Marcey Shapiro, MD

In an ideal medical appointment, the patient—and at times, her family members—co-create health solutions with the health care professional. The patient is a whole person and is treated as such. The complex web of interactions contributing to the current situation is evaluated. All relevant aspects of the patient’s physical, emotional, and spiritual state are part of the discussion. With the bigger picture in mind, a plan evolves that includes the expertise and assessment of the physician as well as the unique circumstances of each patient.

For example, in my practice I often recommend dietary changes to patients. This can be an appropriate first step for shifting, giving patients a feeling of control and an opportunity for self-care. In a few patients, though, especially those with a history of eating disorders, dietary changes can dramatically increase anxiety and stress, triggering new problems. For these patients, other changes such as breathing techniques, exercise prescription, and herbal or nutritional supplements have a larger role. Occasionally I have met patients who, although they deeply desire health, resist any programmatic change. That is okay too. The role of a holistic practitioner, as I see it, is to work with patients where they are at, empowering and soothing. One of my teachers, the distinguished Chinese medicine scholar and writer Ted Kaptchuk, OMD, said in class that the patient should begin to feel better while sitting in the office, before any needles are placed or herbal prescription filled. His words have been incorporated into every day of my life as a physician.

As I came to understand co-creation and the role thoughts play in our physical and emotional health, it was clear to me why Dr. Kaptchuk’s words were so significant. How a patient feels in the office interaction sets the stage for the unfolding of healing. As a physician, if I can be optimistic about a prognosis for health and can embody that vision while interacting with my patient, then the patient is working with someone who sees and mirrors his or her health. A milieu of well-being is created. I maintain the knowledge of health’s surety while the patient takes the appropriate steps to catch up to the vision.

This “Transforming Health” inspiration is from Marcey Shapiro, MD, Integrative Medicine Physician 

Excerpted from Transforming the Nature of Health: A Holistic Vision of Healing That Honors Our Connection to the Earth, Others, and Ourselves by Marcey Shapiro, MD, North Atlantic Books, copyright © 2012 Marcey Shapiro. Reprinted by permission of publisher.

Stay tuned for more thoughts from Marcey Shapiro, MD, on “Transforming Health” and Heart Centered Living.