These three terms are frequently used in Australian healthcare conversations, sometimes interchangeably, but they describe distinct concepts. Understanding the differences can help you make a more informed decision about the type of care you are looking for.

Integrative Medicine

Integrative medicine is a formally recognised area of extended skills within Australian general practice. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) defines it as the blending of conventional and evidence-based complementary medicines and therapies, with the aim of using the most appropriate of either or both modalities to care for the patient as a whole.

Integrative medicine does not replace conventional medical care. It expands the therapeutic options available to a GP by incorporating evidence-based complementary approaches alongside standard Western medicine. This might include nutritional medicine, lifestyle medicine, mind-body therapies, bio-identical hormone support, or other modalities with a sufficient evidence base for the condition being treated.

GPs who practise integrative medicine hold specific qualifications or formal recognition in this area. Dr Jaimini Raniga holds fellowships and memberships through the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM), the Australian Integrative Medical Association (AIMA), and the RACGP, reflecting formal training across nutritional medicine, integrative clinical practice, and conventional GP care over more than 40 years.

Functional Medicine

Functional medicine is a clinical methodology, not a medical specialty in the traditional sense. Developed by the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), functional medicine asks not just what disease a patient has, but why they have it.

The approach maps the complex web of genetic, biochemical, nutritional, environmental, and lifestyle factors contributing to an individual’s health picture. Rather than matching a diagnosis to a medication, functional medicine investigates the root causes of symptoms and addresses those causes directly through personalised, multi-modal interventions.

Functional testing is central to this approach, going beyond standard pathology to assess gut microbiome health, nutrient status, hormonal rhythms, inflammatory markers, and metabolic function. Functional medicine is typically practised by conventionally trained doctors who apply its principles as part of a broader clinical approach.

Holistic GP

Holistic is not a formal credential or a registered specialty. It describes a philosophical orientation: treating the whole person, not just their presenting symptoms. A GP described as holistic considers the physical, emotional, mental, social, and sometimes spiritual dimensions of health when forming a clinical picture.

Most integrative and functional medicine practitioners describe their approach as holistic. The distinction is that holistic is a philosophy, whereas integrative medicine and functional medicine are specific frameworks with defined methodologies, qualifications, and published evidence bases.

How Dr Jaimini Raniga brings these together

Dr Jaimini is an integrative GP by training and formal recognition. She applies functional medicine principles in her diagnostic process, using advanced and standard testing to identify root causes rather than treating symptoms in isolation. Her approach to patient care is holistic by philosophy: every consultation considers the whole person, including lifestyle, stress, relationships, environment, and long-term health goals.

For patients researching their options, the practical distinction is this: if you want a qualified, registered medical doctor who will look beyond your symptoms and investigate why your health is not functioning as it should, you are looking for an integrative or functional medicine GP. That is exactly what Dr Jaimini Raniga offers at her Castle Hill clinic.