Dr. Nathan Recognized as a National Expert on Fibromyalgia

NEWS RELEASE

By James S. Baumlin, EtAlia Press Editor

By being asked to contribute to Dr. Deirdre Rawling’s latest e-book, Insider Secrets For Treating Fibromyalgia: 12 Top Experts, Dr. Neil Nathan has placed himself among a dozen national experts whose work lies at the cutting-edge of fibromyalgia diagnosis and treatment. In addition to the e-book’s well-respected editor, Dr. Nathan joins Drs. David M. Brady, Kent Hotorf, Jacob Teitelbaum, Roger Murphree, Scott Rollins, Glen Depke, Gloria Gilbere, Mark Guarilia, and Sue Ingebretson—a veritable Pantheon of fibromyalgia researchers and practitioners—in contributing chapters.

For immediate purchase of
Insider Secrets and a website
devoted to fibromyalgia treatments, go to
http://www.fibromyalgiainsidersecrets.com/

For information on Dr. Rawlings’ work and services, go to
http://www.nutri-living.com/.

Look on Facebook (“Fibromyalgia Insider Secrets”) for physician/patient discussions, contributors’ speaking engagements, podcasts, and audio files, and other information pertinent to this e-publication.

As Dr. Steven Hines writes in the Foreword to Insider Secrets:

This book is a must-read for patients and physicians alike – a veritable compilation from top experts, it is an island of clarity in an unsteady sea of confusion surrounding Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Conventional medicine so far has had a very poor understanding of what causes Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The exploration of poor nutrition, toxic build-up, and other stressors and the benefits of proper nutrition and detoxification effectively address the underlying causes of disease rather than justsuppressing the symptoms.
     This book will help you to better understand the comprehensive scope of integrative medicine – making it an essential part of the medicine of the new millennium. It presents a wide array of therapies for treating disease and creating optimal health. It has become increasingly important that we educate ourselves in non-toxic methods of obtaining and maintaining health – this book does that through top experts who know and practice the value of integrative and nutrition-based medicine. The professionals who have contributed their expertise to this book have each broken new ground in the discovery of causes, effects and many natural solutions to inflammatory disorders – specifically fibromyalgia. Some of the authors have themselves been victims of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and immune system disorders and have recovered using the principles they implement with their patients. This book empowers individuals to take control of their health through understanding some of the causes of their symptoms and specifically the life-style changes that must occur in order to facilitate a return to homeostasis. The average person is lost in a glut of complex and confusing health information from a myriad of sources; often they feel like powerless victims subject to seemingly random infections and genetic predispositions driven on by the media and television. Their quality of life has slowly diminished; all the while their physician is looking at the barrage of laboratory testing that often shows everything is “within normal range” but the pain persists. Fibromyalgia sufferers feel helpless because everything aches and they barely have enough energy to get through a single day, but they have not yet found a doctor who can make a proper diagnosis and give effective treatments.
     This book will become your “go-to” reference, whether to seek out a health professional that can assist you, or as a guide to how your diet can unknowingly induce inflammation and other symptoms that are rarely, if ever, traced to health-depleting ingredients you consume on a regular basis.

Food that Helps Win the Battle Against Fibromyalgia: Ease Everyday Pain and Fight Fatigue

New treatments for Fibromyalgia

THE FOLLOWING IS A PREVIEW of Dr. Nathan’s Chapter in the forthcoming e-book, Insider Secrets For Treating Fibromyalgia: 12 Top Experts, edited by Deirdre Rawlings, N.D, Ph.D.

“Overview of Successful Treatment for Fibromyalgia and Exciting New Treatment Ideas and Options.”

"You are already perfect…and there is room for improvement."

-- Suzuki Roshi

In this chapter, I will first provide the reader with my overview of how to successfully treat fibromyalgia. Then, I would like to introduce some new ideas and treatment options which promise to add a great deal to what we can already provide.
     I have now treated well over 4,000 patients with fibromyalgia, and I am hopeful that this experience will enable me to teach both professionals and patients how to improve their successes. In my recent book, “On Hope and Healing: For Those Who Have Fallen Through the Medical Cracks,” I provide a great deal more detail for each concept reviewed here, so I encourage the reader to learn as much as possible. The more you know, the more you can become proactive for your treatment, and the better questions you will ask.

Basic Principles
Fibromyalgia is not a simple disorder. I believe that it is the result of a wide range of various deficiencies and imbalances and toxicities. The possible combination of these imbalances is such that there is no single method, no single approach that applies to every patient. Each patient is biochemically unique. The clues, or hints, as to which biochemical imbalances apply to the individual patient can be found in a detailed history. While testing is useful, there is no substitute for an in-depth review of exactly how and when the symptoms appeared, and how the illness progressed, and changed over time. Carefully scrutinizing the current symptoms is essential to know where we can begin to unravel these clues.
     Over the years, I have found that certain imbalances are much more common than others in the causing or contributing to fibromyalgia. Some years ago, I stratified these into what we came to call the Big Six and the Little Six. For my patients, this became a straightforward way for us to approach diagnosis and treatment. The Big Six just refers to the six most common imbalances, many of which are noted and discussed by the authors contributing to this book:

1. Adrenal deficiencies
2. Magnesium deficiency
3. Thyroid deficiencies
4. Deficiency of the sex hormones
5. Food Allergy
6. Intestinal dysbiosis, which merely refers to overgrowth of toxic yeast and bacterial species in the gut.

When a patient relates their story, it may be clear that one or more of these factors do not apply to them, and we can push those ideas onto a back burner. We can then proceed to immediately investigate the ones that are the most likely suspects from the patient’s history. When we do this, a large percentage of patients with fibromyalgia will improve, and many will be cured. Over the years, I have compared my treatment outcomes with Dr. Teitelbaum, since our approach is similar. We have both noted that about half of our patients, following this system, will be cured, and that most of the rest will get better, ranging from a little better, to almost well. Unfortunately, we still do not know everything we need to about all of the causative factors, so there are some patients who have not improved, despite all of our best efforts. With each passing year, however, we learn more and more, and find we can help additional patients to recover. So there is, indeed, hope for fibromyalgia patients that they can recover their health, often completely. The second most common group of factors that I have found that add another big piece to solving the fibromyalgia puzzle, I have come to call the Little Six. These simply refer to the six next most common contributing elements to diagnosis and treatment:

1. Hypoglycemia.
2. Dental toxicities: Mercury toxicity, imbalanced electrical potentials of the teeth, root canals, and cavitations, amongst others.
3. Mold toxicity.
4. Chronic infections: Chronic Lyme disease with the co-infections Bartonella and Babesia; Chronic viral infections, particularly EBV (Epstein-Barr Virus), CMV (Cytomegalovirus), and HHV6 (Human herpes virus 6); Chronic Mycoplasma infection; and Chronic Chlamydia pneumonia infections. We will devote a separate area in this chapter to the newly-discovered virus XMRV as well.
5. Amino acid deficiencies which present as deficiencies in our ability to make neurotransmitters.
6. Methylation deficiencies: This one is so important and so new to our understanding that I will devote a separate section to this area.

