Integrating All the Alternatives in Medicine
The time for truly integrated medical practices has come. Places where the health care gets back to being about the patient and not about the profits. A medical community that emphasizes prevention, uses many modalities, first using least invasive of medical treatments and includes western medicine as one of many “alternatives”.
A community effort to learn and teach
In today’s Naturopathic Medical Schools, medicine from many cultures and medical schools, including what is often called “Western” Medicine,” where the focus is on pharmaceuticals, is taught to the students of Naturopathic medicine. The types of medicines are often referred to as modalities. From botanical medicine of the Native Americans and many other cultures as far back as Hippocrates, to Traditional Chinese Medicine including Acupuncture, Homeopathy, physical medicine similar to chiropractic medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Physical Therapists and massage therapists.
Dr. Aresco, Naturopathic physician
Food as medicine as the dieticians are taught, counseling helping people understand how the mind can be a driving force in health of the patient including spirituality. All in the holistic health care model of treating the cause and connecting the different modalities for the patients better health. These are all taught at the Naturopathic Medical schools. It is an education of many types of medicines found to be effective through a millennium of medical practices and across many cultures.
Naturopathic Doctors learn that it takes a posse of practitioners using each other’s strengths to treat patients more effectively. This is better than having one individual practitioner, with one philosophy and one type of education and only one treatment modality.
The goal of ProNatural Physicians Group is to change the way people think about “Health Care.” True “Health Care” is eating real whole foods, getting good sleep, and exercising regularly. Patients should think of everything else as “disease care” that requires more than one modality, a posse of sorts to get back to a healthy condition. Changing your health may mean changing the way you think about “Health Care.” This is a revelation that will change medicine – across the country.
Many western medicine practitioners are beginning to see that just prescribing a medication isn’t solving patients’ health issues. It takes all types of alternatives to truly lead patients to health and wellness. In the process the patient also should learn what they need to do for their own health care. This is an essential part of medicine and should be as the Latin translation of “doctor” is to teach.
Written by Dr. Ann Aresco, the founder of ProNatural Physicians Group in Berlin. Our medical practice consists of NDs who are trained in naturopathic and traditional medicine. We care for the patient, focusing on overall health, wellness and prevention. ProNatural Physicians Group also include, counseling, homeopathy, massage therapy, acupuncture and a full line of nutritional supplements.
