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Integral Medicine is not simply "alternative medicine" which merely replaces the types of substances which are ingested during treatment while the perspective of the practitioner remains the same old medical model. Neither is it "complimentary medicine" which just adds alternative treatment modalities to conventional medical practice.
Integral Medicine is a multidimensional view of healing which understands that people are more than physical beings alone. We are also mental, emotional and spiritual beings living in a complex cultural and environmental context. My practice is a unique integration of the holistic healing arts of traditional osteopathy and classical homeopathy both of which address health concerns in a multi - dimensional way.
The essence of homeopathy is holism. In order to prescribe a homeopathic remedy, the physician must understand the patient through his/her symptoms. Each person's unique experience with their illness is more important than the name of the specific disease or condition. Even apparently physical ailments require the homeopath to consider all symptoms - physical, mental and emotional. This is true for both acute and chronic problems. The remedies don't actually treat symptoms. They energetically interact with the patient's vital energy and it is this vital force which promotes healing. The reaction the patient has to the remedy will be felt on multiple levels - physical, mental and emotional and so homeopathy is doubly holistic.
Although Osteopathy's approach to the patient is through the musculoskeletal system, the effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment are widespread and varied. Mental, emotional and physical symptoms resolve when impediments to the free flow of life's healing energies are restored.
As a licensed physician I also understand the conventional medical model and use it when appropriate. I help patients see past conventional and alternative medical hype. I work with patients in a caring, process-oriented way which promotes optimal health, self-awareness and longevity, taking the patient beyond the “quick fix.”
Ultimately, health is best achieved when the individual patient designs for him or herself a program of self-transformation involving changes in diet and nutrition, recreational activity, social involvement and psycho-spiritual development. Integral Medicine can aid in that process.
