Over the past few months, I have received more phone calls than ever before from physicians who work within corporate health care. They ‘want out’ of this health care model. They feel it is dehumanizing for both physicians and patients.
What happened to health care?
16 years ago I left corporate health care to create a health care system within which I could practice medicine authentically from a place of integrity. I felt the dissonance (in the corporate model) between the mission it espoused to serve and its behavior towards its patients and physicians.
Physicians were caught in the middle of this dissonance and were being feared into treating patients like commodities for revenue. Two decades ago, this behavior was subtle and did not pervade all health care systems. In the past decade, this has become the normal business framework within corporate health care. Physicians adapted to this approach at first, but over the past decade, the consequences of this approach have been harder to bear. Many have had enough. More than
ever, doctors are leaving corporate health care to practice medicine in the community again, to restore meaning to their work.
When I left corporate health care, I wanted to create a system where the business model served not only my vision of health care, but was restorative of its larger vision which had been cast aside by the corporate health care system. I wanted it to be scientifically and medically grounded, yet open to growth and learning, and above all, patient-centered.
What I envisioned were two intersecting circles. One circle represented my vision and mission, and the other the business model. I wanted these two aspects to relate to one another symbiotically, with synergy and resonance.
The health care practitioner in this model would serve its vision while remaining cognizant of the need to be a healthy, sustainable, and cost effective business. It needed to be environmentally friendly and committed to creating minimal waste. [Health care is one of the largest generators of environmental waste in our country]. It would be committed to promoting health in the community. The standard of practice would be of the highest caliber and its patients and clients would be served with expertise balanced with love and compassion.
In this manner, the model I envisioned could bring meaning to both the practitioner and patient, and restore the soul of health care. This model’s success would be
reflected in a change in the health of the community served. One of the markers of this would be a rise in the health food market within the surrounding communities demanded by conscious consumers who desire organic food and options for a healthy lifestyle.
What I realized nearly two decades ago was that the mission of corporate health care and its business model were worlds apart. The separation between the two has only grown wider in recent years. Physicians are courted to join the corporate system, but soon discover that what they are serving is a model run by a ‘profit at any cost’ mission.
Administrators fear physicians into herding patients through their day to increase profit margin while compromising quality of care. The mission of health care administrators (profit) is far removed from the mission of medicine (healing).
This results in a continued loss of meaning for both physicians and patients. The current corporate model is not symbiotic, collaborative, or sustainable. In fact, it is opportunistic. When cells in the body stop collaborating and become opportunistic, we call this ‘cancer’. Corporate health care today resembles the cancer cell in its behavior towards both physicians and patients. It has lost its way.
Years ago when I left corporate health care, I was shamed by administrators who told me I was not a ‘team player’. I did not ‘tow the party line’. Even my colleagues questioned my lack of loyalty to the system to which they had adapted. I refused to adapt to the corporate practices that came between me and the mission of medicine. My conscience would not allow it. After creating The Ommani Center, I practiced alone with no collegial support for well over a decade. I directed my energy towards creating a compassionate yet scientifically grounded health care model based on integrity that embodied a synergy between my vision of health care, its business model, and the essence of Medicine. I wanted it to restore the ‘soul’ of Medicine while honoring the scientific method. This was the only way it could keep patients safe.
Now, 14 years later, my vision and hard work is bearing fruit. Our community has more health food stores, earth based,and organic food than ever before. Fitness centers are plentiful. Even the standard grocery stores have organic choices.
The consumer has awoken to the power of ‘food as medicine’ and has experienced a restoration of health and well-being with lifestyle changes. More people are seeking to be educated in how to keep themselves healthy and empowered.
I am greatly encouraged by the movement underfoot. The consumer of health care and the physicians who are squeezed to perform for profit in corporate health care are waking up to the reality of its shadow. It is only by making its shadow conscious can we transform a system.
As we continue to shine the light on corporate health care’s shadow, it will be forced to transform. My hope and dream is that we emerge on a large scale from this with a healthier and more integrative model of health care, one that honors patients, physicians, and also engages a healthy and sustainable business model.
The Ommani Center has proven that this model is a successful as well as a viable solution to the crisis in health care.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Why Are We Depressed?
• An 80 year old woman who just lost her husband to cancer
• A 55 year old man who just lost his job
• A 22 year old who just broke up with his girlfriend
• A 70 year old woman whose dog just died
• A 42 year old in the midst of a divorce
• A 51 year old man 2 weeks after his heart attack
• A 45 year old woman whose hormones are out of balance
In all of these examples, grief or depression would be a normal and healthy result of these losses. Would any of these examples fit the criteria of mental illness, requiring medication, or would their grief and sadness be seen as a normal response to what they had just experienced?
