Traditional healing disciplines look at health and illness as the interplay of individual factors, environmental factors and social context. The terrain or background events, past and present, have great impact on cause of disease and outcome. Conventional Medicine has created great value by looking at disease in a very focused way. Dissecting out the contributing causes of a disease and creating focused therapies for treatment has been a very effective strategy for treatment. A treatment is developed, (medications and or surgery), that removes, suppresses or neutralized the offending factor and the disease is cured or at least held at bay. Conventional Medicine is focused on the disease and not the individual who has the disease. This approach has been accentuated by the demands for efficiency in treatment of the managed care model and its shear profitability. This model has been very successful in treating disease. It is hampered by the uneven distribution of health care services, excessive cost to the society, and untoward side effects of the therapies. Conventional Medicine often falls short in perceiving the relationship of the disease process to the individual who has an illness, their uniqueness as regards their prior health history, biochemistry, energetics and family and community background. I believe there is an opportunity for the convergence of Conventional and Complimentary-Alternative Medicine strategies in the health care process. This convergence has emerged an Integrative Medicine.
The Foundations of Health and Healing are those aspects of our lives that contribute to our health and our ability to heal from an illness or injury. They include Diet and Nutrition, Exercise and Activity, Restorative Sleep and Rest, Detoxification and Cleansing, Individual Energetics, Community and Relationship, and Spiritual Life.
These foundation phenomena are interactive: one effects the other. They create the background warp and weave of our experience and our sense of self. We view attention to these issues as an important component of health care, treatment of illness and prevention of disease. These issues are discussed at length on the web site. Practitioners of Integrative Medicine consider attention to these issues as an important component of good practice. I believe that this approach differentiates the Integrative Medicine practice and enhances its value to the individuals who choose to use our services.
I encourage you to take a journey. Examine the concepts on the Foundations of Health and Healing as described on the Website. Consider the therapeutic processes you would like to explore. Read about the diagnostic procedures we may employ to understand how background phenomena such as diet, nutritional status, gastro-intestinal health, effect of stressors, immune balance and hormonal balance may influence your health. Understand that your willingness to participate in the process of creating and maintaining good health is essential to a successful outcome. Do not expect an instant success. Healing is process. Good luck on your journey!
Warren M. Ross, M.D.