Integrative medicine (IM) is an option in medical care that blends global healing traditions and standard biomedical models of care. Most medical care providers do not offer IM treatment for patients, yet demand for IM is growing due to the paradigm shift within medical policy and practice. Limited literature exists focusing on how providers of IM interpret their role within the changing state of medicine. This research is designed to investigate how IM providers communicate their ideological positioning within the medical paradigm shift. Data collected from interviews and ethnographic methods at the "Clinic for Care and Concern" exposes how IM providers identify structural barriers and ideological barriers when communicating about the evolving medical landscape. Conclusions from this study can assist patients, providers, and medical administrators consider the utilization of IM philosophies in standard medical training and practice. Furthermore, this research study expands conceptualizations for how narrative and ideological positioning are examined in the communication field.