A few days after 9/11/2001, many patients came to see me when they realized they did not feel the emotions others did upon witnessing the devastation surrounding the Twin Towers. They felt numb from being medicated with anti-depressants previously prescribed by their physicians for circumstantial grief and depression that surfaced years ago after experiencing similar life events as those described in the list above. Although the situation that catalyzed their feelings had long passed, they had not received any support or help to process their emotions at that time, nor was it suggested that they wean off their anti-depressants. Their response to the 9/11 devastation made them realize they had unknowingly been emotionally numb for years due to the anti-depressants they were still taking.
This was a powerful sign for me to evaluate how we diagnose and treat depression. I also became acutely aware of the surprising amount of complacency that is normalized in the medical system when prescribing pharmaceuticals for symptoms of depression, anxiety, grief, or sadness. In fact, grief and sadness have been so pathologized in our society that people feel the need for medication if they experience either emotion. For many, feeling numb is preferred over experiencing intense emotions, which are actually a normal part of being human.
Our mental and emotional well-being is intrinsically related to how isolated and alone we feel during times of loss and transition, and whether or not we are a part of a larger community. People who feel their lives do not matter, are more vulnerable to depression and anxiety. People who are emotionally sensitive are vulnerable as well. Never before in the history of the human race have people felt so alone and isolated as they do today. Our connection with one another has been contaminated with technology and the mechanization of our systems. Before cell phones and computers were the norm, we actually spoke with one another. This has been replaced with texting and emailing, a method of communication that lacks heart or emotion. We have sacrificed our emotional and energetic connections with one another for convenience. Feelings of isolation, loneliness, and grief are the consequence of these choices.
When feelings of isolation, loneliness, or sadness arise, neurotransmitter levels (that regulate our moods) fall. Some important ones are serotonin, gamma-amino-butyric acid, L-Dopa, acetylcholine, and norepinephrine. Neurotransmitter levels are also directly affected by diet and exercise, our perceptions, and attitudes. It has also been well established that one of the most effective anti-depressants is regular exercise, as it affects neurotransmitter levels that regulate our mood. These levels are also affected by a sense of belonging. In fact, several studies have shown that women with breast cancer who were part of a support group lived twice as long as women who were not.
A diet high in Omega-3 and antioxidants and low in sugar and grains supports our nervous system and neurotransmitter levels. A diet high in refined sugar, processed food products, carbohydrates, chemical additives, and food colorings has a negative effect on neurotransmitter levels. When people use addictive substances such as recreational drugs and alcohol to ‘medicate’ their feelings, these can amplify depression and cause a rollercoaster of emotions. Unfortunately, this form of self-medication is normalized and present in epidemic proportions in our society today. In fact, it is a part of how we mark ‘the coming of age’ in our society.
An additional cause for mood disturbances is hormonal shifts in midlife. Between their late thirties and fifties, women experience a drop in levels of the hormone, progesterone, which causes their neurotransmitter levels to decline, intensifying feelings, and amplifying depression and anxiety. Both diet and exercise support the nervous system, as previously mentioned and, along with natural hormone balancing, are extremely effective in healing these symptoms.
Synthetic hormones, both prescribed and those present in non-organic food have the opposite effect, causing serotonin levels to fall, making everyone more vulnerable to depression and anxiety. A lack of sleep can also have this effect on mood and emotional health. Diet, exercise, and hormone balance are highly effective and restorative for sleep disturbance as well.
Processing our emotions and supporting each other during life’s transitions and losses (in addition to a healthy lifestyle) are the most powerful antidotes for depression and anxiety. Compensating for and normalizing our mood to appear unwavering (as expected by society) results in the denial of our very human experience of joy and sorrow. Having our feelings validated can do more for our sense of well-being than any anti-depressant ever can. If we require an anti-depressant for a brief period of time to help move through a window of difficulty, it is important to process our pain and wean off it, under a physician’s guidance, once we are stable enough to do so. When dealing with organic or familial depression or anxiety, prescription medication may be an important intervention. Normalizing the need to medicate our very human feelings is both dangerous and unfulfilling.
Traditional medical thinking is still archaic in its approach to our emotional and mental health. Physicians rarely make the correlations described above or take the time to understand why their patients feel what they do. They are quick to prescribe anti-depressants, the majority of which are unnecessary. It requires discernment to bring awareness to what is a normal emotion and what requires treatment. The medical system has still not normalized the impact that lifestyle can have on mood, despite the strong evidence showing a direct correlation. We must widen the context from which we understand mental and emotional health, and practice courage in exercising our choices for self-care that support it.