Lastly, I would like to bring to the reader’s attention a new technology which has helped us to realize that there may be another component to the causes of fibromyalgia; namely that of Cervical-Trauma Fibromyalgia. Quite a few of our patients tell us that their fibromyalgia began following damage to their neck (cervical area), usually as a whiplash-type injury. Carolyn McMakin, DC, has done some exciting research showing that these patients are left with residual inflammation of the spinal cord, which can be successfully treated with the use of Frequency Specific Microcurrent, to which we will devote yet another portion of this chapter.
     Let’s dig in . . . .



A Q&A with Dr. Nathan

A Question & Answer with Dr. Neil Nathan, Author of
On Hope and Healing: For Those Who Have Fallen
Through the Medical Cracks

Interview conducted 14 July 2010 by James S. Baumlin, Et Alia senior editor


J.B. In On Hope and Healing, you seem to break the mold of the typical medical practitioner, coming across as part scientist, part detective, part family physician. How did you become so diverse in your interests and skills?


N.N. The impetus came from my frustration with my medical practice. I began as a fairly traditional family physician, delivering babies, doing minor surgeries, taking care of children and adults; but, over the years, I kept having the feeling that—while useful in many instances—conventional medicine was not enough to help all my patients. As I began searching, I soon realized that the answers were out there—but not where the typical practitioner thought to look. So I studied every healing modality that I could, slowly evolving my understanding of what works for more and more patients with more and more complex/chronic illnesses.


J.B. It seems as if every generation has its own “signature” illness, whether its tuberculosis in the mid-nineteenth century, polio in the early twentieth, or hiv/aids in more recent decades. What trends do you see now?


N.N. I wish this current generation faced only one “signature” illness! The problem is that we’re battling so many at once: Lyme disease, autism, fibromyalgia, mold toxicity, and chronic fatigue are ones to which my book gives particular attention. Note that a weakened autoimmune system is a common thread throughout these illnesses and that they often accompany each other, making for difficult diagnoses and complex treatments.


J.B. Statistics suggest that we’re living longer, though not necessarily better in terms of quality-of-life. So let me ask: Is the current generation healthier than its parents or grandparents? Is our world healthier or sicker?


N.N. I think it is growingly clear that we are not as healthy as we used to be. And, for the first time in history, our life span is in fact decreasing. I strongly suspect that this is related to environmental pollution and to the marked increase in toxic exposures: to chemicals (both household and industrial), pesticides, heavy metals, and electromagnetic fields, just to name the more insidious.

J.B. Talk about your book, On Hope and Healing. For whom did you write it, and why?


N.N. The answer is given in the book’s subtitle: For Those Who Have Fallen Through the Medical Cracks. I wrote it for them, to give them hope and real prospects for healing. As I’ve mentioned, my practice had evolved into the more specialized treatment of complex/chronic illnesses. I was helping my own patients, but I realized that there were millions, literally millions, of Americans today whose needs were not being met. I felt I had found some useful treatments, so I wrote this book to let others know that help—indeed, hope—was possible. The information gathered in this book will give readers a starting-place for their own healing journeys.


J.B. There are so many medical self-help books on the market today. What makes yours different from the rest?


N.N. I didn’t want simply to repackage information that’s already available. Two things distinguish this book. First is its scope: by casting so wide a net, just about anyone who is seeking healing answers will find help. Second is its synthetic approach: symptoms, and diagnoses, and treatments cannot be pursued in isolation, but must be considered in their complex interrelations. I try to give the “big picture,” or, perhaps more precisely, I try to fit the pieces together that complete the puzzle of today’s complex illnesses. Fibromyalgia, for example, and chronic fatigue are typically symptoms, not causes: we need to identify the underlying cause of the fatigue, which may be Lyme disease, for example, or one of its co-infectants (such as Bartonella, Babesia, or the Epstein-Barr virus).

J.B. So, what kind of reception do you anticipate from the larger medical community? I suspect it will be mixed, depending on each practitioner’s “paradigm.”


N.N. Let me say, first, that I have colleagues practicing conventional medicine whom I admire; they are wise, well-trained, and do much good. But many, perhaps even a majority, of conventional practitioners wear blinders when it comes to alternative and complementary and holistic therapies, and in this respect they do their patients a disservice. I would like to think that my book can make some converts. After all, I was “one of them,” myself, once: my own training (at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine) was entirely main-stream. But I re-tooled. So can they.


J.B. And the growing community of holistic practitioners: what do they think of your work?


N.N. Many colleagues, whose judgment I trust most, have read my book in manuscript and have given their rousing endorsement. I would cite Dr. Robert Anderson, Founding President of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine, who writes that my book “makes an essential contribution” to the field. I would also cite Dr. Bill Manahan, Past President of the American Holistic Medical Association, who writes that mine is “by far the best book, the most comprehensive book, and the clearest book ever written about integrative holistic medicine.” That’s high praise, but who am I to disagree? I should note, too, that Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum has graciously provided the foreword; being a well-published author in holistic medicine, his name lends some distinction to my own work.


J.B. Tell us a little more about yourself, your family, and what the immediate future holds for Dr. Neil Nathan.


N.N. I am still driven by the passionate desire to help as many patients as I can. I am fortunate that my passion to understand the healing process is also my life’s work. So I continue to study, and do research, and teach, and practice medicine. I am delighted that the group with whom I am currently affiliated—Gordon Medical Associates of Santa Rosa, California—consists of like-minded physicians who share my interest in cutting-edge research and my passion for healing. I am blessed with the constant presence of love in my life, provided by my incredible wife and wonderful family (which includes children and grandchildren and three dogs and a cat). I live on the northern California coast, within sight of the ocean and redwood trees, so life has been good to me—for which I am truly grateful. I hope to give back and be of service in equal measure.


J.B. Can readers contact Gorden Medical associates directly?


N.N. Yes, I would encourage readers to contact them for inquiries and orders: Gordon Medical Associates, 3471 Regional Parkway, Santa Rosa, California, 95403. Phone 707-575-5180 FAX 707-575-5509.

J.B. Let me end this Q&A with the bibliographic information:


On Hope and Healing: For Those Who Have Fallen Through the Medical Cracks, by Neil Nathan, M.D. Foreword by Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. Little Rock: Et Alia, 2010. xxxvi + 310 pp. with index. Photographs by the author.
Perfect bound softcover , $19.95 retail
ISBN 978-0-982818-40-4

A New Model for Understanding - And Treating - Depression and Chronic Pain

At last: the times, they are a changin’. For the past 25 years, the medical profession has viewed clinical depression as a “simple” imbalance or deficiency of serotonin and dopamine, two of the brain’s basic neurotransmitters. This misguided view has reduced the treatment of depression almost exclusively to anti-depressant medications.

