People often come to see me with a fixed idea for a specific treatment as if they have already made their own diagnosis. They are looking for a doctor who will listen to them. They want a doctor who will follow their lead to solve their unique medical problems since they have already been misdiagnosed and mistreated by numerous medical doctors.

In a typical scenario, a middle aged, well educated white woman will come to see me complaining of chronic fatigue and mood disorder for many years. Hormone and other blood tests have been normal. She was told she is depressed and may need antianxiety/antidepressant medication.

Thanks to an Internet search on holistic/alternative medicine, she knows that a blood test is not a true indication for her clinical symptoms. She is convinced she is suffering from subclinical hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, and hormonal imbalance with chronic yeast infections and hidden allergies.

She tells me “the treatment plan.” She would like to start with antifungal medication and a yeast free diet plus a low dose natural thyroid medication, adrenal glandular support, and estrogen/progesterone replacement therapy.

She already knows she needs a tissue mineral analysis, food allergy test, saliva hormone profile, and possible dental evaluation for amalgams. What she wants is a physician who understands all these problems. One who will coordinate her care.

I have had some great success with some of the most challenging medical conditions. However, every case is unique. I’m trained not to listen to a “self-made diagnosis and treatment plan” but go back to a basic individualized evaluation.

The initial evaluation includes detailed medical history, physical exam, Acupuncture Meridian Assessment (see my website for an article on this topic), and basic lab tests including hair mineral analysis, food allergy test, and hormone evaluation if indicated.

On the first visit, the basic evaluation gives me the foundation to explore more specific problems. My treatment plan may contradict what the patient has in their “treatment plan.” Once in awhile, I get the message that the patient is not coming back for follow up visits because “the doctor is not listening to their complaints.” Apparently, I am too ignorant to understand her treatment plan.

Why do we get sick? What does it take to get well? The answers are complex issues that cannot fully be addressed in one visit. I always encourage people to read my website for specific topics and success stories. I also encourage attending my free monthly lecture which provides a broader view of my holistic approach to prevention and healing.

The most important part of my treatment plan starts with educating my patient to think in terms of a holistic view of Life and understanding the biology of Man. I strongly believe that the body has an innate healing capacity. It will always attempt to heal itself.

I want you to start thinking of the human body as a fine musical instrument like the violin, as a metaphor. When the violin has been out of tune, it starts making a funny noise. It is the equivalent of creating symptoms like aches and pain, fatigue, anxiety, or depression.

My job as a physician is to try to balance the meridians which have been out of tune for some time. After tuning the violin (the body), it is up to you as to how well you want to play. How we think, eat, exercise, and play is up to the individual. We all have a unique style of playing music called “Life.” We play solo, in duet (husband and wife), quartet (family) and in a symphony of life.

Here is another metaphor I use with my patients. By the time people come to see me, they may have at least ten major underlying issues and problems. Out of ten, I might be able to modify only five major problems. Those modifiable are environmental toxins like mercury or lead toxicity, food allergies, parasites and hidden infections, nutritional deficiencies, and the need for general detoxification.

The other five problems are beyond my ability to correct, such as your genetic makeup, early childhood physical and emotional trauma, scars and vaccinations, dental problems, or religious and family dynamics.

I might be able to realistically fix only 80 percent of the five modifiable problems. That translates into about 80 percent solution for 20 percent of the modifiable problem. It is like cooking with ten ingredients in a cooking pot but you only get to choose five of the ten ingredients. I hope my math is not too confusing.

One of the most important steps is prioritizing the problems. We must look for a specific, modifiable common denominator which influences your imminent problem. Your body will start responding to the rest of the problems as the body heals itself.

Comparing the human body with a violin and then a cooking pot seems like a rather wacky idea. The water in the pot is like emotion which holds the essence of Life. How we stir the pot gives us the final unique flavor of the individual Man. I better stop! There are a lot of Crock Pot ideas in medicine. It begins to sound more like another Crock Pot idea!