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The Partners in Healing (PiH) Way: A Model for Collaborative Healing

In this issue of Partners Press you will meet our new team and learn how our collaborative efforts can work for you.

When Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall, the combined efforts of all the king's horses and all the king's men still weren't enough to put poor Humpty back together again. Much like this nursery rhyme, there may be times when you feel a "brokenness" that doesn't seem to heal, despite everyone's attempts to get you back together.

Perhaps at those times it's best to ask the question, What conditions will provide the best chance of restoring your health after a fall? At Partners in Healing of Minneapolis (PIH) our model of collaboration creates the optimal environment for returning to good health. We practice and support three types of collaboration to maximize our clients' abilities to achieve their health and healing goals.

1) Inner Harmony: Collaboration Within

Pythagoras addressed the first type of collaboration more than 2,000 years ago when he said, "The most divine art is that of healing; it must occupy itself with the soul as well as the body." When there is disharmony within, a state of "dis-ease" is created, which can manifest as symptoms or illness. If we were treating Mr. Dumpty, for example, we'd be sure to look at whether something was going on within him that made him more fragile or more likely to lose balance, and we'd help restore the first level of collaboration: inner harmony.

2) Who are the king's horses and king's men in your life: Building Your Team

Dis-ease, whether it involves body, mind or spirit, is often disorienting. Where you used to feel in control and familiar with your life and routine, you might instead find yourself in a strange underworld "full of such impossible events, strange visitations and unexpected transformations," (Katt Duff, The Alchemy of Illness). At such times, the second type of collaboration is needed involving the relationship between you and the people to whom you turn for healing assistance. PIH recognizes your uniqueness and works with you to find the the treaters and treatments that will be most helpful in bringing out your innate healing capacity. In short, we model the belief that, "Nature is the physician, we are only her assistants."

3) Working together to find what works for you: Team Collaboration

At PIH we have a team of healers trained in psychotherapies, medicine, oriental and energy therapies, biofeedback, acupuncture and massage. We have many specialists under one roof because we know that different people will respond best to different treatments. So the third type of collaboration is what takes place between the members of the treatment team. Although each member has unique abilities and diverse knowledge, we work together toward a common goal: to help you reach your best health. Together we discuss the treatments that will be most effective for you, so you walk away with an informed, unified perspective.

David Alter, PhD

The Practice of Holistic Medicine at PiH

Mark L. Hoch, M.D.

I am grateful for the opportunity to describe holistic medicine to you. I write from the perspective of a Past President of the American Holistic Medical Association, a teacher and holistic physician of many years. What is holistic medicine? Holistic medicine is the art and science of healing that addresses care of the whole person: body, mind and spirit. It is a health- based practice that helps one achieve optimal health in all spheres of one’s being: physical, emotional, mental, environmental, social and spiritual.

How does it work for you?

It starts with a comprehensive evaluation of the whole person. This includes what health concerns you have; what they mean to you; what illness and injuries have you had or now experience; what illnesses/problems are in your family; what is your life and social experience; what is the level of functioning of your body systems; what is your emotional and mental state; what environment do you live and work in; what are your daily habits including, diet, exercise, sleep, meditation and spiritual practice; what herbs, supplements and medications do you use; what sensitivities and allergies do you have, and what prior evaluations and treatments were done, and what worked and what did not?

After the history/life story is obtained, further information is gleaned from a complete physical exam. This includes a standard medical exam and other appropriate diagnostics, such as a detailed osteopathic exam or traditional Chinese or Ayurvedic assessment. At this point, an assessment is made in partnership with you. If further testing is needed to clarify a diagnosis or help define what the best treatment would be, this also would be discussed and arranged. A therapeutic plan is then developed to address all the relevant issues.

The 12 Guiding Principles

Client as a person: Establishing who the person is and not focusing exclusively on identifying symptoms and diseases.

Listen to the client: The client's needs and insights are just as important as the physician's. There is no better source of information than you, the source itself.

Whole person: Illness is viewed as a dysfunction of the whole person or system they live in rather than an isolated event or disconnected piece.

Relationship-centered care: The quality of the relationship is a major determinant in the effectiveness of any plan. Active, conscious participation is needed from all parties.

Optimal health: Striving to attain optimal functioning and balance in all spheres of being. This is much more than the absence of a disease or medical diagnoses.

Prevention: Promoting healthy life choices and screening for habits and risk factors that predispose one to health problems in the future. This is common sense and is also cost-effective.

Focus on cause: Discern and address problems as close as possible to their cause. This is much more effective than merely treating symptoms.

Opportunity: Illness, pain, and the dying process are learning and growth opportunities, not senseless, random acts.

Innate healing power: We all have incredible innate powers of healing in our bodies, minds and spirits, and these are to be invoked and utilized as much as possible.

All effective and safe diagnostic and treatment options: If a treatment is effective, safe, of reasonable cost, and makes sense to the client and physician, it is a good option. There is no room for dogma or anything else that stands in the way of truth and compassion.

Walk the talk: Holistic physicians must walk their talk and be a living example of practicing holism in everyday life.

Unconditional Love: This is life's most powerful medicine.

The Moral of the Story?

As you can see there is much more to holistic medicine than conventional, alternative and complementary treatments. It is a way of looking at the world, as well as practicing the best quality medicine we are able to in the moment. From my standpoint, holistic medicine is what all healthcare practitioners would ideally be practicing.

Mark L. Hoch, M.D., is Board Certified in Family Medicine and is a Founding Diplomate of the American Board of Holistic Medicine. He is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at the UMN School of Medicine and Community Faculty at the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the Academic Health Center. He has taught at several family medicine residency programs. Dr. Hoch is a member of the American Holistic Medical Association since 1986, and was President of 2002-3. He was also the lead physician at the Arizona Center for Health and Medicine, a multidisciplinary holistic center in Phoenix. He has training and practice experience in osteopathy, nutritional medicine, Trager, mind-body approaches, Qi Gong and spiritual healing. Dr. Hoch is happy to now be in service at PIH.

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