Integrative Medicine

THIS IS THE soul of medicine. Medicine in America has drastically changed since I was a little girl. I don’t recognize it anymore. Our medical technology is amazing, but I don’t see the soul (the sacredness of the healing process) within medicine that I remember as a child. Working with people soul-to-soul is why I went into medicine in the first place. I talk with patients in our medical system every day who feel our health care system is broken. They feel they are not receiving the care they need. Many don’t feel they are listened to or cared about—not really. They feel they are not receiving a nurturing human touch. And I know many doctors and nurses who are frustrated because they feel they are unable to give their patients the care they would like to be able to provide to them. Practitioners have to conduct their hospital work and medical practices more like businesses than the calling that had inspired them to go into the healing professions. I believe that health care is at a turning point in America. I felt inspired to write this book six years ago. I was just beginning to see integrative medicine emerging in our culture. Since then, I’ve seen a quiet explosion of this positive evolution in medicine. Our way of practicing medicine is in a state of transformation, and it’s a good one. Not only do we have amazing modern medical technology, but healing is returning to medicine, and patients are learning how to empower themselves to get healthy and maintain their health. Integrative medicine brings the miracles of medical technology, the healing power of touch and human connection, and the self-empowerment of the patient together. It’s not a matter of either/or. It’s a matter of the embracing of all. It’s knowing how to weave them into the tapestry of the unique healing process that is embodied in each and every one of us...... Our medical system may indeed be broken, but it’s also my belief that it is the system that is broken, not the patients or the practitioners within the system. Yet we are all part of it. It is, therefore, up to us to change it. We can work together to bring the art of healing back into our hospitals. We, as practitioners, can place more attention on identifying the root causes of disease and changes through lifestyle, with less focus on just treating the symptoms. We can be empowered as patients to take a more active role in our own health. I believe that behind every challenge is a gift. What a wonderful gift to ourselves this kind of self empowerment would be!... Integrative Medicine: The Return of the Soul to Health Care is intended for laypeople, health practitioners and their patients, and educational and medical institutions alike. We are all connected. Each of us is a mouthpiece and a mirror for one another. As you find the areas with which you can identify, you will be able to see that you—whether patient or practitioner—play an important role in the evolution of medicine in America.