Philosophy

Being a physician has given me the opportunity to be lucky enough to help more people than most people get to in a lifetime. I’ve worked with thousands of patients who have honored me by sharing their feelings, hopes and fears with me and allowed me into their lives, and for that I feel blessed. I cannot think of another more gratifying way to spend my time. This connection really floats my boat and reminds me of why I went into medicine in the first place.

In medicine, there is no “one size fits all” category. At the risk of sounding like a frustrated Jewish mother, I often find myself reminding my patients that I do not plan on following them around twenty-four hours a day making sure that they eat right, exercise, take their prescribed medications, do their meditation or just make healthy choices.

Unfortunately, most people today neglect the things they know they should do to stay healthy and instead participate in any number of “unhealthy behaviors”, from eating junk foods to habitually making bad or dishonest decisions in their personal lives. How can we expect to get healthy if the food we put into our body is full of poisons and chemicals, the water we drink is polluted and the air we breathe is dirty? How can you feel good everyday if your mind is suffering from continuous thoughts of anger, depression or despair?

As much as it is the physicians’ responsibility to do a thorough evaluation of a patient and to offer that patient the best possible options for treatment, it is just as much the responsibility of the patient to do everything in their power to get well. We all have inside us the power to heal ourselves.

My grandfather used to say, “If you don’t like your life, fix it”. In other words, whatever it is that is making you ill or unhappy, it’s up to you to do everything you can to keep trying to move forward.  No one else is going to do it for you - especially not your doctors.

Physicians, procedures and medications can only go so far to heal a patient. No matter what the diagnosis, true healing requires a better understanding of the disease process. Perhaps it’s time you realize that the onset of a health crisis in your life can be an opportunity to look within and learn something about yourself. It is also a chance to exercise real power over your life as well as an opportunity to build hope for a better future.

This may seem like a crazy notion; however, until people accept that their situation and the choices they have made in their life play an important role in their condition, recovery will be slow and difficult, if it ever happens at all. The first and most important thing to be understood is that healing is a proactive process and not a passive one.

The truth is that only the patient knows what is really in their best interests. Within each person lies all the wisdom necessary to make the best decisions to take them forward toward a more fulfilling life. To fully understand this is to know one of the great truths of medicine:

Where the mind goes, the body will follow!

To get well, people have to make their minds up to get better and then be prepared to do what is required for this to happen. People can get anything they want from life IF they are prepared to do what it takes. What I’m suggesting is a common sense approach that, over time, will return people to health and happiness!

In Chinese Medicine there is a saying:

“There are no incurable diseases, only incurable patients”.

The symptoms of the problem are not the enemy. They are a signal asking the patient to address the imbalance in their life. There is something good in the condition that patients must reach out and find. Without doing this, people be a victim of the oftentimes bad decisions made by the medical establishment, and most of all, their own denial. Perspective is everything.  Changing their perspective will give them the knowledge needed to turn this situation from one of weakness to one of strength.

Patients owe it to themselves and to their family and friends who want and need them to be healthy.  This is a responsibility that requires commitment and will-power.  With this in mind, I encourage my patients to explore some approaches to wellness that will nurture them on their journey to better health. Take up meditation or progressive relaxation, look at the Feng Shui of their home and get rid of old baggage. Begin to find a sense of peace and inner contentment through yoga, tai chi or qi gong; and, if possible, to begin a regimen of gentle exercise. Examine eating patterns and try to incorporate a more health minded approach to mealtimes. Explore alternative medicine therapies, such as acupuncture, herbology, massage, Reiki and reflexology, to name a few. Be patient with themselves and turn this health crisis into one that empowers them to live the life they really want. 

And finally, try to develop better connections with family, friends, and coworkers. They are the touchstones in this world and can be very powerful in shaping the way patients interact with their environment. Understand that any negative feelings they have towards others are most likely a reflection of their own internal pain and try to address those feelings appropriately.

The bottom line is that good health is a matter of good choices. Be open to making those choices and do the things you need to do to create a better life. After all, no one else can do them for you.