Despite hundreds of published studies showing that these drugs are only partially effective, the pharmaceutical industry has persuaded my colleagues that they are the best tool available, and we have bought into this paradigm hook, line, and sinker.

As a result, a majority of psychiatrists now limit their practice to the prescription of medications, while the “talking cure” of psychotherapy has been left largely to psychologists. This has created fragmented care that does not adequately address the needs of large numbers of patients who continue to suffer and show limited ability to cope in their daily lives.

Our preoccupation with medications as the savior of the depressed has kept us from taking a deeper look at the problem and, thus, at finding better solutions.

Last month, I attended a seminar hosted by the Stanford University School of Medicine in San Francisco, titled “Breakthroughs in Neurological Therapies: Restoring Function to the Nervous System,” and I am pleased to note that a new model, a new understanding, of depression is emerging, which will allow us to make some new progress in this arena.

Typically, depression is defined by its general symptoms (mood swings, low self-esteem, loss of pleasure in life, etc.) rather than its causes. But Dr. Brent Solvason began his talk with a definition that, while daunting to the layperson, shows a real paradigm-shift: as he described it, depression is a systems-level disorder affecting integrated pathways linking select cortical, subcortical, and limbic areas and their related neurotransmitter and molecular mediators.

What does this mean? As neuroscientists are beginning to realize, it means that depression is created by complicated interactions among different parts of the brain that are not communicating with each other in a “normal” or functional way.

This new definition arises out of recent research with “deep brain” stimulation for the treatment of depression, obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), and movement disorders. At academic centers such as Stanford, neurosurgeons are implanting electrodes into specific brain centers that can be stimulated with electricity to produce improvement and cures. We have long known that electroshock therapy can be effective in some patients whose severe depression has not responded to medication, and yet some patients who did not respond well to electroshock are benefitting from this new approach.

In addition to the implanted electrodes, new studies show that transcranial magnetic stimulation (which reaches only to the surface of the brain) is almost equally effective in treatment.

The essential concept here is brain circuitry and its “pathways.” Depression, OCD, and other disorders represent some kind of neurological “stuck place” or “loop.” Somehow, often by injury, emotional overload, chemical / heavy metal exposures, or a combination of these, the nervous system creates (or stumbles upon) a dysfunctional pathway or circuit. And once such malfunctioning circuits are created, some individuals can’t seem to break out of the neurological loops that result. They get mired, as it were, in a neuro-electrical bog.

The same model underlies our emerging understanding of chronic pain. For some time, we have suspected that chronic pain results from a “reverbating loop,” in which a pain-impulse, upon reaching the spinal cord, starts to stimulate neighboring neurons; these then turn back on themselves, producing an electrical loop. The loop becomes self-stimulating and self-perpetuating: once in place—even when the original source of pain has long since resolved—the electrical stimulation keeps going on, and on, and on.

What we need, in order to restore the normal electrical system of the brain, is to find a way to “reboot” it. In the same way that we reboot our computers when they freeze or get “stuck” in a malfunctioning loop, we are discovering ways of doing the same with our nervous system.

While offering exciting new prospects, the research presented at Stanford University is still based on invasive neurosurgery, and I cannot imagine that this is the ultimate solution to the problems of depression and chronic pain. In fact, several newer technologies bring hope that solutions are right around the corner.

The two that have captured my interest are Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM) and Low Energy Neurotherapy System (LENS).

FSM uses a microcurrent (one thousandth of an ampere) at specific frequencies to break electrical and chemical patterns in the body. LENS utilizes brain-mapping technology to determine which areas are either over- or under-stimulated and then applies an almost homeopathic electrical microcurrent to move electrical energy through the blocked areas. Both of these technologies accomplish healing that I had previously thought impossible.

With FSM, I have seen patients who have suffered with fibromyalgia for years receive an hour of gentle microcurrent stimulation and get off the treatment table with an 80% reduction in their pain. With repeated treatments, I have seen these patients get lasting results!

With LENS, I have seen patients with severe neurological impairments (due to a variety of causes: traumatic brain injury, Lyme disease, etc.) show marked improvement within 4-8 treatments.

While we are not certain exactly how these micro-miracles work, our current understanding is that both therapies somehow “reboot” the nervous system, so that it can return to normal functioning, even after years of illness. This accords with our current understanding that the nervous system has “plasticity,” meaning that it is capable of creating new circuit-pathways and being healed. Our older understanding (though never embraced by the entire medical profession) was that, once the nervous system had been damaged, healing was unlikely, and that nerves healed so slowly that it would take 2-3 years if it happened at all.

That these therapies work in hours or days or weeks means that the very notion of a “damaged” nervous system might not be correct in all cases: it might have been stunned, or stuck, or irritated, or inflamed, but the nervous system was not damaged. This gives us renewed hope that we are on the verge of offering healing to thousands.

Some Readers Respond To Dr. Neil Nathan's Book

[Editor's note: The following three letters are printed verbatim (with permission of their authors), with only minor changes of punctuation.
—JSB]

[A Missouri Dogwood in Spring Bloom. Photo by Neil Nathan.]

I was spending some quiet moments ... reading a couple more chapters of your wonderful book, and just felt that I needed to let you know how much I have been enjoying it. What a fabulous gift you have provided for your former patients—to still have "you" close at hand, with all of your reminders, cues & prompts to keep guiding us towards our own healing paths. And ... hopefully ... it will provide a guiding light for the many, many others out there that need this wisdom as well...
     I will try, as I always have, to do my part in sharing the lessons I have gained from you and my own rather intense health research. While I read along in your book, I keep thinking of several people that I know that desperately NEED the info in this book (... whether they are open & ready for it is a whole 'nother story ...) and will send in another order next week for a couple more.
     All I can do is try to "water the seeds" that you have so patiently planted, and pray that some-one/thing comes along to help "fertilize them."
     Thank you again, Neil, for trying your very best in guiding me all of those years ... and for taking the time, energy and love to put down your thoughts and knowledge on paper for the whole world to share in!
Happiest of Thanksgivings to you and your family!
Namaste'
A.S.

Neil: I am slower at writing than at reading! Thank you for writing On Hope and Healing. The philosophy represented gives me great hope that the slow evolution of traditional medical thinking has some noteworthy challengers who are ready and willing to speak out.
     I am pleased to find such an eloquent presentation of the need for medical professionals to "listen," to understand the multitude of conditions that give rise to distant symptoms, and to treat causes rather than symptoms.
     Your book masterfully leads the reader through each of a multitude of conditions which are starting points for treatment of "disease" whose symptoms appear to send the observer in a different direction. The book builds very effectively to thinking differently about complex medical situations of human suffering like cancer and autism.
     You pull no punches about the tunnel vision that goes on exacerbated by drug companies, insurance companies, and all the financial pressures that are heaped upon the medical profession. I hope that your work here does not get shunted aside and buried by traditional voices.
     Personally, I have a better understanding of the medical challenges I face as I age, and the continued wisdom of the supplement regime I am on. Further, I have a much better appreciation of the need to challenge the "quick" answers I get on my medical issues (and non-medical too!). I bought another copy of your book to give to a gifted therapist whom I know will get much out of reading same.
Thanks again, Doc.
G.V.

