Michael Finkelstein - Slow Medicine

To our collective conscious evolution

Exalted God, before beginning my sacred task to bring healing to Your mortal creatures, I beg You grant me the courage and strength faithfully to execute my duties. Guard me both from the blindness of avarice and the thirst for glory and honor. Endow me with the strength equally to serve the rich and the poor, the good and the wicked, friend and enemyto simply see in each, a fellow human being in pain. Inspire me with the desire to learn from more learned physicians, for the art of medicine, to which I have dedicated myself, is infinite. Protect me, however, from the scorn and ridicule of those who are older or more respected. Let the truth alone guide me, for any professional compromise can bring only illness and tragedy to Your mortal creatures. O most compassionate and merciful God, strengthen me both in body and soul and implant within me a spirit of wholeness.

Moses Maimonides

CONTENTS

IN MY FORTY YEARS AS A FAMILY PHYSICIAN , Ive yet to see a more practical and comprehensive approach for experiencing optimal health and a fulfilled life than slow medicine. Through this new paradigm, Dr. Michael Finkelsteina highly respected, board-certified internistprovides you with a fresh perspective on the meaning of health. Youll soon learn that health is far more than the absence of illness; it is a state of wholeness and balance of body, mind, and soul. His teaching method is simple yet profound. Hes asking you questions that require some reflection to answer. And in that response youll find what health means to you.

The journey youre about to embark on is a life-changing adventure. It is a self-healing process that allows you to safely explore every facet of your life, led by an extraordinary physician, healer, and teacher. Based on what youve learned about yourself, youll quickly develop the capacity to make healthier, more conscious choices as you transform into a skillful self-caretaker. Your intention and attention will be directed at mastering the art of self-compassion. As you gain greater clarity about the causes of your disease (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual)along with a deeper understanding and appreciation for your gifts, passions, and your lifes purposehealth and happiness will flow freely.

Unlike most self-help and medical books on the market, Slow Medicine does not suggest that one size fits all. And that is why it is more useful to you as an individual. Weve been conditioned by a health care system superficially focused on determining what we should weigh or what our BMI should be, based on height and body frame; defining the limits of normal blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol; and recommending how much time we should spend exercising each week, as if we are all the same. Of course, these are all important measures of physical well-being, but the slow medicine prescription of Skillful Living takes you far beyond these standards to a condition of health marked by greater vitality, peace of mind, an open heart, and an awakened and soothed soul.

Similarly, conventional medicine excels at treating acute and life-threatening illness and injuries. Yet the high-tech medicine of the West is low-touch and limited, which is not only expensive but regrettably ineffective for curing most chronic conditions, whether its heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, back pain, migraine headaches, sinusitis, or asthma. In fact, the standard of care for the vast majority of these conditions is merely managementnot true wellness. And we pay for this dearly, not only with dollars but with the pain and suffering that persists unaided.

Approximately 85 percent of our two-trillion-dollar health care expenditures are spent on treating these chronic problems, most of which are preventable and often result from an unhealthy lifestyle. Todays health care industry is a badly broken system, largely because its become a hugely profitable disease-treatment (some might say symptom-treatment) business with a lot less emphasis on caring. Modern medicine is overly concerned with the science to the exclusion of the art of medicine. We deserve something better.

Disenchanted with the quality of care and, for many, the prohibitive expense, Americans are moving away from a dependence on the medical profession for their primary care and are taking more responsibility for their own health. As a result, weve seen a meteoric rise in the practice of self-carelearning to eat healthier, exercise more consistently, manage stress more effectively, meditate, and seek greater spirituality in life. Not surprisingly, this trend has been the catalyst for the birth of a new medical specialty: Integrative Holistic Medicine (IHM).

IHM is defined as the art and science of healing that addresses care of the whole personbody, mind, and spirit. The practice of IHM is focused on creating optimal health, and treating and preventing chronic disease by mitigating causes. Its based on the belief that unconditional love is lifes most powerful healer and that the perceived loss of love is our greatest health risk. This book will help you to write your own unique slow medicine prescription for loving yourself in every realm of your life.

IHM has proven to be highly successful in treating myriad chronic conditions. There are currently close to two thousand physicians (M.D.s and D.O.s) in the United States who are board certified by the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine, the vast majority of whom are primary care physicians. Michael and I are among this group of pioneers setting a new standard for twenty-first-century health care.

This book will provide you with a wonderful opportunity for practicing this new brand of health care on yourself, combining modern medicine with ancient wisdom, while being guided by a highly skilled primary care physician. Learning to live with skill leads to a state of being fully alive. Indeed, that is your answer. My suggestion is that you take your time and delight in the gift that youve given yourself: Indeed, its time for a dose of Slow Medicine.

Dr. Rob Ivker, D.O.

Dr. Ivker is the founder and medical director of Fully Alive Medicine in Boulder, Colorado. The cofounder and former president of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine, he is the author of Sinus Survival: The Holistic Medical Treatment for Sinusitis and Thriving: The Holistic Guide to Optimal Health for Men.

Midway along the journey of our life

I woke to find myself in some dark woods,

for I had wandered off from the straight path.

Dante

WHAT ARE THE CHANCES YOUVE GOT or will get a chronic medical condition such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, headaches, arthritis, backache, or stomach trouble? What are the chances youve tried a lot of potential remedies for your conditiona lot of doctors, a lot of pills, a lot of treatments? And what are the chances youre still suffering, and find yourself anxious about your health and your future? Speaking as a doctor with a lot of experience, I can tell you the chances are very high. Every day, people just like you arrive at my office looking pained, desperate for relief, and just about hopeless. The fact that youve picked up this book means youre probably a lot like those people. You or someone you love probably suffers from an aggravating health problem that often seems out of control, even though you or they have seen plenty of smart doctors.