Dr. Shilpa P. Saxena | Desh-Videsh Media reaches 1.5 Millions+ Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshi, and Indo-Caribbeans.

Ask the Expert

Deshvidesh — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 10:28:12 +0000

Author by Dr. Shilpa P. Saxena

What exactly is integrative medicine? How do I know if it is the right approach for me?
The Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine defines it as “the practice of medicine that reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing.”

Much of what is practiced in doctors’ offices today is based on disease diagnosis and treatment and symptom control. If you suffer from a long term symptom or chronic disease and desire an approach that looks into the cause(s), especially those rooted in nutrition, exercise, stress management and sleep, integrative medicine would be an appropriate avenue to take.

I hear a lot about maintaining “gut health” and the importance of probiotics. How can my digestive system be the key to good health?

In many Eastern modalities of healing, it has been well known that the gastrointestinal (GI) system is central to the health of the entire body. Beyond the basic biology functions we all know, like digestion, absorption and elimination, the GI system houses the majority of your immune system and is ‘the second brain’ with its close marriage to your brain and neurological systems. More and more, the latest in modern medical research reaffirms these timeless scientific truths by rediscovering the relationship between our beneficial bacteria (AKA the human microbiome) and our genes. One simple way to begin a total body health regimen is to take pure, potent and targeted probiotics (i.e. good bacteria) which can re-establish or maintain a balanced, healthy GI system.

What kinds of steps do I need to take to maintain a healthy gut?

The best way to promote a healthy gut is to feed it a variety of whole, unprocessed foods- mostly fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds and hormone/antibiotic-free protein sources. Couple that with adequate water intake and daily physical activity and you have the makings of a healthy gut foundation. Unfortunately, most Americans eat processed foods, drink sugary drinks, and don’t exercise regularly, and this severely threatens the health of your gut.

Beyond the basics, trained functional and integrative physicians can further re-establish a healthy GI system with a variety of therapies that range from elimination diets to glutamine supplementation. An individualized evaluation and treatment plan is essential to address patients with more significant disease.

I suffer from nasal allergies and dread taking medications. Is there anything I can do this spring to avoid medications, but get some relief?

Allergies can be a seasonal or year-round issue for many patients.In keeping with our timeless traditions, the neti pot is a very effective way to avoid taking antihistamines and other allergy medications. By rinsing the nasal cavity daily or twice daily with the right solution, you are able to rinse away mucous discharge, as well as remove the allergic trigger from the nasal lining. By removing both, you can stop the inflammatory (ie allergic) response from continuing to persist. Neti pot has been shown to be as effective as pharmaceutical medication in the treatment of allergies.

Quercetin and stinging nettles have also been shown to exert an anti-inflammatory function that can help reduce the symptoms of allergies any time of the year.

Two of my New Year’s resolutions included eating better and exercising regularly. I was doing great until last week. Now, I find myself making excuses … it’s too cold outside or I don’t want to make different meals for each family member. Any advice on how to stay on track?

They say that change is the only thing that doesn’t change in this world. Prochaska’s famous transtheoretical model of change teaches us there are discrete stages of change, and each one has a different motivational approach. If we want to improve, we must be aware of what stage we are in, and work to make it to the next level. Here are the stages with a hint to bump up to the next:

Pre-contemplation: Not even thinking about change here. Usually some external force (e.g. the death of a loved one or a big hospital bill) will cause a shift to the next stage.
Contemplation: Thinking about it, but you are stuck in the thought phase. Commit a 30 minute appointment with yourself to outline the first 1-3 steps it will take to start making the change.
Preparation: You are getting ready for the big day. Do the 1-3 things that got you out of the contemplation phase.
Action: You are doing it! Way to go! Create a support system and an environment for success to let it sustain as long as possible. This stage may be 1-3 months long.
Maintenance: The new habit doesn’t seem so new, and it seems more like who you are. It’s not so much effort to keep it going, but you do have moments of weakness or fleeting thoughts of ‘cheating.’ Remind yourself daily what you have gained from maintaining this new change so you don’t take it for granted and revert back.
Termination: The voices no longer try to convince you to go back. You are done with the stages of change! The best example- brushing your teeth. You hopefully brush your teeth every day, don’t need to be reminded, and can’t fathom going a day without doing it!