I just received your new book, On Hope and Healing, and I wanted you to know that it is FABULOUS. The first thing you said was "For those who have fallen through the medical cracks," and that is so true here in my town. I have talked to doctors around here about some of the things I talked over with you and am getting nowhere. The Iodoral therapy you started me on is great, but I can't find anyone here to help monitor my need for iodine. Likewise for thyroid treatment. But the information in your book is a wonderful guideline.
S. Z.

Where to Buy?

The following stores and offices carry Dr. Neil Nathan's book, On Hope and Healing. For mail-order sales, contact Dr. Nathan's "home base,"
Gordon Medical Associates
Best to order by emailing: supplements@gordonmedical.com
3471 Regional Parkway
Santa Rosa, CA, 95403
Phone : (707) 575-5180
FAX: (707) 575-5509

In California:

Gallery Bookshop
45098 Main St.
Mendocino, CA 95460
(707) 937-2665

Copperfield’s Books
2316 Montgomery Drive
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 578-8938

Health First Pharmacy
9070 Windsor Road
Windsor, CA 95492
(707) 837-7948

Cheshire Books
345 N. Franklin St.
Fort Bragg, CA 95437
(707) 964-5918

Laughing Dog Books
14125 Highway 128
Boonville, CA 95415
(707) 272-7323

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens Gift Shop
18220 Highway 1
Fort Bragg, CA 95437
(707) 964-4352

Borders Books & Music, Santa Rosa, California
2825 Santa Rosa Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95407
(707) 569-0991

Four-Eyed Frog Books
39138 Ocean Drive
Box 1122
Gualala, CA 95445
(707) 884-1333

The Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Blvd
Corte Madeira, CA 94925
(415) 927-0960

Mendocino Book Company
102 S. School Street
Ukiah, CA 95482
(707) 468-5940

In Missouri:

Borders Books & Music, Springfield, Missouri
3300 S. Glenstone Avenue
Springfield, MO 65804
(417) 881-4111

Renaissance Books & Gifts
1337 E. Montclair Street
Springfield, MO 65804
(417) 883-5161

Spring Valley Herbs and Natural Foods
1738 S. Glenstone  Avenue
Springfield, MO  65804
(417) 882-1033

Missouri State University Bookstore
Plaster Student Union
901 S. National Avenue
Springfield, MO 65897

Springfield (MO) Bookstores Carrying Dr. Nathan's Book

Dr. Neil Nathan's Missouri Friends might be interested to know that his book, On Hope and Healing, can be purchased locally at the following stores:

Borders Books & Music,
3300 S. Glenstone Ave.
Renaissance Books & Gifts,
1337 E. Montclair St.
Missouri State University Bookstore in the Plaster Student Union, 901 S. National Ave.

I hope to announce other bookstores in the near future. Dr. Nathan can be reached at http://www.gordonmedical.com/ and I'm sure he'd like to hear from his Missouri friends and patients. 

—James S. Baumlin, EtAlia editor

(The above photograph was taken by Dr. Nathan on a beautiful spring day in Southwest Missouri.)

ON LANGUAGE AND HEALING: Part 1

Ah, human perception. So varied, so quirky. Ya gotta love it.


The psyche is a fragile construct, shaped uniquely and individually by our experiences. Unfortunately, we tend to focus on and recall our negative experiences, so that memories of our positive experiences do not get equal airtime.
     Also, when communicating with others, we often have difficulty discerning the intent of what they wish to convey to us. Often, we interpret their communications literally (hence, simplistically). Worse, we tend to project our own experiences onto their communications; it’s as if we get caught in our own “personal filters” (what psychologists call projections), which can color everything that we see, and hear, and feel. These projective tendencies work to our detriment when our perceptions are “filtered” through negativity or poor self-esteem.
     Since clear communication is the essence of all human interaction, the holistic practitioner must learn to treat language as a starting point of healing.
     Let me give three examples of how important and tenuous communication can be and how critical a practitioner’s understanding of the details of language—of one’s own, as well as one’s patients’—is to that process.


Many years ago, while I was working in the emergency room of a small hospital, a forty-year-old Native American was brought in by ambulance. He had been observed falling to the ground on the main street of his town and was found to be unconscious. Emergency medical personnel were on the scene immediately and CPR resuscitation begun, continuing through the one-hour ride to our hospital. By the time he arrived he was breathing normally and had a good pulse and blood pressure. I examined him carefully and, curiously, could find nothing wrong with him.
     I queried him in as much detail as I could as to what had happened, but he was reluctant to discuss it. Finally, he admitted that he had been told that he was dying, that he was “terminal,” and that he decided to “leave” before he began to suffer. Since he appeared healthy, I was baffled by his story and pressed him for the details of how he had learned that he was dying.
     After some hesitation, he told me his story. Several weeks prior, after enduring a six-month bout with a skin condition called eczema, he went to see a local physician who examined him; and, as the patient declared, “He told me there was nothing more he could do for me.” Now, what the physician meant (I presume) was that eczema was a fairly common and mild condition and that, being a family physician (and not a dermatologist), the options open to him seemed limited at that time. But the words spoken were, “there’s nothing more I can do for you.” Clearly the patient took the physician at his word, interpreting him literally to mean that he was “terminal” and beyond help; so, after contemplating his fate for a few weeks, my Native American patient decided to make his peace with the world, “pulling the plug” early.
     Hoping that I now understood what had happened, I made a bargain with him. If he remained alive overnight at our hospital, I would run every reasonable x-ray and test we had available and show him every report. If there was truly evidence that he was “terminal,” I promised him I would guard the door of his room and not interfere with whatever spiritual process he might use “to leave.” Reluctantly, he agreed. I kept my part of the deal, and by mid-morning we had lots of clinical evidence that he was, indeed, a healthy man. He left the hospital to rejoin his family, and I was pleased to get yearly Christmas cards that updated me on how well they were doing.