In the long run, nurturing, authentic relationships, acknowledging and accepting our emotional sensitivity, and living a lifestyle that optimally supports and optimizes our biology are some of the most effective ways to heal depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders that plague our society.
Ultimately, how we love and treat each other is the most powerful medicine of all.
This article was written in memory of Robin Williams, who brought joy and laughter to so many. He compensated for his depression with his gift of comedy. In death, he awakened us to the importance of honest, self-awareness of our emotional world.
May he find peace as he returns to the Light.
• A 55 year old man who just lost his job
• A 22 year old who just broke up with his girlfriend
• A 70 year old woman whose dog just died
• A 42 year old in the midst of a divorce
• A 51 year old man 2 weeks after his heart attack
• A 45 year old woman whose hormones are out of balance
In all of these examples, grief or depression would be a normal and healthy result of these losses. Would any of these examples fit the criteria of mental illness, requiring medication, or would their grief and sadness be seen as a normal response to what they had just experienced?
A few days after 9/11/2001, many patients came to see me when they realized they did not feel the emotions others did upon witnessing the devastation surrounding the Twin Towers. They felt numb from being medicated with anti-depressants previously prescribed by their physicians for circumstantial grief and depression that surfaced years ago after experiencing similar life events as those described in the list above. Although the situation that catalyzed their feelings had long passed, they had not received any support or help to process their emotions at that time, nor was it suggested that they wean off their anti-depressants. Their response to the 9/11 devastation made them realize they had unknowingly been emotionally numb for years due to the anti-depressants they were still taking.
This was a powerful sign for me to evaluate how we diagnose and treat depression. I also became acutely aware of the surprising amount of complacency that is normalized in the medical system when prescribing pharmaceuticals for symptoms of depression, anxiety, grief, or sadness. In fact, grief and sadness have been so pathologized in our society that people feel the need for medication if they experience either emotion. For many, feeling numb is preferred over experiencing intense emotions, which are actually a normal part of being human.
Our mental and emotional well-being is intrinsically related to how isolated and alone we feel during times of loss and transition, and whether or not we are a part of a larger community. People who feel their lives do not matter, are more vulnerable to depression and anxiety. People who are emotionally sensitive are vulnerable as well. Never before in the history of the human race have people felt so alone and isolated as they do today. Our connection with one another has been contaminated with technology and the mechanization of our systems. Before cell phones and computers were the norm, we actually spoke with one another. This has been replaced with texting and emailing, a method of communication that lacks heart or emotion. We have sacrificed our emotional and energetic connections with one another for convenience. Feelings of isolation, loneliness, and grief are the consequence of these choices.
When feelings of isolation, loneliness, or sadness arise, neurotransmitter levels (that regulate our moods) fall. Some important ones are serotonin, gamma-amino-butyric acid, L-Dopa, acetylcholine, and norepinephrine. Neurotransmitter levels are also directly affected by diet and exercise, our perceptions, and attitudes. It has also been well established that one of the most effective anti-depressants is regular exercise, as it affects neurotransmitter levels that regulate our mood. These levels are also affected by a sense of belonging. In fact, several studies have shown that women with breast cancer who were part of a support group lived twice as long as women who were not.
A diet high in Omega-3 and antioxidants and low in sugar and grains supports our nervous system and neurotransmitter levels. A diet high in refined sugar, processed food products, carbohydrates, chemical additives, and food colorings has a negative effect on neurotransmitter levels. When people use addictive substances such as recreational drugs and alcohol to ‘medicate’ their feelings, these can amplify depression and cause a rollercoaster of emotions. Unfortunately, this form of self-medication is normalized and present in epidemic proportions in our society today. In fact, it is a part of how we mark ‘the coming of age’ in our society.
An additional cause for mood disturbances is hormonal shifts in midlife. Between their late thirties and fifties, women experience a drop in levels of the hormone, progesterone, which causes their neurotransmitter levels to decline, intensifying feelings, and amplifying depression and anxiety. Both diet and exercise support the nervous system, as previously mentioned and, along with natural hormone balancing, are extremely effective in healing these symptoms.
Synthetic hormones, both prescribed and those present in non-organic food have the opposite effect, causing serotonin levels to fall, making everyone more vulnerable to depression and anxiety. A lack of sleep can also have this effect on mood and emotional health. Diet, exercise, and hormone balance are highly effective and restorative for sleep disturbance as well.
