Integration I believe in integrating the philosophies and natural healing practices of the East and the West for the optimization of patient care. Naturopathy offers a holistic view of traditional Western natural therapeutics as well as the recent scientific advances in natural medicine. Chinese medicine offers the knowledge of thousands of years of practice utilizing a unique system of understanding how the forces of Nature interact within the body and its environment. By encompassing the natural healing arts of Western and Eastern practices, I offer a unique approach to effectively care for the patient. Individualized Medicine In the world of the so called "scientific" double-blinded testing of vitamins, herbs and drugs, there is not much room for the individualization of patient care. Everyone gets the same medication for the same disease condition. Even in the alternative health field, you can readily obtain the latest scientific based treatments for each disease condition. Where is the need for a physician? The traditional Chinese medicine healers and Naturopathic doctors have a more holistic philosophy. They approach each patient with the goal of clearing / detoxifying, adjusting / harmonizing, and tonifying / nourishing whatever is out of balance. This means that two people with the same disease will usually get two separate treatment plans because nobody presents with the same signs and symptoms. Based on whatever the imbalance is, the doctor will aim toward correcting the disharmony. I strongly adhere to the philosophy of individualization of patient care. It is every healer's responsibility to recognize and differentiate the different patterns of disease, and formulate based on the past and present signs and symptoms, the most appropriate treatment plan. "Wholistic" Healing The cookbook approach to disease management and treatment is a limited medical model. Even in alternative medicine, simply replacing the pharmaceutical drugs with natural herbal / nutritional supplements is not what I call "wholistic" medicine. Instead of equating this medicine for that disease condition, one needs to look at the whole person, and recognize the system that is out of balance and treat accordingly. This means making sure that each organ system is functioning optimally via standard and alternative diagnostic testing and treating according to one's findings.