A second story that emphasizes the power of language also goes back many years. I was working at that same emergency room. One night, a fifty-five-year-old man came in complaining of severe back pain. After going over his exam carefully, I was pretty sure he did not have a ruptured disc, but rather had tight muscles over the entire back area. At that time in my career I was in the throes of my infatuation with hypnosis and I offered him a session to see if we could take care of his pain.
     I induced a hypnotic trance fairly rapidly but, at that time in my understanding of hypnosis, I (like many others who practiced it) were under the impression that a trance state was a variety of sleep; so I told him, “When you wake up from this state of sleep, you will be completely relaxed, comfortable, and healthy.”
     When he opened his eyes, he reported no improvement whatsoever. I gave him a prescription for pain medication and he went home.
     The next morning, I was eating breakfast in a local café. This same gentleman came in and, when he saw me, came right up to my table. I was ashamed and embarrassed since, in such a small town, half of those eating breakfast knew me and I was certain that he would proclaim to the world what a silly man I was to imagine that hypnosis could possibly take his pain away and that my pathetic little attempt to do so had no benefit whatsoever.
     To my surprise, he pumped my hand and thanked me over and over again for how effective the treatment had been. I was bewildered, given that he had left the emergency room with no relief at all. And then he said the magic words, “When I woke up this morning from my state of sleep, I was completely well.” Ah, that was the key: I had misused the word “sleep.”
     That experience crystallized for me the critical importance of language in healing. The precise use of language carries enormous power. Used consciously and well, it can initiate and augment the healing experience. Used thoughtlessly, it can undo one’s good intentions.
     For a long time I have urged all health care providers (and anyone else who wants to communicate clearly) to study hypnosis. They may never induce a “trance” state in anyone, but if they learn to monitor their own language, movements, voice, and gestures, they will add immeasurably to their patient compliance and achieve better results.


Let me tell one last story for now. For several years I worked as an assistant director of a family practice residency program in Duluth, Minnesota. Part of my job was to videotape residents in their interactions with patients, so that we could review those interactions and teach them how to communicate more effectively.
     Being still so new to the practice of medicine, young residents often try to impress patients with how much they know. When a prescription is given at the end of a visit and the patient asks, “Doctor, does this have any side effects?” the resident will often provide a shopping list of details: “Oh, yes, that medication can cause a rash, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, and visual disturbances.” The young physician is often unaware of how the power of language creates an expectation in that patient that such side effects will, indeed, occur.
     When the same patient returns a week later and we review the new videotape, the resident is surprised to learn that the patient was unable to take the medication due to dizziness, nausea, and visual disturbances. So I point out that one can provide responsible information without predisposing to those side effects. I suggest a different approach—that he tell the patient, “Usually, this medication has no side effects. Of course, any medication can, so if you are experiencing anything unusual, please let me know.” And the resident discovers that his patients rarely experience side effects. Things that make you go hmmm.

—Neil Nathan, M.D.

Some Upcoming Presentations by Dr. Nathan . . .

1. At 2:00 p.m. on November 13th, Dr. Nathan will do a reading and signing at Laughing Dog Books in  Boonville, California.
2. At 12:45 p.m. December 2nd, Dr. Nathan will present a lecture at the Mendocino Rotary Club in Hill House. The Topic: "When You Are Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired."
3. At 6:30 p.m. on December 3rd, Dr. Nathan will do a reading and book signing at the Gallery Bookshop in Mendocino, California. 

How Does One Measure One’s True Motivation to Get Well?

Last week, I had a very interesting conversation with a patient who has been with me for some time. She had just finished reading my book, which had raised for her some questions about components she might add to her program to facilitate healing. What really concerned her, however, was the part in Chapter 26, which discussed the inner motivations that might interfere with one’s healing. As she pondered this question, she began to wonder if previous stressors (emotional and spiritual) could be getting in the way of her getting better.
     Thoughtful, introspective patients will often ponder this question, and those who are prone to self-doubt and worry (perhaps a majority of my patients) may, unfortunately, turn from self-analysis to self-doubt to self-deprecation—which only adds to the stressors they are already wrestling with.
     So, how do I get a handle on which patients are doing their best to get well, and which patients are—albeit unconsciously—setting roadblocks to their recovery? My procedure is threefold.
     First, I look at the effort that patients are putting out on their own behalf. Do they do all, or most, of what I suggest? Not all of my suggestions may be helpful, but do they at least give them a shot?
     This particular patient has done virtually everything I have ever asked her to do, which for me is a clear sign of co-operation at a deep level. Other patients will be non-compliant for a wide variety of reasons: they are too busy, it is too expensive, it takes too much time, it is uncomfortable or difficult, or they just don’t feel it is right for them at this time. Regardless of the reason(s)—any one of which may be perfectly valid—when there is always (or often) a problem with compliance, this is a tip-off that the patient may be sabotaging his own healing. Occasionally, patients carry the sabotaging even further by stopping supplements and medications that have clearly worked.
     When patients ask themselves the simple question, “Am I doing my best?” that is sufficient. I try to communicate to these patients regularly that, from my perspective, they are indeed doing their best, so they shouldn’t get down on themselves.
     Second, I look at how open an individual is even to ask herself this simple question. Over the years I have observed that, when a patient is questioning his own motivations and intentions, this means that he is working hard at getting better. It is the patients who do not ask this question that are typically trapped within their largely unconscious attitudes and are quick to blame me, or their spouse, or their boss, or their children, or their parents, or someone else for their lack of progress in healing. How willing they are even to discuss this topic gives me a sense of their underlying intention.
     Third, I look to my own intuition regarding a patient’s willingness to get better. Over the years, I have come to trust this intuition. I cannot explain it, and I readily admit that my intuition may occasionally be wrong, but there is a sense about some patients that—even if they are making no progress outwardly—if we hang in there together long enough, they will get well. And there is a sense that, for others—no matter how long we work at it—I come to feel that nothing will change for them, at least not under my care.
     I ponder and agitate over these intuitions, sometimes for months (and occasionally for years), until I get some sense of clarity.
     When patients are not improving, I hate to have them come back for regular visits unless we can both be convinced that there is still hope and that progress can be made. When I reach the point of certainty that I am not the right doctor for that patient, I will communicate this in as compassionate a way that I can. Usually it is accepted in the spirit it is given, but sometimes patients get angry at me for “giving up.” While they may be right, I would like to think that there is someone else out there who can give them what they need, and that in staying with me they are missing out on that opportunity.
     Intention and inward motivation are important components of the healing process, and the above paragraphs refle  ct my attempt, not just to understand these components, but to harness them on my patients’ behalf.

Ask Dr. Nathan . . .

People whom I have treated and who have read my book and blogs might occasionally have questions. The following offer is not meant to compete with "Web MD," and no physician worth his salt should even dream of giving medical advice over the internet, for goodness' sake. Still, if the gentle reader has a general question or a comment regarding anything I've written, please feel free to respond to this particular post, and perhaps we can get a dialogue started.
N.N.

