Page 79 - Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

The CAM Psychiatrist at Work | 79

decisions. Then I can often help correct the imbalances with
natural approaches, including the use of well-researched
nutritional supplements. In contrast, conventional physicians
are most likely to prescribe first and test second, if at all, with
problematic results. This approach is often like unplugging the
noisy smoke alarm instead of looking for the fire.
In my move toward “integral” or holistic psychiatry, I found
myself treating a variety of medical conditions, from chronic
fatigue to irritable bowel syndrome. Patients don’t walk into our
offices as disembodied heads. Our bodies do not separate into
specialized compartments for the convenience of cardiologists,
allergists, endocrinologists, or gastroenterologists. You can’t get
to the right diagnosis and treatment without looking at all
systems!
Every symptom reflects an imbalance somewhere in the body’s
systems. Conventional medicine has segmented the body into
the various specialties and often fails to address the reality of
interactive systems.
Holistic or integrative medicine, on the other hand, addresses the
interactive systems of the whole person. The patient is evaluated
in a variety of ways and supplied with specific health
prescriptions—for supplements, foods, exercise, natural
hormones, mind-body techniques, and even prescription drugs
when indicated. Moreover, the individual has to partner with the
doctor in this process, both to carry out the regimen and to give
feedback in order to fine-tune the program.
Compared to drug therapy, natural treatments offer safer,
more user-friendly solutions with far fewer and less harmful side
effects. They work with the body’s chemistry rather than adding
what can be toxic substances to an already impaired body.

A Case in Point
I remember one early patient in particular, a 55-year-old college
teacher named Jean whose story is pretty typical. She was being
treated by her internist for high blood pressure, osteoporosis,