The Integrated Health Medical Center is one of only a few clinics practicing European biological medicine.  An approach that has been developed and refined at the Paracelsus Klinik in Switzerland, biological medicine is rapidly gaining an international following through the talks of its foremost proponent, Dr. Thomas Rau (see http://www.paracelsus.ch/).  IHMC is the only Biological Medicine clinic in this country run by a Board Certified M.D. Dr Fitzpatrick studied with Dr. Rau for 10 years and is now teaching Biological Medicine to other physicians nationally.

Biological medicine integrates both orthodox therapies and alternative practices, but it differs from conventional medicine in a key respect.  The goal of conventional medicine is to suppress or eradicate symptoms. The only goal of biological medicine is to eliminate the causes of the symptoms entirely.  This approach is especially effective in the treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases and complex health problems that are difficult to diagnose.

There are numerous factors that influence the body’s ability to maintain or regain balance when subjected to environmental toxins, poor nutrition, stress, fatigue, and psychological trauma.  Although the body is basically oriented toward health, there may come a time when it is subjected to one too many physical or spiritual challenges.  Overwhelmed, the body begins to develop symptoms as messengers that hold the key to true healing.  Everyone’s constitution is different however; so identical issues may produce entirely different symptoms in different people.  Additionally all of your symptoms are related, regardless of if each appears in different systems. So, if you are fatigued, have left knee pain, type II diabetes and your feet itch, I know that all of these are somehow related.

Biological medicine focuses on the patient’s “internal milieu” to discover where the problem started and which systems are out of balance.

The treatment plan is dedicated initially to improving metabolism and unblocking anything that interferes with the body’s ability to heal itself.  This involves detoxification and efforts to stimulate the immune system, and careful evaluation of digestion, endocrine, immune and nerve systems.

Biological medicine includes a thorough evaluation of the structural and toxic problems caused by standard dentistry.  First every tooth lies on an energy meridian that influences other organs and systems in the body, so that a problem in a tooth—long forgotten or sub-acute—may cause a symptom elsewhere.  In fact, a tooth problem may actually be the underlying cause of a serious and seemingly unrelated diagnosis.

Once the patient’s internal milieu and dental health have been assessed, and depending on the complexity of the health issue, a treatment plan may be developed that includes elements of some or all of the following:

• Acupuncture
• Bodywork
• Breath and movement therapy
• Changes in lifestyle and diet
• Chiropractic
• Conventional medicine
• Dentistry (including mercury vapor testing, organ relationships of each tooth and detecting microcurrents)
• Homeopathy
• Massage
• Movement and exercise
• Naturopathy (including herbal medicine and isopathic remedies)
• Spiritual growth
• Psychotherapy

Whatever the recommendations for an individual patient, there is one principle that the Integrated Health Medical Center always keeps in mind:  True healing always comes from within.  No matter what your illness, at IHMC we can make you feel better. The role of practitioners is first to assist in identifying and removing the barriers to self-repair and regeneration.  Secondly, we will educate you to understand the messages from your body and to rebalance yourself – this is an education in “the care and maintenance of precious you”. The patient’s commitment to work toward wholeness, which is a state of spiritual as well as physical well being, makes a tremendous contribution to the healing process.

The Premises of Biological Medicine

There are many paths to health and healing, and every individual has the freedom to choose the one that makes sense to him or her.  In order to make an informed decision about biological medicine, it is necessary to consider these basic premises:

The human body is continually rebuilding itself.
Aging as an inevitable and difficult decline, is a myth created by western culture. As long as there is life, the body is engaged in the process of regeneration.  In seven years, not a single cell will be the same as it is today.  The cells renew at a different rates, from three weeks for lymphocytes (the typical cellular elements of lymph) to 7 years for some nerve cells.  By improving the micro environment in which these cells are renewing, old cells that are causing the symptoms of disease and disorder will gradually be replaced with new, healthier building blocks for the body.  As the body rebuilds and regenerates at full capacity, symptoms will abate or disappear, and the individual will look and feel younger. Even genetic expression can be changed. Genes do not determine health, since new paradigms show that by changing the cellular micro ecology genetic expression can be permanently changed

A symptom is a messenger.
 A symptom is the body’s way of announcing that something about an individual’s life is out of balance, whether it has to do with the external or internal environment.  To eliminate the symptom without understanding its message is to miss a tremendous opportunity.  For instance, if pain in a joint is dulled with an anti-inflammatory, nothing has been done to change the cause of the pain.  In addition, if a message is not heard the first time, it will sound again with even more serious consequences. 

Dental health is an important factor in overall health.
 The condition of the teeth has long been considered an indicator of general vitality.  Symbolically, a healthy mouth is associated with the ability to come to grips with things, sink one’s teeth into life, express your view and creativity and handle aggression in a healthy way.  Good dental hygiene is important for its own sake, but during regular checkups, a competent dentist can also detect the telltale signs of anemia, leukemia, blood and bone disease, and protein deficiencies.  Further, there are health problems no amount of medical care can resolve unless attention is paid to underlying dental issues like the following:

• Heavy metal toxicity, which may be caused by the use of mercury, tin, copper, zinc, nickel, silver, and the palladium in gold fillings, are systemic poisons.
• The electrical currents from metal appliances in the mouth (fillings, crowns, bridges) may overload and overwhelm the body’s own electrical systems and cause serious regulatory blockages.
• Impacted wisdom teeth are often associated with chronic conditions like small intestine impairment, migraines, heart problems, and emotional disturbances such as depression, insomnia or anxiety.
• Sub-acute infections in root canals and dead teeth are sometimes significant aspects of a wide range of serious diseases, including cancer.
• Bite problems are a frequent cause of pain in the joints, neck, and back, and even block proper blood flow or lymph drainage to organ systems.