The Birth of an Idea

The advance copies of my book,On Hope and Healing, arrived in our office last week. After four years of writing, re-writing, and editing, and then preparing for publication over the next year-and-a-half, I was filled with all kinds of conflicting emotions.
     Towards the end of this process, the anticipated and unanticipated delays (with expectations and hopes put on hold for several months) took their toll.
     I was tired of telling my friends and colleagues that this book really did exist, if only on a computer screen. I could see what the cover would look like, and the text, and the illustrations. But until I could hold an actual copy of the book in my hand, it was just an idea; it was not real.
     As an avid reader, myself, I have always been surprised by what appear to me to be obvious errors in text, spelling, and punctuation in books written by prominent authors. How could they miss these? Now I know. By the time I had read, and re-read, again and again, every line of text, I was no longer capable of physically seeing the words in front of my eyes. My brain would recognize the beginning of a sentence, and then jump to the next line or paragraph. Ah, so that’s how that happens. That’s what proof-readers are for.
     My colleagues and co-workers at Gordon Medical Associates were also eager for the appearance of this book, so when Maggie, head of our supply department, came in to announce that the boxes had arrived and ask if I wanted to open them, I was surrounded by a group of supporters who had long awaited this moment.
     I had no preconceived idea of what I would be feeling, so it took me by surprise, as I held the first volume in my hands, that this was almost exactly how it felt at the birth of my first child. When Aviva, my daughter, was born, I was on-call for deliveries at our hospital, and I had always planned to deliver her myself (with another colleague supervising, of course). When she emerged from the birth canal, she was the most beautiful newborn I had ever seen; she was pink and breathing easily and comfortably, and had a shock of lovely auburn hair. I held her in my arms, transfixed, while the nurses kept nudging me in quiet whispered tones: “suck out her mouth …cut the cord …,” but I was in no hurry to do so. I just wanted to hold her in that moment and there was no rush to do anything.
     It was remarkably similar holding this book in my hands. (Of course, it wasn’t as messy). And in the same way, newly birthed, with a bright future, I wondered what it would become as it matured.
     I also wondered how Jim Baumlin, our publisher, felt as he held his first copy in his hands. Thinking back on a seemingly casual conversation in my office over five years ago, when he suggested he could take my ideas, which then consisted of just a few chapters, and help me to turn this into an actual book, how amazing that must be to watch an idea become a reality.
     The books arrived on a Tuesday. Two days later, the office called me to say that they were “selling like hotcakes.” I thought that must mean we sold a few copies, perhaps 10 or 20, so when I asked what that phrase meant, Hayley told me “they’re all sold.” Holy mackerel! I am excited to see how this turns out.
     I am very grateful to Jim Baumlin for his support, expertise, patience, and friendship, and for the long hard hours of work that I know it took to make this dream come true.

An Editor's Response

Since Dr. Nathan asks how his press editor felt, I thought I'd oblige with a brief response. I remember mentioning in a phone conversation that publishing another's book was like being a midwife. I am reminded of a painting that hangs in the Tate (and trust that, for educational purposes, the London gallery will not mind me including an image): that of Ford Madox Brown's unfinished painting, "Take Your Son, Sir" (ca. 1851). The woman's face shows wearied relief. If you could see the picture as it hangs in the Tate, you'd notice a mirror behind her, in which is reflected the grinning figure of the father, his arms outstretched to take possession of his own. It pleases (and does not at all surprise me) that Dr. Nathan's brainchild has enjoyed so auspicious a beginning. To my friend and to his second book, I say "Good Health!" (Did I say this was his second book? Oh, yes: his first, "Horace the Duck Whose Voice Got Stuck," was written for a child who had developed a psychosomatic disorder and lost her "cluck." I've just googled "Horace" and found that copies are indeed still available via the internet.)
JSB

Mark your Calendars for Upcoming Presentations by Dr. Neil Nathan

1. On Saturday, October 2, Dr. Nathan will be presenting a noontime lecture on "On Hope and Healing," which will be an overview of his book; it will be at the Mendocino Coast District Hospital's annual Health Fair in Fort Bragg, California, which runs from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (PST). Dr. Nathan will be signing advance copies of his book.

2. On Sunday, October 3, Dr. Nathan will be doing a KSRO radio interview on the book with Mark Burger from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (PST). The interview can be heard live by turning to 1350 AM or streaming through www.ksro.com/STW-PopUp.aspx.

3. On Sunday, November 7, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Dr. Nathan will be giving a lecture on "Mold Toxicity" at the Mendocino Coast District Hospital. His talk will be taped for public television and will be available for viewing on the hospital web site at www.mcdh.org a few weeks after it has been given.

Apologizing for My Profession, Part 2

“The Great Masquerader”: Chronic Lyme Disease

by

Neil Nathan, M.D.

Two weeks ago, I gave a public lecture at the Mendocino Coast District Hospital on controversies surrounding Lyme disease. You might wonder: how can very existence of a disease be a subject for discussion?

But it is.

The entire medical profession agrees that, after the bite of a tick, if a patient develops the classic “bull’s eye” rash and then comes down with fever, joint pain, lymph node enlargement and severe fatigue, he or she has developed acute Lyme disease, which requires immediate antibiotic treatment. So far, so good.

But here is where medical opinion diverges. Most authorities believe that 10 days to 3 weeks of antibiotic therapy cures this disease, and then we are done.

Another medical group, known as ILADS, has studied and treated thousands of such patients and has concluded that 10 days of treatment is nowhere near enough to ensure a cure. They have found that 6 weeks of antibiotic therapy is required for adequate therapy.

Now this, in itself, would represent only a minor disagreement. But what happens next is where the controversy intensifies.

First, the ILADS group has discovered that only 30% of Lyme-infected patients actually develop the “bull’s eye” rash, meaning that the “classic” symptom fails to predict one third of all cases. A seemingly minor tick bite can still cause Lyme disease, though many physicians do not accept this fact.

Second, and more important, the ILADS group has seen that thousands of patients whose symptoms have been missed or inadequately treated develop chronic Lyme disease, a far more serious and widespread illness.

Chronic Lyme disease causes such a host of symptoms that it is now being called the great masquerader, since it mimics so many other illnesses. The main culprit is the bacterium Borrelia burdorferi, a spirochete similar to syphilis that itself used to be called the great masquerader. Its symptoms include, but are not limited to, joint pain (which can mimic rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis), neurological disorders (which mimic Parkinson’s disease, ALS, MS, and Alzheimer’s disease), unusual patterns of numbness and tingling in different parts of the body, overwhelming fatigue, difficulties with focus, memory, and concentration, anxiety and depression, unusual psychological perceptions, tinnitus, swollen lymph nodes, intense sweating episodes, burning on the bottoms of the feet, intestinal upsets, tightness in the chest, heart palpitations and cardiac arrythmias, headaches, blurred vision, and rashes. If not clearly identified and treated properly, these symptoms will intensify and become debilitating.

Now, here is the problem: a majority of physicians do not accept the existence of chronic Lyme disease. Hence, it is not diagnosed. It is not treated. Patients who suffer from this condition are told that it is a “post-Lyme syndrome,” a verbally facile way of dismissing all of these symptoms, and they are offered anti-depressants or psychotherapy as a coping strategy.

This is a travesty, and one for which I find myself apologizing daily. Let me give you just one example.