Processing our emotions and supporting each other during life’s transitions and losses (in addition to a healthy lifestyle) are the most powerful antidotes for depression and anxiety. Compensating for and normalizing our mood to appear unwavering (as expected by society) results in the denial of our very human experience of joy and sorrow. Having our feelings validated can do more for our sense of well-being than any anti-depressant ever can. If we require an anti-depressant for a brief period of time to help move through a window of difficulty, it is important to process our pain and wean off it, under a physician’s guidance, once we are stable enough to do so. When dealing with organic or familial depression or anxiety, prescription medication may be an important intervention. Normalizing the need to medicate our very human feelings is both dangerous and unfulfilling.
Traditional medical thinking is still archaic in its approach to our emotional and mental health. Physicians rarely make the correlations described above or take the time to understand why their patients feel what they do. They are quick to prescribe anti-depressants, the majority of which are unnecessary. It requires discernment to bring awareness to what is a normal emotion and what requires treatment. The medical system has still not normalized the impact that lifestyle can have on mood, despite the strong evidence showing a direct correlation. We must widen the context from which we understand mental and emotional health, and practice courage in exercising our choices for self-care that support it.
In the long run, nurturing, authentic relationships, acknowledging and accepting our emotional sensitivity, and living a lifestyle that optimally supports and optimizes our biology are some of the most effective ways to heal depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders that plague our society.
Ultimately, how we love and treat each other is the most powerful medicine of all.
This article was written in memory of Robin Williams, who brought joy and laughter to so many. He compensated for his depression with his gift of comedy. In death, he awakened us to the importance of honest, self-awareness of our emotional world.
May he find peace as he returns to the Light.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
"Sensitives" Belong to Their Tribe
The more I read about Robin Williams, listen to his voice
expressing his deepest feelings, the more I feel his 'sensitive' nature.
I am a sensitive also.
So are 90% of my patients.
I have felt a deep loneliness all of my life, a disconnect
from Earth systems. I don't adapt well to people and systems that lack
integrity or are fear, greed and power driven (like many of our systems today
including the health care system).
I didn't 'fit in' with the broken health care system, I
didn't fit in with the 'club' mentality in Medicine. I had no desire to adapt to a
lifestyle that was promoted by the physician collective - the mcmansion, the
fast car, the fat paycheck, the power trip or even the white coat. I felt
suffocated in it. It disconnected me with my beloved patients so I left it
hanging on a hanger in my office. I don't even know what happened to it. One
day it just disappeared!
When I left the 'system' to create my own, my beloved Ommani
Center, I didn't think twice. I mortgaged my house and took a big plunge. The
lien on my house still stands. My business loan would have been long paid off
by now, but a very expensive divorce got in the way. It was worth every penny
to revive my sovereignty, restore the integrity of Ommani's vision and support
the sacred 'system' I created to unfold health care in the direction I am
taking it along with my patients - the direction of it being an educational and
empowerment healing model, one based on integrity and sustainability.
As sensitives, we have difficult journeys because we feel so
deeply. The majority of us do not subscribe to or connect with worldly
attitudes or ways of living. They feel empty. We feel happier with simplicity
and meaning and are fulfilled by being around people like us - our tribe.
For a long time I thought that I could make a difference on
Earth in the collective consciousness. I don't think I can any more. Most
'Earthers' don't want change. They fight to maintain status quo. They don't
want true health. They just want quick fixes and band-aids. They are caught up
in the collective definitions of 'success' and 'progress'. They subscribe to
the collective.
Who I feel I serve are the 'sensitves' . They are my tribe
and they struggle between the way they were conditioned to adapt and what their
Soul frequency resonates with. I feel that my deepest and most sacred work is
to empower them to dismantle their conditioned thinking and live in harmony
with their Soul frequency - to Become Real.
I feel that if enough of us support each other in this way,
we will create a vortex, a critical mass that will hold the energy for shifting
the paradigm. When this happens, the people on Earth will have no choice but to
shift. Entrainment is a powerful force, especially when it is centered in heart
and feelings.
Remember, WE are the change.
Are you a sensitive? If so, know that there are enough of us
here to make a difference.
You are seen and witnessed.
My heart is with you.
We BELONG to each other.
You are not alone.
So Robin Williams, wherever you are, be at peace knowing
that we see you and feel you for who you REALLY were.
You made a BIG difference on Earth even in death.
We will carry the Light.