A dental evaluation includes a Panorex evaluation by one of the leading biological dentist in the nation, as well as a mercury vapor testing and evaluation and treatment of the teeth which may be affecting the health of distant organs. Our biological dentist will test your body levels of mercury vapor and micro-currents strong enough to run a light bulb in your mouth from mixed metals.

Nutritional issues are at the heart of many health problems.
A condition called “hyperacidity” is a common characteristic of patients with serious health problems, and the condition is typically caused by excess consumption of animal and dairy products. Meat and dairy products have large amounts of protein, which are hard to digest and assimilate.  Additionally, industrial farming causes often-insurmountable challenges to our digestive, endocrine and immune systems. The body tries to process this protein overload along a variety of metabolic pathways.  Since individual constitution determines the efficiency of these pathways, symptoms of overload will vary from person to person.  The primary metabolic pathways are the kidneys, which clean waste products from your body; the liver, which regulates the composition of the blood; and the pancreas, which makes digestive enzymes, insulin, and other hormones.  When any one of those metabolic pathways is compromised by excess protein consumption, the result can be a cascade of health problems.

Leaky gut is a common problem common to everybody in western cultures. We are gifted with magnificent delicately balanced microbacteria that line the gut. These bacteria are our connection to mother earth. It finalizes the processing of vitamins, proteins and fats and this flora prevents the absorption of carcinogenic toxins. Microflora is easily damaged by use of antibiotics, ingestion of chemicals, once damaged, that imbalance will persist for a lifetime.

Kidney function is an important indicator of hyperacidity.   
The human body can efficiently metabolize only about 70 grams (2.3 oz.) of protein every day, but the average American consumes over 150 grams.  In the effort to process the overload, the kidneys will produce urine that is excessively acidic.  The result can be gout, fibromyalgia, cervical pain, or nonspecific joint pain caused by uric acid crystals being stored in tissue.  Unwanted bacteria and fungi thrive in an acidic environment, so other indicators of hyperacidity are chronic cystitis, prostatitis, and frequent or systemic yeast infections.

Excess protein can make the entire body toxic.
When the liver is presented with more protein to process than it can handle, the overload begins to make the entire body toxic.  Other organs respond by trying to help with detoxification in their own unique way.  This can produce symptoms like excessive sweating, hypermenstruation, asthma, allergies and skin disorders like eczema or psoriasis. When the liver is compromised, excess protein may also downgrade into a prostaglandin that causes inflammation of the joints, as in arthritis.  If the overloaded liver can no longer excrete free radicals, they may become carcinogenic.

Protein is the building block of the body, and what the body can’t process, it will store.
 The plaque buildup on arterial walls that causes arteriosclerosis is filled with excess protein, as is connective tissue that has become rigid leading to joint stiffness, arthritis and fibromyalgia.  Excess protein will also thicken lymph fluid, compromising its participation in the body’s immune system.

Bacteria—the right kind of bacteria—are essential to health.

There are eight times as many bacteria in the body as cells, and we have a symbiotic relationship with these colonies.  If they are healthy and in balance, the body is fortified against infections and parasites.  If antibiotics, preservatives in foods, heavy metals, toxins, etc., and hyperacidity disrupt that balance, any number of health problems can result, including chronic yeast infections, parasites, and intestinal disorders like Crohn’s disease, colitis and IBS. Healthy intestinal bacteria are easily tested.

Allergies typically begin as a nutritional issue.
Allergies of all types are on the rise in the United States, and an initial allergic reaction to dairy and wheat products often underlies the problem.  This is due to the fact that infants are frequently introduced to cow milk and wheat in crackers or bread before they have the intestinal milieu to handle this form of nutrition. As the babies mature, other factors will intensify the problem, including toxins in the food, heavy metals, hyperacidity, and psychological factors.

Infants younger than one year have an immature gut lining, which is very permeable to allow the rapid absorption of human milk.  Babies, who are given formula or wheat teething biscuits before 6 or ideally 12 months, cannot digest these, and large undigested molecules pass through the gut lining. Immune cells create antibodies to these undigested proteins, and a lifetime allergic pattern is set up.

Whatever the health problem, each patient is
to be treated according to his or her own constitution.

We hold evidence of everything that has ever happened to us in our bodies. This evidence is a brilliant key to restoring brilliant vibrant health. When a comprehensive treatment plan is required to restore the body to balance, it may involve changes in diet and lifestyle and the expertise of numerous practitioners.  However, in biological medicine, there is no set treatment for any particular diagnosis or array of symptoms.  The approach is tailored to the constitution of each individual, and great importance is attached as well to the spiritual and psychological elements that figure in the patient’s overall well being.

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