A brilliant physicist came to see me about a year ago with what was diagnosed 4 years previously (by the head of neurology at a regional teaching hospital) as atypical Parkinson’s disease. Although he showed many of the major symptoms of Parkinson’s, he had not responded at all to medication, making it “atypical.” He had done his own research and wondered whether this could represent Lyme disease, and had taken the best test currently available, which is the Igenix Western Blot test. He showed the results to his neurologist, who explained that Lyme was not a possible diagnosis. By the time he came to visit me, he had deteriorated to the point where he came into my office in a wheelchair, almost unable to speak because of his raspy, weak voice. He showed me the original test, which was absolutely positive for Lyme disease by any criteria one could apply, and we started antibiotic therapy immediately. A month later, he came back to my office no longer requiring the wheelchair, clearly improved, and he has continued to improve with treatment. Simply put, he did not have atypical Parkinson’s, but rather had undiagnosed and untreated chronic Lyme disease. (For those of you out there who have been diagnosed with an “atypical” disease, please think about the possibility of Lyme disease.)

If only this were a rare event! Unfortunately, we see patients every day in our office, for whom the diagnosis has been missed (and even denied), and they have suffered for years and years in every way imaginable. In addition to having a terrible, debilitating disease, they have been told by their physicians (who passed it down to patients’ families) that their illness is psychogenic. This makes patients doubt their own perceptions (and even doubt themselves), which adds another layer of depression and isolation to an already difficult existence.

So, to the many thousands of patients out there who have been ignored, unheard, and left to suffer with a treatable illness, I deeply apologize for my profession and its unwillingness to open its eyes to what is clearly a major epidemic.

Dr. Nathan’s two-hour talk on Lyme disease was filmed for local public television and can be viewed at http://www.mcdh.org/ by clicking on the bottom right of the home page under "Wellness Videos On Demand," then “visit our wellness library.” There you will also find Dr. Nathan’s lectures on “Chronic Pain” and “Autism.” These expand on the discussion in his book, On Hope and Healing.

Compassionate Service Vs. "Managed Healthcare"

On the Need to Apologize for a
Profession's Loss of Compassion
by
Neil Nathan, M.D.,
author of On Hope and Healing,
forthcoming from Et Alia Press

Recently, during most of my patient visits, I find myself apologizing for my profession. That the profession of medicine should even require an apology seems deeply troubling to me. For so many years, we physicians worked long hours, taking on incredible amounts of stress and giving up sleep, all in the service of our patients. Medicine was our “calling.” We were proud to be of service, and were rewarded with the love and gratitude of our patients.

But about twenty years ago, when medicine made the shift into “managed care,” our job description changed from “physician” to healthcare “provider.” Now, that apparently minor alteration may not seem much; it didn't at the time. But, in retrospect, it heralded a profound change in the way we were viewed, both professionally and by our patients. You see, a “provider” is a nondescript term suggesting that “something” is given (that is, “provided”) by a physician to a patient. And what is “provided” has changed from the days when we gave of our time, of our selves, of our caring, and of our compassion.

Previously, we took the time to listen to our patients; we got to know them and their families, so that we could place their illnesses in context (which includes their emotional and spiritual context, as well). But with the advent of “managed care”—which my colleague, Dr. Norman Shealy, has aptly termed “mangled care”—my profession has lost all of that. Patient visits are now reduced to a timed 7-10 minutes and, in that short a time, the only thing that can be “given” is a prescription.

Over the ensuing years, it has become ever clearer that the needs of patients with chronic illnesses—and these represent the majority of my patients—are not being met. Don't get me wrong: for acute conditions (which would include heart attacks, strokes, trauma, and infections), patients' needs can be met beautifully. Our current system is custom-made for acute conditions. But when conditions are chronic (which would include arthritis, emphysema, fatigue, headaches, and diabetes), a short, assembly-line office visit is not adequate to the task.

For a variety of other conditions (including chronic Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, regressive autism, hypoglycemia and chronic intestinal yeast infections), conventional medicine does not believe that anything substantial can be done. For these, conventional medicine sends one of two messages to patients: either “learn to live with it,” or “it's all in your head, so take these antidepressants and go home.”

On an almost daily basis, this is what I apologize for. I am embarrassed to see so many patients whose illnesses have been ignored by my colleagues, to the point that many of them are, indeed, depressed. And why not? Denied hope or compassion, who wouldn't be depressed? The majority of patients that I see have been scarred by such assembly-line indifference. I believe that a vast majority of these patients can be helped, but this scarring—which my own profession has perpetrated through “mangled care”—further complicates the healing process.

So I apologize. I wish my profession would come to its senses and reclaim its centuries-old tradition of compassionate service. And I hope it comes to its senses soon, because there are millions of suffering individuals out there whose needs are not being met. Simply put, we must meet their needs.

(Same dog,
same doctor,
both a bit older)

Introducing Dr. Neil Nathan

On Hope and Healing:

For Those Who Have Fallen Through the Medical Cracks, by Neil Nathan, M.D.

Foreword by Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D.

xxxvi + 310 pp. with index. Photographs by the author.Perfect bound softcover, $19.95 retail
ISBN 978-0-9828184-0-4

Forthcoming November 2010;

advance copies available August 2010

On Hope and Healing: For Those Who Have Fallen Through the Medical Cracks is a resource book offering the latest information on a range of illnesses that most family practitioners are unequipped to diagnose or treat effectively. Written in nontechnical language, On Hope and Healing also offers clear, readable explanations for the causes and cures of today’s onslaught of complex/chronic illnesses. Physicians and patients alike will benefit from this book.
For inquiries and advance orders, contactGordon Medical Associates
3471 Regional Parkway
Santa Rosa, California, 95403
Phone 707-575-5180
FAX 707-575-5509
Website http://www.gordonmedical.com/ 

A Q&A with Dr. Nathan

A Question & Answer with

Dr. Neil Nathan, Author of
On Hope and Healing:

For Those Who Have Fallen
Through the Medical Cracks

Interview conducted 14 July 2010 by James S. Baumlin, Et Alia senior editor

J.B. In On Hope and Healing, you seem to break the mold of the typical medical practitioner, coming across as part scientist, part detective, part family physician. How did you become so diverse in your interests and skills?

N.N. The impetus came from my frustration with my medical practice. I began as a fairly traditional family physician, delivering babies, doing minor surgeries, taking care of children and adults; but, over the years, I kept having the feeling that—while useful in many instances—conventional medicine was not enough to help all my patients. As I began searching, I soon realized that the answers were out there—but not where the typical practitioner thought to look. So I studied every healing modality that I could, slowly evolving my understanding of what works for more and more patients with more and more complex/chronic illnesses.

J.B. It seems as if every generation has its own “signature” illness, whether its tuberculosis in the mid-nineteenth century, polio in the early twentieth, or hiv/aids in more recent decades. What trends do you see now?

