FON: The Business of Personalized Medicine

The Rise of Integrative Health and Medicine, image of book cover.

The Rise of Integrative Health and Medicine—Milestones Continued: 2016—2018

New addendum includes milestones from 2016–2018 In late 2016, FON and XYMOGEN released a 92-page publication titled The Rise of Integrative Health and Medicine—The Milestones: 1963—Present. The book is available free to access here. These milestones were largely culled from the work of Rise’s foreword author John Weeks, editor and publisher of The Integrator Blog and our industry’s de facto historian. Rise was written by Whole HealthEd founder and strategist

Testimonials: How to Get them. How to Promote Them

Testimonials: How to get them. How to Promote them.

We live in the age of social proof, where the opinions of complete strangers can greatly impact our buying decisions. Why Testimonials are Essential Consumers trust the recommendations of their peers at a whopping 92%, and recommendations of strangers at 70%, according to Nielsen research. Given that testimonials significantly influence a prospective customer or patient’s proclivity for your brand, it is incumbent upon you to play an active role in

Textured background with text - 'Naming' Your Integrative or Functional Medicine Business

‘Naming’ Your Integrative Health or Functional Medicine Business

What’s in a name? Turns out, when it comes to your business, there’s a lot in a name; plenty is at stake. Properly naming your integrative medicine enterprise is critical to your success. Careful consideration must go into this decision-making as you develop the brand ethos of your organization and define your target customers. Get your brand name right from the very start. Following are some key areas to keep

We’re All in Sales: Advancing Integrative Health

Selling is the single most important skill to achieve effective personal and business goals. This has been true for millennia. You don’t have to be part of a formal sales team to be ‘in sales’. We are all in sales. Yes, including you.  You just may not have realized it yet. Selling begins when a child asks her mother for a candy bar, and the mom says no. With each

Integrative Health Prescription for 2018 w-text

Integrative Health Prescription for 2018

Though 2017 is closing with a booming stock market that equals wealth for the U.S., the subject of health [care] for our population will not end quite as positively. In addition to rising insurance costs and deductibles, the U.S. population is dealing with deep-seated confusion and anxiety over tax reform law that takes coverage away from millions, and threatens medicine. We live within a broken system with few incentives to

Advancing the Global Impact of Integrative Oncology

There is an incredible amount of inaccurate information on holistic, integrative, and alternative approaches to preventing cancer, treating cancer, managing the symptoms of cancer treatment, and supporting long-term survival. The importance of clarifying and disseminating vital information led to the founding of the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) in 2003. The organization’s mission is to bring scientific rigor to the evolving field, and to help translate these findings to most

Customer Service in the Age of Integrative and Functional Medicine

Consumers today expect responsiveness, authentic attention, and a high-quality experience—virtual or physical—from each and every one of their transactional relationships. This is non-negotiable. It’s a must-have. Does the end-to-end customer experience your organization delivers align with a service ethos that drives retention, ensures loyalty, and creates fervent word-of-mouth referrals? A Level of Customer Service and Convenience Unimaginable until Recently Take Amazon one-click purchasing, while at home in your pajamas, from

Quality Counts: A Clinician’s Guide to Supplement Quality

Quality: It’s a Clinical Issue Dietary supplements have become an integral part of American life—and American healthcare. Despite the recession, the supplement industry has grown steadily at 5%-6% per year–twice the rate of OTC drugs. According to a 2011 report from the National Center for Health Statistics, more than half of all U.S. adults regularly take supplements. A 2016 survey sponsored by the Council for Responsible Nutrition, puts the figure

Integrative Health’s Place in Medical School Curricula

The Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health has grown to over 70 members comprising leading academic institutions, hospitals, and health systems. Its members are actively involved in clinical services, research, and educational programming specific to the field of integrative health and medicine. Is there any doubt that medical school curricula will follow this same trajectory? It’s actually been happening for some time, but only recently thrust into the news