third this volume. What this translates to is that we at the MCIM have more time for patient visits, minimal to no waiting time on the day of your appointment, and minimal delay in making your appointments.

* A sliding scale of evidence refers to the notion that the greater the potential that an intervention has to cause harm, the greater the standard of evidence to which it should adhere.