This week, we had Dr. David Rakel, an integrative medicine physician from Madison, Wisconsin, share about integrative medicine’s role in public health.
Dr. Rakel started his career near the Teton Mountains in Driggs, Idaho where he was in rural private practice for five years before completing a two-year residential fellowship in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center. He was the founder and director of the University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine Program and associate professor in the department of family medicine at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. He is now the Professor and Chair of the Department of Family & Community Medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque, NM.
We started the talk by doing a hand demonstration. He asked us to hold our hands and interlace our fingers naturally together. A majority of us noticed that we naturally put our left thumb over our right thumb in this position. Then he asked us to switch thumb positions, which members noted felt “weird” or “uncomfortable”. Dr. Rakel explained how the thumb we naturally have on top is formed through habit and part of how we developed. Similarly to the thumb analogy, Dr. Rakel explained that this is the current mentality of the American healthcare system. We are so comfortable with putting “one thumb on top” (that is, approaching medicine from a reactive response to a disease-focussed health system), that it’s hard to shift the focus to preventative health.
As an integrative medicine physician for many years, Dr. Rakel explained to us his medical journey. Part of what makes integrative medicine special to him is that he is able to cultivate an active approach to health with his patients. Dr. Rakel explains that the best way to help a patient is to understand their “why” for improving their health (a salutogenesis approach). It is much more effective than prescribing medication or telling them to change their lifestyles. Health is more of what we do as individuals, and less of what we take (a pathogenesis approach)!
Dr. Rakel says that a main component of becoming an integrative medicine practitioner is about developing empathy with your patients. Meeting with patients requires intention and humility. By helping his patients define their purpose in life, he has seen much better health outcomes for them. He emphasized that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to health. It is important to help patients evaluate and achieve their personal health goals and it’s ultimately a win-win for everyone!
To learn more about integrative medicine or Dr. Rakel and his practice, check out https://davidrakel.com.
You can also email him at david.rakel@fammed.wisc.edu.
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