Patients + Advocates Archives | Page 2 of 3

An Integrative Oncology Patient’s Thoughts on ‘Cancer: Emperor of All Maladies’

As a 24-year cancer survivor I watched Cancer: Emperor of all Maladies with mixed emotions. From this patient’s perspective, the film is all about the ‘tumor’ and treats the host, aka the patient, as almost an irrelevant, disconnected entity. Ken Burns is the preeminent documentarian of our time. His own mother succumbed to metastatic breast cancer when he was only 11. His latest work, Cancer, produced by Barak Goodman and

Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine: A Test Kitchen for Healthcare’s Future

By Erik Goldman From the outside, there’s nothing about the Cleveland Clinic’s new Center for Functional Medicine that suggests a healthcare revolution in the making. Tucked away in a compact suite in the vast Miller Family Pavilion, the Center shares the same minimalist aesthetic, and no-nonsense atmosphere as the rest of the world-renowned hospital system. There are no curved walls, Zen fountains, or essential oil diffusers. In appearance, the Center for

A Living Tribute to Integrative Health and Medicine Pioneer John Weeks

EVERYBODY LOVES JOHN! As the field’s go-to intrepid reporter and informal historian, John Weeks’ strong editorial voice has consistently recognized the important work of others, constructively challenging, championing and chronicling what today is commonly referred to as the integrative health and medicine movement. His invaluable contributions as a key organizer, influential thought leader and über-connector have enjoyed tremendous impact in a still nascent but ever fertile integrative medicine landscape. Now it’s

Spontaneous Remission is a Myth

While certainly true that the human mind and body possess an innate healing capacity, the phenomenon can only be fully unleashed by activating specific powerful triggers. True healing is a complex biological process, not magic. Here’s the basic definition courtesy of Wikipedia: Healing (literally meaning to make whole) is the process of the restoration of health to an unbalanced, diseased or damaged organism. Healing may be physical or psychological and

The Impact of ‘Escape Fire’ and What Comes Next

In his excellent post, “Revisiting Escape Fire: The War to Rescue Our Health,” integrative health publisher and thought leader John Weeks questions the impact of this highly regarded documentary as a truly effective healthcare delivery game changer, and he appeals for a harder-hitting sequel to help finish the job. But before we discuss what a sequel might cover, it’s important to consider the uneven impact the original has had since

Integrative Medicine: Solution to Primary Care Crisis?

Co-authored by Taylor Walsh Reading the striking 80-plus-page report, Meeting the Nation’s Primary Care Needs, led by Dr. Michael S. Goldstein from UCLA’s Center for Health Policy Research and John Weeks, executive director of Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care (ACCAHC), made clear to me that the tipping point for integrative medicine as the standard of care is nearing. The Goldstein/Weeks report, published by ACCAHC, is responsive to

Of Course Preventive Medicine Will Save Money—But Not the Government’s Current Definition of the Intervention

Sharon Begley’s recent Reuters piece, Think Preventive Medicine Will Save Money? Think Again, brought renewed attention to the seemingly low economic benefits of preventive medicine, as currently defined. New findings are out from Trust for America’s Health’s new report, and their outlined plan “to move from sick care to health care in four years.” Begley’s piece homed in on screenings that have shown positive economic impact, such as education efforts to counsel

UPDATE: Insurance Coverage for Integrative Healthcare Services in 2014

Section 2706 of the Affordable Care Act prevents health insurance plans from capriciously excluding a range of integrative health practitioners from coverage, based solely on licensure. The law empowers patients to obtain care from any licensed provider in a state for a specific benefit covered through an exchange health plan. Specifically, this includes licensed naturopathic doctors, acupuncture and Oriental medicine practitioners, midwives, chiropractic doctors and massage therapists. Recently Integrator Blog publisher-editor John

My Story and Healing Journeys

On this blog I write almost entirely about the business of integrative medicine for FON, so you may not know that I am a longtime cancer survivor. In fact, my journey with malignant disease, which began 21 years ago, has shaped my life and career in the field of integrative healthcare. (So … if you are expecting a business-oriented post, then please skip the rest of this piece.) My long

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