Pre-contemplation: Not even thinking about change here. Usually some external force (e.g. the death of a loved one or a big hospital bill) will cause a shift to the next stage.
Contemplation: Thinking about it, but you are stuck in the thought phase. Commit a 30 minute appointment with yourself to outline the first 1-3 steps it will take to start making the change.
Preparation: You are getting ready for the big day. Do the 1-3 things that got you out of the contemplation phase.
Action: You are doing it! Way to go! Create a support system and an environment for success to let it sustain as long as possible. This stage may be 1-3 months long.
Maintenance: The new habit doesn’t seem so new, and it seems more like who you are. It’s not so much effort to keep it going, but you do have moments of weakness or fleeting thoughts of ‘cheating.’ Remind yourself daily what you have gained from maintaining this new change so you don’t take it for granted and revert back.
Termination: The voices no longer try to convince you to go back. You are done with the stages of change! The best example- brushing your teeth. You hopefully brush your teeth every day, don’t need to be reminded, and can’t fathom going a day without doing it!

Positive change is rarely a straight line from what you are not today to exactly what you want to be tomorrow! It involves time, a process, plenty of forgiveness, and a constant self-awareness that keeps you aligned daily (even minute by minute, really) with what you want out of your best life!

About the Expert

Dr. Shilpa P. Saxena is a nationally recognized physician and patient educator with over 10 years experience in progressive health care. At her successful n1 Health practice, SevaMed Institute, she has created a trailblazing space complete with a teaching kitchen, fitness center, and learning environment for her patients and community. She enjoys bringing unique solutions to audiences and organizations in her classic ‘keep it simple’ style, reinforcing concepts of collaboration and service.

Dr. Saxena is Faculty with the Institute for Functional Medicine, Fellow & Guest Faculty of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, Volunteer Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, and Faculty with the Metabolic Medical Institute at George Washington University.

Dr. Saxena also serves as Chief of Medicine for n1Health and helps physicians create innovative and rewarding medical practices. She is an expert in the Group Visit medical model, creator of Group Visit Toolkits, co-creator of LivingWellnessUniversity.com, and co-author of The Ingredients Matter: India.

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Unhealthy Doctors Don’t Make the Grade

Deshvidesh — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 10:16:42 +0000

Author by Dr. Shilpa P. Saxena

Odds are that you wouldn’t surrender your lovely locks to a hairstylist who herself looks disheveled with ill attention to her hairstyle. Similarly, would you entrust your life savings and future financial security to a financial advisor you know to be going through his own personal bankruptcy process? The answer seems obvious, right? Let’s set up another real life example. Bring yourself back to the moment you learned of Bill Clinton’s ‘extra-curricular activities’ during his presidential career. Were you of the camp that said, “It’s his personal life and it has nothing to do with his professional abilities and integrity”? Or were you like those who were concerned that these behaviors signaled some ethical deviation that likely pervaded his character and raised concerns about his overall decision making compass? This historical example illustrates the polarizing aspect of our potential judgment of a thought leader in the landscape of his/her actions.

Now, let’s get health care about this! Should patients expect their doctors to be living examples of their life’s work? It doesn’t seem we hold our doctor’s to the same scrutiny. Some may argue that patients easily put their lives in the hands of the most skilled surgeon, no matter what his health status. Why should it matter if he is obese or smokes? You only have to deal with him for the relatively short time it takes to get evaluated for surgery, get the surgery and then make sure you recovered from the surgery. But what about the thousands of doctors charged with leading the charge against chronic disease. Picture this common scenario: You are sitting with your primary care doctor as he is reviewing your labs and you hear these words, “I need you to cut back on the fat and salt in your diet and start exercising. This would be a way for you to control your cholesterol and high blood pressure issues.” You then begin to ponder the possibilities and realize that this might be difficult to do long term (or maybe you don’t really want to do it). Then, as your brain runs through the list of all the reasons a lifestyle change would be hard, you notice that your doctor doesn’t seem to be following his own advice! “Eureka, this whole lifestyle thing must not be that important,” you say “because if it was, he surely would be in better shape.”

Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, cancer, tobacco abuse and obesity are all on the rise. The current medical model is NOT working. We all know the culprit… these are all diseases of poor lifestyle (not genetics, like most of us have been led to believe)! Unfortunately, doctors are not educated with the necessary information to help patients change their unhealthy lifestyle (the way they eat, the way they move and the way they manage their stress) even though it is the most powerful tool in preventing AND treating chronic disease. My patients are shocked when I tell them that most doctors have had little to no formal education in nutrition, exercise and stress management therapies. Having recognized this deficit, I pursued this information for my patients and for myself and have noted a dramatic response from my community. Patients are thirsty for this information because they are getting tired of the same old options for their symptom and disease management- a never-ending list of medications with increasing referrals for procedures, radiology and surgery. So let’s put this all together, now that I am off my pulpit!

Should doctors be held to a higher standard of healthy living as they are mentors, advisors and thought leaders to their patients on these matters of health promotion and disease management? If you saw your oncologist smoking a cigarette out back on a break, or witnessed your overweight cardiologist chugging down a sugary soda with his greasy burger, would your confidence and respect waiver? Obviously, doctors have the right to do whatever they want legally; however, many patients articulate that it is professionally irresponsible to advise and, at times, preach one thing and then proceed to behave totally different in one’s own life. An interesting tidbit: the Latin origins of the word ‘doctor’ translate to something many of us might not have guessed… ‘to teach.’ Most of us would agree that in both historical and modern times, many a great teacher educated by example, as it reflected his/her passion in the teachings.

Integrity is the bottom line here. When I tell a patient that coming off of refined sugars and starches is necessary to help their diabetes or cholesterol condition, I can honestly say that I have walked the walk whilst talking the talk. That’s what patients are inspired to follow. I am a real person with my own genetics, symptoms and lifestyle issues but I hold myself accountable to what I must do to get the vibrant, healthy, med-free, disease-free life that I, too, crave. After learning about the dramatic effect lifestyle plays in the evolution of disease, I made a major U-turn in my life. I stopped drinking the one sugary soda I consumed (the one I rationalized because I didn’t drink coffee or tea like my parents and deserved the caffeine for my stressful life.) I started eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, even though the thought of fruits never appealed to me at the time. I started cutting back on my refined starch intake by limiting my white bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. I learned that 95% of Type 2 diabetes was primarily caused by poor lifestyle and I could no longer continue to lament over my seemingly terrible genetics!

In my office, I became an open book. I shared my progress, my obstacles and used them to guide patients through what they might encounter along a potentially similar journey towards better health. Even now, it’s not required of me but it shows that I am not ‘immune’ from following my own guidelines. I am not perfection, nor do I think that there is such a thing. I follow my ‘90/10 rule’ (I aim for a 90% good choices rate as a measure of success in a world of inevitable change and limited control!) As I go to social events and celebrate birthdays with my kids, I know that the decisions that I make are in line with what I teach my patients every day in the office. When I bump into patients at the grocery store, I am confident that their casual surveillance of my cart would reveal a consistent message in and outside my office. (By the way, I am the first one to admit that making effective changes in lifestyle and thinking are not easy and work on it every day myself!)

Our own Vedantic roots point to this consistent sattvic focus as a basis for healthy mind and body. Being attached to foods, thoughts and actions that cause attachment to worldly pleasures are a source of suffering now, and thousands of years ago. It’s interesting how Truth stands the test of time. For me, marrying my thoughts, beliefs and actions in my personal and professional roles is the simplest (as in the true sense of the word; not as in ‘easiest’) way to live. This is the best ‘doctor’s advice’ I can pass on… scientifically speaking!

About Shilpa P. Saxena, MD

Shilpa P. Saxena, M.D. is a Board-Certified Family Practice physician whose passion and purpose come to life through her belief that patients make better choices about their health when they understand all the relevant factors that lead to disease. She has applied the core principle of education beyond medication at the SevaMed Institute, where she implements her broad base of medical knowledge with her patients to achieve tremendous success in finding, treating and reversing the root cause of illness. Recently, she has also launched an online medical community to share this new approach to medicine called LivingWellnessUniversity.com. Now, Dr. Saxena is able to help patients around the globe improve their health through education and making powerful lifestyle changes. Dr. Saxena graduated from the University of Florida College Of Medicine through an accelerated honors medical program and completed her Family Practice residency at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida, where she served as Chief Resident. Dr. Saxena is a Fellow of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Arizona, under the direction of Dr. Andrew Weil. Additionally, Dr. Saxena currently serves as Clinical Faculty for the Institute of Functional Medicine helping educate physicians around the world on how to implement clinically effective programs for reversing chronic disease.

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