We belong to your tribe
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Bringing Peace on Earth
Yesterday a friend of mine told me that she was gracious to 3 people in her bank who in turn were gracious to her.
"How can something so small make a difference? Change the fighting in the Gaza strip?" "I feel so helpless" she said. "This is my little world, removed from the horrors of war and terror. I don't think my little act of kindness can help a warring world."
Years ago, I had read a book titled, "The Cultural Creatives. How 50 million people are changing the world". The message of this book is: the 'critical mass' required to shift a paradigm is 50 million people. If 50 million people make conscious choices, it will create an 'energy' large enough to bring harmony and shift the collective thinking on earth.
I told her to imagine 50 million people being gracious to 3 people and them being gracious back. That can create such a vortex that the paradigm will start shifting away from war.
Yes, IMAGINE!
Take the time to be gracious to at least 3 people today...
Focus on how your heart feels.
Receive their positive energy back.
WE are the cultural creatives.
We can shift this paradigm of war by being kind in our 'small' communities. Strung together, these communities make up the world.
We all breathe the same air.
Seeds of graciousness emitted in the air have greater power than seeds of war.
This is what we can do to bring peace on Earth.
"How can something so small make a difference? Change the fighting in the Gaza strip?" "I feel so helpless" she said. "This is my little world, removed from the horrors of war and terror. I don't think my little act of kindness can help a warring world."
Years ago, I had read a book titled, "The Cultural Creatives. How 50 million people are changing the world". The message of this book is: the 'critical mass' required to shift a paradigm is 50 million people. If 50 million people make conscious choices, it will create an 'energy' large enough to bring harmony and shift the collective thinking on earth.
I told her to imagine 50 million people being gracious to 3 people and them being gracious back. That can create such a vortex that the paradigm will start shifting away from war.
Yes, IMAGINE!
Take the time to be gracious to at least 3 people today...
Focus on how your heart feels.
Receive their positive energy back.
WE are the cultural creatives.
We can shift this paradigm of war by being kind in our 'small' communities. Strung together, these communities make up the world.
We all breathe the same air.
Seeds of graciousness emitted in the air have greater power than seeds of war.
This is what we can do to bring peace on Earth.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Can we Change the Course of Cancer by treating our Patients with Love?
I recently had a heart expanding moment. In that moment, I felt a deep and wide sensation of energy radiating from the center of my chest. I would call this a “vertical moment” one that feels powerful in its quantum nature. Its memory has lingered and inspired me to reflect on the power that love can have on the course of an illness. As a physician, it made me wonder, “what if we engaged our love when we delivered a diagnosis? What if we offered hope rather than fear? What if we loved our patients more? What if we engaged wonder and mystery rather than statistical predictions?”
We were at a small café in Madison, WI for Saturday breakfast. The middle aged couple at the table next to us was leaving as we arrived. The wife clearly had cancer. She had a makeshift turban over her bald head and her skin looked pale and flat, like the skin of many patients undergoing chemotherapy.
I watched their interactions as she fumbled to stand up after her meal. Her husband’s kindness was palpable. He offered her support with his strong arms and loving words. He knew she was too weak to stand up by herself. His voice was filled with love and resounded like a melody through my heart. It was one of those numinous moments where my heart melted and I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. I was reminded of the depth of loving kindness that people are capable of showing each other. I surmised many theories about their life during this sacred moment – “he was in it with her for the long haul; he loved her unconditionally; she had learned to receive his love and support; she was weakened by her treatment; she was working extra hard to stay positive.”
Many people going through a cancer journey share similar challenges. Traditional medicine fails them in its chosen ignorance of process. Loved one’s who care for family members with cancer go unnoticed and unacknowledged by many in health care, especially physicians. A cancer diagnosis also affects a patient’s larger community. This is their lifeline that carries the task of empowering and caregiving over the long haul. They are presented with the monumental task of transcending the fear that is mindlessly handed to the patient during the delivery of the cancer diagnosis. This fear is the shadow companion that consumes vital energy during the cancer journey.
Fear is the often handed to the patient alongside a diagnosis of cancer. Is the “fear” part of the hand out really necessary? Or has our society just normalized it? Why haven’t we normalized love, hope, reclamation, possibility or even opportunity? I feel that it is finally time to reframe our perceptions of cancer or any illness, so those affected can be seen as the shamans that they are, bearers of deep and sacred wisdom. They have faced the possibility of death and chosen to live. They are powerful alchemists. We must be open to learning from them as we also honor their process.
