Our Philosophy

• The healing power of nature. vis medicatrix naturae
  The body has the inherent ability to establish, maintain, and restore health. The healing process is ordered and intelligent; nature heals through the response of the life force. The physician's role is to facilitate and enhance this process, to act to identify and remove the obstacles to cure, and to support the creation of a healthy balance with both the internal and external environment.
• Identify and treat the cause. tolle causam
  Underlying causes of the disease must be discovered and removed or treated before a person can recover completely from illness. Symptoms are not necessarily the cause of disease. Instead symptoms are seen as expressions of the body's attempt to heal. Symptoms, therefore, should not be treated in a modality which is thought to suppress symptoms. Causes may occur on many levels including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual and hence, the physician must evaluate fundamental underlying causes on all levels. The treatment focus should be at the root causes rather than at symptomatic expression.
• First do no harm. primum no nocere
  The process of healing includes the generation of symptoms which is the attempt of the body to heal itself. Therapeutic actions should be complimentary and synergistic with this healing process. The physician's actions play a role in supporting or antagonizing the actions of the vis medicatrix naturae. Therefore, modalities designed to suppress symptoms without removing underlying causes are considered harmful in both the short-term and long-term progress of the patient and are avoided or minimized.
• Treat the whole person. The multifactorial nature of health and disease
  Health and disease are conditions that involve the whole organism, a whole involving a complex interaction of physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, and other factors. The physician must treat the whole person by taking all of these factors into consideration. The harmonious functioning of all aspects of the individual is essential to recovery from and prevention of disease, and requires a individualized and comprehensive approach to diagnosis and treatment.
• The physician as teacher. docere
  Beyond an accurate diagnosis and appropriate prescription, the physician must work to create a healthy, sensitive interpersonal relationship with the patient. A cooperative doctor-patient relationship has inherent therapeutic value. The physician's major role is to educate and encourage the patient to take responsibility for health. The physician is a catalyst for healthful change, empowering and motivating the patient to assume responsibility. It is the patient, not the doctor, who ultimately creates/accomplishes healing. The physician must strive to inspire hope as well as understanding. The physician must also make a commitment to his/her personal and spiritual development in order to be a good teacher.
• Prevention. Prevention is the best "cure"
  The ultimate goal of any health care practitioner should be prevention. This is accomplished through education and promotion of nutrition and lifestyle habits that create good health. The physician assesses risk factors and hereditary susceptibility to disease and makes appropriate interventions, as to avoid further harm and risk to the patient. The emphasis is on treating the underlying cause of disease and preventing disease through building health rather than on fighting disease.