Being at a mid point in my medical career I had become more and more frustrated with the fact that medicine has become overly reliant on just prescribing medication as a sole means of treating illness. After expressing this concern with a former colleague (thank you Tom Calderon MD), he suggested I consider integrative medicine approaches, specifically acupuncture.
So after 2 years of consideration, I finally signed up for a course through Harvard. I will fully admit that I went in as a skeptic. After experiencing my first treatment, not only was I convinced of the effectiveness, I was shocked that the medical system in the US has overlooked this for so long.
In 2018 I decided that it was time to take the next step in my medical transformation. I applied and was accepted to the fellowship program at the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. Started by the pioneer in this field, this program trains physicians to treat patients in all aspects of their healing process. Now having completed my fellowship, I look forward to providing these services to my community.
So after 2 years of consideration, I finally signed up for a course through Harvard. I will fully admit that I went in as a skeptic. After experiencing my first treatment, not only was I convinced of the effectiveness, I was shocked that the medical system in the US has overlooked this for so long.
In 2018 I decided that it was time to take the next step in my medical transformation. I applied and was accepted to the fellowship program at the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. Started by the pioneer in this field, this program trains physicians to treat patients in all aspects of their healing process. Now having completed my fellowship, I look forward to providing these services to my community.
Structural acupuncture
Ninety percent of acupuncture in the U.S. is traditional Chinese medicine style (TCM). I was taught a Japanese style (Kiiko Matsumoto) of acupuncture. This integrates a palpation based method with structural acupuncture. Where TCM styles rely on traditional diagnosis and set treatments, this method uses certain reflexes to determine the best treatment. In this manner, every treatment is determined by the patient's bodily presentation; and there is generally immediate confirmation from the patient on the best treatment for healing. For more information on this style please visit: www.kiikomatsumoto.com/kiiko-style-acupuncture.html
Integrative Medicine
The defining principles of integrative medicine (as defined by University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine):
- Patient and practitioner are partners in the healing process.
- All factors that influence health, wellness, and disease are taken into consideration, including mind, spirit, and community, as well as the body.
- Appropriate use of both conventional and alternative methods facilitates the body's innate healing response.
- Effective interventions that are natural and less invasive should be used whenever possible.
- Integrative medicine neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically.
- Good medicine is based in good science. It is inquiry-driven and open to new paradigms.
- Alongside the concept of treatment, the broader concepts of health promotion and the prevention of illness are paramount.
- Practitioners of integrative medicine should exemplify its principles and commit themselves to self-exploration and self-development.
