My Medical Practice

 

As of July 1st, 2011 my practice in Sellwood transferred to Dr John Hardy (971-533-5840)

My current medical practice is in Burns, Oregon. Here, I had the good fortune of meeting Dr Thomas Fitzpatrick, who has practiced in Harney County for over twenty years. Dr Fitzpatrick had invited me to join his practice, a practice focused on offering options and access to the people of Harney County. In addition to the usual comprehensive office based family practice, we offer visits to the assisted living facilities and other local facilities, home visits for the particularly vulnerable patients, and sliding scale fees for persons with low income.

 

My approach to health is holistic in a sense that every troubling symptom, physical, mental or emotional, is seen as an expression of an imbalance in the person’s life. Symptoms are not random or meaningless; they have purpose, meaning (which usually can be discovered and is a reflection of an imbalance in life) and value. This approach is called phenomenological (following phenomenological philosophical foundations of Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger, latter having made the greatest contribution).

The approach has existed for millennia, but was described in philosophical terms by these great thinkers. It simply means that every thing speaks for itself. Thus, for example, a back pain may have to do with feelings of being overburdened (back bears our weight), or not standing up for oneself and what one believes in (as in the expression “no back bone” or “spineless”) etc. Physical and emotional symptoms are expressions of an imbalance on different levels. In my work, I help patients regain this balance by both, changing their response to life, and removing themselves from the toxic influences of the environment.

Our ills are connected to our lives, usually relationships with our family or with our work. Toxic external influences can contribute to our ills a great deal. These include environmental pollution and toxins, poor nutrition, physical and mental stress. In my practice, I address nutrition and environment. But without transforming our responses to everyday events, it is only a matter of time before an old symptom recurs or a new one develops. To address and transform habitual unhealthy living patterns, mental techniques including mental imagery and dream work are part of my healing practice.

I also occasionally use herbal remedies because they help us connect with nature, and in this way orient us toward our own natures on our path toward health.

I try to minimize the use of conventional medications due to their harmful side-effects, interactions, and dependency forming properties. While conventional medications can be very effective in treating acute conditions, their efficacy in chronic illness is minimal, and comes at a high cost. In addition, relying entirely on external man-made substances for healing misses our source true health—the life of physical, mental and emotional balance, the process of growing up and human fulfillment on multiple levels open to us.