Of all diseases, cancer is one that can suddenly call us to transform. It can be seen as a sudden wake up call, one that contains “awful grace”. It can force us to reevaluate our perceptions of the world, what we eat, how we behave, how we express feelings, and how we practice self-care. I would call these reevaluations, a kind of “medicine” that cancer carries in its powerful and tight grip. This medicine must be uncovered and released in order for one to truly achieve wholeness. The causes of cancer are often hidden and only present at unconscious and unseen levels. Wouldn’t it be meaningful to explore these levels, to make them conscious for clarity and healing, so we can be guided into becoming larger versions of ourselves than before the cancer occurred?
One would think this could and should be the normalized approach in cancer, from the moment of diagnosis through recovery. If we only view cancer as the monster we need to attack, how can we learn what it is here to teach us? How can we reclaim our life from what we feel may be its many causes? These are the nuggets of learning that carry the capacity for us all to free ourselves from its threat and restore wholeness during our journey. How can we awaken the alchemist within us and transform every atom in our cells into luminosity and light? As we seek its elusive and often hidden “medicine”, we may even learn to live in a way that makes us “bad hosts” for it, to prevent it from resurfacing. This is the framework that must accompany the diagnosis of cancer to offer patients the best outcome.
When fear is handed to patients in the exam room, a cascade of events occurs. First, they dissociate to enable them to actually “take in” the diagnosis. A part of them becomes paralyzed as their limbic system engages for survival. This is the part of the brain that is activated for fight-or-flight. Trauma enters the emotional body, disrupting their electrical system, creating an unsettled, chaotic feeling of shock that remains present for months and sometimes years. Many describe this as a feeling of “static in their field”. Patients have a hard time feeling settled and empowered. They find it difficult to engage their imagination where they can access solutions and become seekers. This is where they can also gain access to their inner wisdom, instinct and insight and the healing power of Sophia, the Divine Feminine, whose power and capacity lays dormant, waiting for connection. Cancer or any disease carries the potential for activating this. The fear handed out subverts their connection with this intrinsic power which regulates their inner pharmacy, capable of more healing we can imagine, more than even the medical system can understand. It subverts their access to the ‘stuff of soul’ where quantum healing awaits.
The physiology of the stress response and the impact of chronic stress on the body/mind is well known throughout the scientific literature. Its impact on the endocrine system is erosive and thwarts the regenerative power of cells. Cell to cell communication is impaired and growth hormone in the pituitary gland is suppressed. Insulin receptors malfunction and the adrenals wear out. The entire delicate web of hormonal and endocrine communication is harmed. Under stress, the tapestry of these delicately woven systems unravels and its threads begin to fray and tear. Under stress, the very molecules of the body degenerate denying access to the luminous. We become uncreative and unimaginative. We lose faith in possibility and our lens of perception turns negative. We risk feeling like ‘victims, waiting to be rescued’.
Cancer has been normalized by society as a terminal disease, one that leaves little hope for recovery. Recovery is termed ‘survivorship’ and the adopted identity of ‘cancer survivor’ becomes a badge that defines the end of the battle. Meanwhile, the energy of cancer alongside fear hangs in the rafters, waiting. Fear is intricately linked with ‘survivorship’. It lies huddled in the background, surfacing with the slightest symptom. Fear ultimately causes chronic stress. The immune system feels its cold claws, as they scrape even lightly upon the psyche and imagination.
Creating a new framework to support patients with cancer has the potential to change its face and its course. The negative thought forms where fear and death are kept at bay, can be transmuted into opportunities for seeking the growth and healing this diagnosis evokes. Such an approach has the potential to change its course and significantly improve its outcomes. I believe this is truly possible but will take an effort on all our parts to reframe what we accept. Our greatest effort will be to embody the awareness that is required to shift the traction from fear that has been normalized that ultimately predicts and defines the course of cancer or any illness.
Medicine is at a crossroads, a gateway, where it needs to transform into a system that offers more love, and hope, and where exploration and education are honored as core values. As a practicing physician, I have carried this framework alongside my expertise and have learned to love deeply and widely along the way. I have felt my heart expand and my wisdom grow, but most of all, I have grown to honor the sacred contract with my patients and their loved ones, who have chosen me as their companion, and walk with them through sickness into health and often into a transformed life. For this, I am profoundly humbled and deeply grateful.
And regarding the couple in the café, in that moment of witnessing their love, my heart leapt towards them with a loving and supportive embrace as they left to continue their courageous journey through the hills and valleys ahead. Their very presence was a gift and an inspiration to me as a physician and a person who feels deeply. Even though they may never read this article or know how deeply they touched my heart, somewhere in the tapestry of the Universe that weaves us all together, I hope they do. I want them to know that their love, kindness, and courage was witnessed, and deepened many around them in more ways than they could have imagined.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
An EPIC Degree of Soul Loss
The practice of medicine has undergone yet another change. Over the past several years, it has gone electronic. Those of you who have experienced electronically recorded medicine have had to adapt to the profound change that this brought to the physician visit. Physicians, already stressed from adapting to the corporatization of medicine, now have to adapt to data entry during their time with their patients. I, for one, resisted this as long as I was able. I intuitively knew what this would do to the sacred essence of the physician-patient encounter. Last year, I was forced to succumb. I was not really given a choice. Implementing the electronic medical record (EMR) in my practice was not only extremely expensive for a primary care physician in private practice, it was extremely stressful for one who practices “patient centered” medicine. For a physician who relishes spending time with my patients, listening for clues in their stories to help them problem solve and heal, this was deeply intrusive.
When I used paper charts to record patient encounters, I was able to look at my patients, be in their presence and receive their stories while using my technical and intuitive skills. Most importantly, I could hold sacred space for every patient who I promised to help and heal.
After the electronic medical record became a part of my practice, I grieved the presence of a machine in my exam room that interfered with this connection. Surprisingly, I found myself in constant heart ache struggling through the day to try and capture the sacred essence of my beloved patient encounter. I realized the “mill” medicine had now become was a data collecting one that no longer valued humanistic listening and caring. I had to learn how to enter patient data quickly and efficiently in order to maintain connection with my patients, so vital for their healing.
Given the level of my grief, I was curious if other physicians felt like I did. I explored internet conversations and blogs about how others felt since this implementation. One physician accounted that the stress of implementing EMR caused him to suffer a heart attack. Could this be symbolic of his heart break from not being able to engage with his patients like he used to, combined with the stress of learning this heartless system of data entry? It is certainly a cause for wonder.
Our current corporate system of medicine has been in crisis for nearly two decades. Patients and physicians are disillusioned by what today’s health care system has become. It is obvious that it suffers from a great degree of “soul-loss.” Rather than finding ways to fix and heal it to improve patient care, I believe the implementation of the EMR has furthered its dis-ease.
We were told that this method of documentation would make health care seamless, more collaborative and save paper and time. It has done the opposite. Different health care systems are not able to access the records of shared patients; it has created more paper waste and has taken up more physician time. Physicians who are unable to balance the EMR with patient contact opt to complete their charting after work into the late hours of the night. This compromises their work-life balance, adding to their stress and rendering them vulnerable to mental and physical illness. We have all heard of numerous
physicians who opted to retire before their intended time when EMR was implemented. They were unwilling to compromise the art of healing for data entry.
Many patients do not realize that physicians had no say in this decision to implement EMR. They were merely required to adapt to this mandate.
As a patient, when you visit your private practitioner who is now electronically linked, please have patience. And physicians, please know you are not alone in your frustration with yet another intrusion in the exam room, our sacred sanctum. We will have to adapt in a way that preserves the sanctity of our vocation, despite the stress this has created for us.
Our precious field of medicine cannot continue to lose its soul in the many ways it already has. At some point it will have to transform and reclaim its true purpose and restore the sacred contract between physician and patient.
Till then, as physicians, we must carry the flame of healing in our hearts for our patients with continued love for our craft, and patients must carry patience in their hearts for their beloved physicians who struggle to remain connected with their heart and feelings while trying to adjust to the presence of the EMR.
When I used paper charts to record patient encounters, I was able to look at my patients, be in their presence and receive their stories while using my technical and intuitive skills. Most importantly, I could hold sacred space for every patient who I promised to help and heal.
After the electronic medical record became a part of my practice, I grieved the presence of a machine in my exam room that interfered with this connection. Surprisingly, I found myself in constant heart ache struggling through the day to try and capture the sacred essence of my beloved patient encounter. I realized the “mill” medicine had now become was a data collecting one that no longer valued humanistic listening and caring. I had to learn how to enter patient data quickly and efficiently in order to maintain connection with my patients, so vital for their healing.
Given the level of my grief, I was curious if other physicians felt like I did. I explored internet conversations and blogs about how others felt since this implementation. One physician accounted that the stress of implementing EMR caused him to suffer a heart attack. Could this be symbolic of his heart break from not being able to engage with his patients like he used to, combined with the stress of learning this heartless system of data entry? It is certainly a cause for wonder.
