The Núcleo Estudantil para a Promoção da Medicina Integrada, NEPMIt, (or, in a free translation, Students Group for the Promotion of Integrative Medicine) was created on November 2004, after interest by the Sociedade Académica de Medicina Científica Chinesa, SAPMEC, and some students from Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, ICBAS – Universidade do Porto (Abel Salazar’s Institute for the Biomedical Sciences – Oporto's University).

The core objective of NEPMIt is the diffusion and development of Integrative Medicine. This concept expresses the gathering of Medicine’s different knowledge’s in one more complete and capable Medicine, accounting on its fundamental purpose, the psychophysical well-being of the individual. This way, with the actual possibility for the acquisition of new knowledge, the study, interpretation and scientific validation of Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM) is an opportunity and a duty.      

So that it can reach its purposes, NEPMIt spreads trough tree main lines of action:  

a)      Organization of conferences, seminars and other activities that spread and promote the concept of Integrative Medicine.

b)      Archive compilation with extend and up-to-date information related to Integrative Medicine, that way allowing a better understanding of Integrative Medicine to members of NEPMIt and all others that might wish. In line with this, we include a journal/magazine of technical content related to Integrative Medicine.    

c)      Development and support to scientific investigations that in any way relate to Integrative Medicine, this way, hopefully, bringing together Conventional, Alternative and Complementary Medicines trough scientific evidence.

            The multidisciplinary understanding and knowledge of an individual modeled by everything that surrounds it, is the path pursued by NEPMIt, keeping alive and always present the words of Prof. Abel Salazar, by witch ICBAS lives by:

            “O Médico que só sabe Medicina, nem Medicina sabe.”

(free translated, “The medical doctor that only knows medicine, not even medicine knows”)

            Nowadays, NEPMIt has 60 effective members, all students at ICBAS. Soon, satellites of NEPMIt will be created in other superior education institutions. Also associated with NEPMIt are honorary members, professionals in Conventional Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine.