Overview

Elson M. Haas, MD is the founder and director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin (PMCM), an integrated health care facility in San Rafael, California.

Preventive Medical Center of Marin, Inc. has been at the same location since 1984, initially as the Marin Clinic of Preventive Medicine and Health Education and currently as PMCM, having been incorporated in 1993. The Center's office space has been expanded on two occasions in order to provide more room for the ever-increasing patient visits as well as for the growing number of practitioners who have become affiliated with PMCM.

PMCM is a successful, evolutionary model in the practice of Integrated Medicine. This type of practice is currently the most popular and expanding area of medicine and is considered by many to be the health care of the future.

PMCM provides a multidisciplinary method of health care. Patients and practitioners work together to design choices and create options for the treatment of health problems. This differs markedly from other restricted methods, which may support one way of thinking and one system of medicine. Although the basis of PMCM embraces and works within a Western model, it is clear the demand and interest of the medical consumer, the patient, desires therapeutic alternatives and practitioners who understand both allopathic and natural medical practices.

PMCM practitioners currently include four medical doctors, an osteopathic physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, and an acupuncturist as well as a chiropractor and massage therapist. For a complete list of these individuals and their services and specialties, please see our staff.

Please Note: Preventive Medical Center is a “fragrance-free” clinic. Due to patient and staff sensitivities, please refrain from wearing colognes, perfumes, and other artificial scents.”

What is Integrated Medicine?

Integrated medicine is a common sense approach to a complex issue. I will endeavor to explain not only its simplicity but also its necessity in today's world.

Western allopathic medicine, commonly referred to as "traditional" medicine, has not really passed through tradition. It is the youngest in the health care field and is more appropriately termed "conventional" medicine, because it is "of convention" at this time. Conventional medicine has its strengths in acute crisis intervention, but has great limitations in successfully treating most chronic diseases. This method currently focuses on attack and conquer, primarily with technology - synthetic chemicals, drugs and surgery.

Alternative medicine, or, as I term it, "traditional" medicine, has at its roots the history and tradition of many cultures worldwide. Therapies that align with such traditions include nutrition, acupuncture, herbal medicine, ayurveda, and many hands-on therapies.

The common sense approach of Integrated Medicine includes four levels:

1. The first is integration of family practice diagnosis and treatment with health supportive care including psychotherapy, acupuncture and bodywork.
2. Second is a blending of multi-disciplinary practices, standard conventional medicine with more naturally based methods. This can include nutritional and herbal supplements, osteopathy, stress management and other lifestyle guidance.
3. The third aspect relates to incorporating different levels of the human being – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual – the concept of holistic medicine. These aspects of the patient's life are reviewed, relevant areas noted and then integrated into the evaluation and treatment.
4. Finally, the shift is to understanding health or illness as an outcome of our life. The patient's entire past and present determine the health of their future. How we live, think and act, along with our genetics, past problems and the solutions to these problems contribute to our current state of health.

In summary, Integrated Medicine is the blending of these four aspects in an exploration of why a problem is developing and a focus on what you can do to change it.

The Medical Staff of PMCM

Elson M. Haas, MD
Medical Director, Integrated Medicine

Judy Lane, Rn, NP
General Medicine, Women's Health

Alex Forman, PA
Integrated Health Care

Associates with their practice at PMCM location

Richard Shames, MD
Thyroid & Hormonal Medicine

Thomas H. Reece, DO, ND
Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine

Karilee Shames, PhD, RN
Certified Holistic Nurse and Counseling

Seemi Dallenbach, DC
Chiropractic Care

Rosemary Rau-Levine, MD
Family & Anthroposophical Medicine

The Administrative Staff of PMCM

Julie Dietz
Administrative Director, Patient Health Care Coordinator

Angela Vanaman
Medical Assistant

Angela Vanaman
Medical Assistant

Elizabeth Baughman
Coaching & Massage Therapy

Roberta Rossetti
Business Manager

Naz Baradaran
Business Department, Insurance & Billing