When I knew that health care was my passion, I started examining the many different practices and one thing became glaringly apparent: symptoms get more attention than root causes. Now, this is natural, because everyone wants quick relief from the obvious signs of an illness, such as pain. However, it was equally evident that treating symptoms was the proverbial band-aid applied to a gunshot wound. It doesn’t address the root cause of the problem. Relieving pain doesn’t get rid of its cause, it’s more of a band-aid.
Holistic medicine stems from an understanding that we’re made up of interdependent parts, all working together to support the whole. When one part suffers, all the other parts are affected. These imbalances negatively affect our overall health. Let’s use a migraine headache as an example.
A traditional approach to treating a migraine would be prescribing a medication to alleviate the pain. While this provides temporary relief, it doesn’t address the cause of the migraine. As a doctor of holistic medicine, I examine the factors that may be the cause of the migraines. I want to consider other health issues that could be contributing factors. In treating the whole person, I want to understand what kind of stress this individual is facing each day. How do they sleep? What about eating habits? Are there personal problems they’re dealing with? By considering all the potential factors, we go beyond treating symptoms and bringing temporary relief by finding the core issue that’s causing the migraines. I prescribe natural medications to relieve the immediate symptoms, but the focus is on identifying the root cause and treating it through natural means, including lifestyle modifications.
Treating a person, not a disease.
The Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine lists twelve principles of holistic medical practice. There’s one that speaks volumes about the relationship between a holistic physician and his or her patient:
Holistic physicians expend as much effort in establishing what kind of patient has a disease as they do in establishing what kind of disease a patient has.
Holistic physicians educate, encourage and motivate our patients towards optimal health through a conscious pursuit of a life that balances the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, environmental and social aspects of living. As a physician, there’s nothing better than seeing someone discover firsthand how powerful and effective a natural approach to healing can be.
I’m Dr. Jeremy Fischer and I practice holistic medicine in Los Angeles, including the areas of Beverly Hills, Burbank, Encino, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Van Nuys.
In good health,
Dr. Fischer