Benefits of Integrative Medicine

Principles of integrative medicine

Integrative medicine treats you as a whole person (mind, body, spirit) not just the sum of your symptoms. It utilizes the latest in scientific medical knowledge and melds it with the unique perspective of diagnosis and treatment to discover the root cause(s) of illness.

Principles of Integrative Medicine:

• A partnership between patient and physician in the healing process

• Appropriate use of conventional and alternative methods to facilitate the body's innate healing response

• Consideration of all factors that influence health, wellness and disease: mind, body, spirit, and the community.

• A philosophy that neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts all alternative therapies uncritically.

• Recognition that good medicine should be based in good science, be inquiry driven, and be open to new paradigms

• Use of natural, effective, less-invasive interventions whenever possible

• Use of the broader concepts of promotion of health and the prevention of illness as well as the treatment of disease

Integrative Medicine Consultation:

• Dr. Sousa will evaluate various components of your health:

  • Personal Medical, Family and Social History

  • Musculoskeletal system

  • Neurological system

  • All body systems

  • Heredity

  • Personal Relationships

  • Spiritual Health

  • Physical and emotional trauma

  • Environment

• Based on this in-depth discussion, review of past medical records, past blood tests, and past radiological tests (if any), a physical & structural examination, and collaborating with you regarding your personal healthcare preferences, Dr. Sousa will make specific recommendations tailored to you.

  • Some of these recommendations may include:

    • Additional diagnostic testing, ie. laboratory tests or imaging

    • Traditional conventional medicine treatments

    • Osteopathic manipulative treatments

    • Diet modifications

    • Prescribed exercise and/or stretching

    • Lifestyle changes

Integrative Medicine gives more time to the patient

• The average primary care office visit may only be 5 to 14 minutes...

• In this amount of time, it is near impossible to deliver the quality and depth of care required by Integrative Medicine.

My typical new patient visit is often about 1 hour long, and follow up visits are typically 30 mins or so.

What is clinical homeopathy?

Homeopathy has been built on experience and observation; it was a pioneer in the emergence of clinical concepts. Therefore, it is a natural integral part of today’s medicine.

Homeopathic medicines present multiple advantages:

• Clinically used for more than 200 years

• Safe, non-toxic and without side effects

• No interference with other medicines

Homeopathic medicines can be used as first-line treatment for a large number of acute or chronic conditions, either alone or in conjunction with conventional medicines.

The method is the clinical one.

The clinical and extra-clinical symptoms guiding the use of homeopathic medicines are not just limited to those of the disease.  They include all symptoms uncovered during the clinical observation, including the ones arising from the patients individual reactions and those describing their characteristics and medical history, aside from their disease.

all symptoms being the expression of a general reaction of the patient as a whole.

Samuel Hahnemann, M.D. | founder of homeopathy

No system, method or classification can accurately take into account the specificity of each patient, nor replace the necessary experience of each physician.

• Homeopathy is able to bring answers to the issues arising from cost-efficient care management.

Thanks to its semiological and therapeutic approach of the patient’s terrain and individual sensitivity, homeopathy allows for a more comprehensive diagnosis adapted to each patient’s case. Some examples of cases pertain to: peri-menopause, seasonal allergy prevention, migraine management, etc.

In addition to classic therapeutics, homeopathy can improve patients’ care with the design of a healthcare project tailored to their specific needs: anxiety, seasonal allergies, panic disorder, insomnia, moods, motion sickness, tinnitus, patient follow-up, fibromyalgia, etc.

However, to be successful, a skilled homeopath must choose the appropriate remedy from a field of 5000 remedies, and in the correct dose and potency. Fortunately, many brilliant and conscientious homeopathic physicians around the world have for the last two hundred years worked hard to find the proper treatment for difficult diseases and health problems. These successful homeopathic practitioners have spread their powerful knowledge throughout the world.

Specialized testing offers . . .

Personalized aspect of delivering Integrative medical care rejects the 'one size fits none' approach.

People are biochemically individual, and must be treated as such.  We are naturally unique.

Integrative Osteopathic Medicine attempts to dig deeper than conventional medicine, hence, very specialized lab work is often ordered. The results will guide us to which path and natural options we have to attain our goals.

examples of specialized testing

Allergy Panel

Autoimmune Panel

Brain Physiology

Complete Blood work

Complete Thyroid analysis

Comprehensive Digestive Analysis

Food Sensitivity Evaluation

Infection Analysis

Full functional GI testing incl. microbiome analysis

Inflammatory and oxidative markers

Vitamin Pathways and nutritonal status

Yeast Overgrowth