The Marylebone Health Centre in London, which opened in 1987, was the first National Health Service practice to employ complementary therapists, and it is the subject of a long-term research study into the effectiveness of integrated medicine. The team comprises three full-time and two part-time family doctors, an osteopath, homeopath, naturopath, acupuncturist, massage therapist and a counsellor. Conventional medicine is still the foundation of the practice, but doctors have the option of suggesting a therapy if they consider it appropriate for the patient’s condition. Dr. Sue Morrison, who is in charge of the practice, says that she could not now imagine working without complementary therapies. “We have found that we can contain problems – emotional as well as physical – that are usually difficult to look after in normal practice.” Integrated medicine may also be a part of the reason why the Marylebone Health Centre has a low referral rate to specialists and a drug-prescribing rate that is half of the national average. At the Marylebone Health Centre, patient care is “relationship-centred”, meaning that the alliance of patient and practitioner is central to all treatment and healing, which is a key element in integrated medicine.