East-West “Integrative” Medicine

It has been brought to my attention that there is a doctor in Los Angeles that has a successful “integrative medicine” practice. Western medicine proponents can take him seriously because he was educated at an Ivy League school and has an MD degree and a quarter-century affiliation with a very prestigious Los Angeles medical center. For Eastern fans, he is a Sikh minister and in addition to Western medicine also practices holistic, naturopathic medicine. He seems to be popular with celebrities (a bit of a turnoff but not his fault) and has had a patient waiting list since 1981. You cannot get an appointment with him unless referred by a long-standing patient.

An old friend asked if I would like her to hook me up with him. Not knowing what I will ultimately hear from the high-power Western machine, I said yes. She called his office and was told to have me phone them directly.

I did. After they confirmed that my health issue was one of recurrent cancer, I was told that the doctor doesn't want to waste people's time if he can't help them, so I was instructed to email them a one-page letter describing my current situation, past treatment, present medications, and my treatment “goals”. (Huh? I would think that would be obvious – I want to hit the ball out of the park on a check swing.) I was told that he reviews such letters on Wednesdays and that they will be back in touch with me after that. I'll prepare and send the letter. I know this is LA, but I'm a bit put off at having to audition for the part . . .

When I relayed the above to my friend, she replied with the following:

“I know. It pisses me off. It really pisses me off. What is it with this fucking medical establishment? How could your time be wasted by new information on different approaches to treatment? Perhaps they should consider the novel idea of treating your HEALTH so your body is better able to deal with traditional, surgical treatment? It's quite a lot like insuring only those whose health records are sparkly clean. Motherfuckers. Perhaps he'll conclude he can help you, but it sure would be nice if someone would just say "Sure! When can you come in?" More wait and see... Sigh...”