Zoomersmagazine.com welcomes Dr. Gene Divita. He brings an educated perspective towards navigating our ever widened options. We can learn how to integrate allopathic and alternative treatments to make the most beneficial effects on our lives.

Integrative medicine is a post-modern concept that combines conventional Allopathic Medicine with Complementary and Alternative Medicine practices, to bring choice and partnership between healthcare practitioners and patients, so that the most appropriate and effective forms of treatment are available. Patients and healthcare practitioners assess the physical, mental, psychological, emotional and spiritual components that may be factors contributing to the illness and or disease. Illness is the subjective components of which the patient is aware, while disease is the other objective component identified by the practitioner. These both may represent different findings and observations, neither of which is devalued and both are seen as worthy of inquiry and treatment as indicated.

The movement is championed by the consumer, after landmark surveys by David Eisenberg, MD revealed the extent of use of Complementary and Alternative Therapies. As the public has access to more medical information through resources as the Internet and books and periodicals devoted to these areas, practitioners have taken interest in becoming better informed so that they can communicate with their patients. Other findings in the survey were: increase in sales of botanicals, increase in visits to non-conventional practitioners, and a significant market share of medical expenditures.

Allopathic practitioners, always voracious for new knowledge and maintaining their majority share of health expenditures, recognized the need to be more informed of these practices. Courses and seminars by Dr. Eisenberg at Harvard University and Andrew Weil, MD, at The University of Arizona Program in Alternative Medicine became new training paradigms for physicians and alternative practitioner, sharing their skills and knowledge.

Physicians who were becoming disillusioned with medicine as influenced by managed care systems, recognized this as an opportunity to regain their focus on the art of medicine as well as the science of medicine, by enhancing their communication and empathic listening, while recognizing and being open to their patients' life values and spiritual beliefs. They resumed their interest in prevention, health and healing as well as treatment.

Herbert Benson, MD, from Harvard University, who pioneered the Relaxation Response into mainstream Mind/Body Medicine began additional studies in Spirituality and is conducting seminars about the role of Spirituality in Medicine. Other Body and Soul seminars through Omega Institute have drawn a large attendance from both lay and professional audiences across the country. The movement is on to integrate these practices and make them even more available. Allopathic medicine research is studying these practices for evidence based results, so as to have them compare with scientific standards.

The National Institutes of Health opened the Office of Alternative Medicine in 1990 and gave it increased status by making it The *national Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 1998 with a budget of fifty million dollars. The Canter is funding research at multiple sites throughout America. Their website contains a myriad of information and resources that are important for anyone interested in these areas of knowledge.

I am an allopathic physician by training in Family Practice and Psychiatry for over forty years, but many of the years have been involved with synthesizing and integrating multiple modalities in my professional and personal life. My first interest came when I left Family Practice to begin a residency in psychiatry, where I first became interested in Mind/Body medicine and began to practice some of the early modalities, such as the Relaxation Response, Guided Imagery, Hypnosis, Psychodrama, Art Therapy, Movement Therapy, Meditation and Exercise for individual and family treatment, in both outpatient and inpatient settings. During this time I continued my practice of Individual Psychotherapy, Family Psychotherapy and Group Psychotherapy, including leading and participating in the encounter and human potential experiences with satisfaction personally and professionally.

I have experienced allopathic treatment to include diagnostic studies such as physical examinations and laboratory evaluations, including X-Ray, Electrocardiograms, Ultrasound, Nuclear stress tests, medications and surgery, all of which were beneficial to my health and recovery from illnesses.

Of the various Alternative and Complementary Practices, I have been Rolfed in the earlier sadomasochistic version and the more recent kinder gentler version. My body has been massaged at Esalen and various other spas across the country, on foreign travel and at home, including Swedish, Shialtsu, Therapeutic and Jin Shin Jyutsu in Mexico.

I have been bathed in various hot mineral springs, packed in healing mud and covered with Japanese sawdust in California.

My vitamin and supplements at time include the standard formulas of vitamins, minerals and trace minerals in larger doses than the RDA, as well as antioxidants, botanicals, herbals both domestic and as prescribed by Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors, regardless of their taste and smell.

Bioelectromagnetic energetic methods that I experienced include Biofeedback, Electrodiagnostics of meridians and prescriptions of Neutraceuticals by a holistic physician.

In the subtle energy fields, have benefitted from the Bioenergetics of Albert Lowen, Healing Touch, and practiced for various periods Aikido, studied Qi Gong in Beijing and America with several masters, and currently practice Qi Gong and Tai Chi with the Oriental community in Houston.

My home and office have been evaluated for their Qi energy field utilizing Feng Shui practices. For various injuries and maladies I have utilized Acupuncture and Electroacuppuncture from practitioners at The American College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine where I teach courses in Western medicine.

I have presented to local professional groups, residents and conferences on Complementary and Alternative Medicine and MindBody Medicine. I have attended many conference and training in Complementary and Alternative Medicine including those mentioned previously and have read extensively on the many subjects.

I must confess that my name is Gene and I am a CAMaholic,, so I welcome you to my CAMalogue and experiences in this field.

Short of a few injuries in Aikido and the pain of the early Rolfing all of these experiences have left me with a feeling of well being as compared to the more painful, but necessary procedures of conventional Medicine.

Here are a few tips towards your own evaluation and utilization of the alternative methods:

1) Please educate and inform yourself about the practices and the practitioners, particularly references regarding others who have used them and their professional qualifications, training and licensure or certification as you would with any other healthcare practitioners

2) Do not accept without being critical and asking questions of all providers.

3) Do not accept secretive and special treatments that only this person can provide, or guaranteed cures and panaceas for all conditions, up front payment for a series of esoteric practices.

4) Contact local licensing agencies and other practitioners if you are getting promises such as these.

5) Maintain open communication with your regular practitioner and attempt to facilitate communication between your various healthcare providers by letting all of them know the therapies you are receiving.

6) It will be in your best interest to educate all of them so they may work together with you in your recovery from illness and in the prevention of disease and the promotion of health and wellness for you.