Our current corporate system of medicine has been in crisis for nearly two decades. Patients and physicians are disillusioned by what today’s health care system has become. It is obvious that it suffers from a great degree of “soul-loss.” Rather than finding ways to fix and heal it to improve patient care, I believe the implementation of the EMR has furthered its dis-ease.
We were told that this method of documentation would make health care seamless, more collaborative and save paper and time. It has done the opposite. Different health care systems are not able to access the records of shared patients; it has created more paper waste and has taken up more physician time. Physicians who are unable to balance the EMR with patient contact opt to complete their charting after work into the late hours of the night. This compromises their work-life balance, adding to their stress and rendering them vulnerable to mental and physical illness. We have all heard of numerous
physicians who opted to retire before their intended time when EMR was implemented. They were unwilling to compromise the art of healing for data entry.
Many patients do not realize that physicians had no say in this decision to implement EMR. They were merely required to adapt to this mandate.
As a patient, when you visit your private practitioner who is now electronically linked, please have patience. And physicians, please know you are not alone in your frustration with yet another intrusion in the exam room, our sacred sanctum. We will have to adapt in a way that preserves the sanctity of our vocation, despite the stress this has created for us.
Our precious field of medicine cannot continue to lose its soul in the many ways it already has. At some point it will have to transform and reclaim its true purpose and restore the sacred contract between physician and patient.
Till then, as physicians, we must carry the flame of healing in our hearts for our patients with continued love for our craft, and patients must carry patience in their hearts for their beloved physicians who struggle to remain connected with their heart and feelings while trying to adjust to the presence of the EMR.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Chana Dal Curry Soup
For dinner tonight, I had an organic green salad with cucumbers and carrots, Chana dal (yellow lentils) and organic Jasmine rice.
Chana Dal is a lentil from India that has a low glycemic index and tastes incredible as a curry.
Chana Dal Curry Soup
1 cup of chana dal (available at any Indian grocery store - it probably won't be organic)
3 cups of water
1 whole finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 inch ginger root, minced
2 tsp of ghee or clarified butter
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of tumeric powder
1 tsp of coriander powder
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1 tablespoon curry leaves
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tablespoon powdered coconut or 1 tablespoon of coconut milk
juice of half a lemon
cilantro leaves to garnish if desired
Heat ghee in a saucepan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, garlic and ginger till mustard seeds begin to pop and turn gray. Then add onion and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. You may need a bit more ghee to coat this onion/spice mixture. Add washed chana lentils, the coriander, cumin and cayenne powder, salt and water and boil till soft (about 20 minutes). Add powdered coconut. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with rice and enjoy!
A prepared cup of this exotic and delicious lentil soup with half a cup of rice makes a filling and nourishing meal especially when accompanied with stir fried chopped kale or collards. It has great cancer fighting and antioxidant properties as well.
Asafoetida is an anti-flatulant, digestive aid and anti-inflammatory. It is used in Indian curries and settles the stomach especially if the curries are spicy. It has a smoky flavor and can overpower a dish so only a pinch fried in oil is needed to flavor a dish.
Many of these ingredients are available at your neighborhood organic grocery store or an Indian grocery store.
Chana Dal is a lentil from India that has a low glycemic index and tastes incredible as a curry.
Chana Dal Curry Soup
1 cup of chana dal (available at any Indian grocery store - it probably won't be organic)
3 cups of water
1 whole finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 inch ginger root, minced
2 tsp of ghee or clarified butter
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of tumeric powder
1 tsp of coriander powder
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1 tablespoon curry leaves
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tablespoon powdered coconut or 1 tablespoon of coconut milk
juice of half a lemon
cilantro leaves to garnish if desired
Heat ghee in a saucepan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, garlic and ginger till mustard seeds begin to pop and turn gray. Then add onion and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. You may need a bit more ghee to coat this onion/spice mixture. Add washed chana lentils, the coriander, cumin and cayenne powder, salt and water and boil till soft (about 20 minutes). Add powdered coconut. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with rice and enjoy!
A prepared cup of this exotic and delicious lentil soup with half a cup of rice makes a filling and nourishing meal especially when accompanied with stir fried chopped kale or collards. It has great cancer fighting and antioxidant properties as well.
Asafoetida is an anti-flatulant, digestive aid and anti-inflammatory. It is used in Indian curries and settles the stomach especially if the curries are spicy. It has a smoky flavor and can overpower a dish so only a pinch fried in oil is needed to flavor a dish.
Many of these ingredients are available at your neighborhood organic grocery store or an Indian grocery store.
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