N.N. I wish this current generation faced only one “signature” illness! The problem is that we’re battling so many at once: Lyme disease, autism, fibromyalgia, mold toxicity, and chronic fatigue are ones to which my book gives particular attention. Note that a weakened autoimmune system is a common thread throughout these illnesses and that they often accompany each other, making for difficult diagnoses and complex treatments.

J.B. Statistics suggest that we’re living longer, though not necessarily better in terms of quality-of-life. So let me ask: Is the current generation healthier than its parents or grandparents? Is our world healthier or sicker?

N.N. I think it is growingly clear that we are not as healthy as we used to be. And, for the first time in history, our life span is in fact decreasing. I strongly suspect that this is related to environmental pollution and to the marked increase in toxic exposures: to chemicals (both household and industrial), pesticides, heavy metals, and electromagnetic fields, just to name the more insidious.

J.B. Talk about your book, On Hope and Healing. For whom did you write it, and why?

N.N. The answer is given in the book’s subtitle: For Those Who Have Fallen Through the Medical Cracks. I wrote it for them, to give them hope and real prospects for healing. As I’ve mentioned, my practice had evolved into the more specialized treatment of complex/chronic illnesses. I was helping my own patients, but I realized that there were millions, literally millions, of Americans today whose needs were not being met. I felt I had found some useful treatments, so I wrote this book to let others know that help—indeed, hope—was possible. The information gathered in this book will give readers a starting-place for their own healing journeys.

J.B. There are so many medical self-help books on the market today. What makes yours different from the rest?

N.N. I didn’t want simply to repackage information that’s already available. Two things distinguish this book. First is its scope: by casting so wide a net, just about anyone who is seeking healing answers will find help. Second is its synthetic approach: symptoms, and diagnoses, and treatments cannot be pursued in isolation, but must be considered in their complex interrelations. I try to give the “big picture,” or, perhaps more precisely, I try to fit the pieces together that complete the puzzle of today’s complex illnesses. Fibromyalgia, for example, and chronic fatigue are typically symptoms, not causes: we need to identify the underlying cause of the fatigue, which may be Lyme disease, for example, or one of its co-infectants (such as Bartonella, Babesia, or the Epstein-Barr virus).

J.B. So, what kind of reception do you anticipate from the larger medical community? I suspect it will be mixed, depending on each practitioner’s “paradigm.”

N.N. Let me say, first, that I have colleagues practicing conventional medicine whom I admire; they are wise, well-trained, and do much good. But many, perhaps even a majority, of conventional practitioners wear blinders when it comes to alternative and complementary and holistic therapies, and in this respect they do their patients a disservice. I would like to think that my book can make some converts. After all, I was “one of them,” myself, once: my own training (at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine) was entirely main-stream. But I re-tooled. So can they.

J.B. And the growing community of holistic practitioners: what do they think of your work?

N.N. Many colleagues, whose judgment I trust most, have read my book in manuscript and have given their rousing endorsement. I would cite Dr. Robert Anderson, Founding President of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine, who writes that my book “makes an essential contribution” to the field. I would also cite Dr. Bill Manahan, Past President of the American Holistic Medical Association, who writes that mine is “by far the best book, the most comprehensive book, and the clearest book ever written about integrative holistic medicine.” That’s high praise, but who am I to disagree? I should note, too, that Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum has graciously provided the foreword; being a well-published author in holistic medicine, his name lends some distinction to my own work.

J.B. Tell us a little more about yourself, your family, and what the immediate future holds for Dr. Neil Nathan.

N.N. I am still driven by the passionate desire to help as many patients as I can. I am fortunate that my passion to understand the healing process is also my life’s work. So I continue to study, and do research, and teach, and practice medicine. I am delighted that the group with whom I am currently affiliated—Gordon Medical Associates of Santa Rosa, California—consists of like-minded physicians who share my interest in cutting-edge research and my passion for healing. I am blessed with the constant presence of love in my life, provided by my incredible wife and wonderful family (which includes children and grandchildren and three dogs and a cat). I live on the northern California coast, within sight of the ocean and redwood trees, so life has been good to me—for which I am truly grateful. I hope to give back and be of service in equal measure.

J.B. Your book’s official publication date is November 2010, but advance copies are expected by August. Gordon Medical Associates will be involved in the distribution and sales. You’re fortunate to have their strong support.

N.N. Yes, and I would encourage readers to contact them for inquiries and advance orders: Gordon Medical Associates, 3471 Regional Parkway, Santa Rosa, California, 95403. Phone 707-575-5180 FAX 707-575-5509. Inquiries can also be made via email: .

J.B. Let me end this Q&A with the bibliographic information:
On Hope and Healing: For Those Who Have Fallen Through the Medical Cracks, by Neil Nathan, M.D. Foreword by Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. Little Rock: Et Alia, 2010. xxxvi + 310 pp. with index. Photographs by the author.
Perfect bound softcover , $19.95 retail
ISBN 978-0-982818-40-4

Professionals Respond to Dr. Nathan's Forthcoming Book

On Hope and Healing:
For Those Who Have Fallen Through the Medical Cracks
by Neil Nathan, M.D.
Foreword by Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D.

On Chronic Pain / Lyme disease / Chronic Fatigue / Fibromyalgia
__________________________________________________________
What prominent physicians have said about Dr. Neil Nathan and his book:

With unusual clarity and first-rate science, Dr. Neil Nathan encourages us to shift our thinking to a more holistic, multifactorial, and positive approach to chronic and recurrent illness. On Hope and Healing eloquently transports health and medicine into the 21st century. It is, I believe, by far the best book, the most comprehensive book, and the clearest book ever written about integrative holistic medicine.
—Bill Manahan, M.D., Past President, American Holistic Medical Association, author of Eat for Health

Dr. Neil Nathan’s On Hope and Healing makes an essential contribution to the millions whose medical care has suffered under the limited vision of our conventional medical system. Professionals and consumers alike will find innovative approaches that combine cutting-edge healing options with practical medical care choices.
—Robert Anderson, M.D., Founding President, American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine, author of Clinician’s Guide to Holistic Medicine and Wellness Medicine

Dr. Neil Nathan is one of the smartest, most well-versed physicians I know. His unique medical experiences cross every line in medicine, giving him extraordinary perspectives on solving difficult medical problems and providing him answers or approaches where others might be stumped.
—Eugene Shippen, M. D., author of The Testosterone Syndrome

Dr. Neil Nathan not only performs quality academic research, he identifies for other physicians what makes a physician a healer.
—Ritchie Shoemaker, M.D., author of Mold Warriors

Dr. Neil Nathan is a brilliantly knowledgeable holistic healer, who combines the Heart and Art of medicine with Science and the uncommon gift of common sense. When I have questions, he is one of my own “go to” consultants. On Hope and Healing offers readers the insights of a truly amazing physician.
—Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., author of From Fatigued to Fantastic! and Beat Sugar Addiction NOW

A Small Press for Big Voices

Incorporated in the spring of 2010, Et Alia is a private small press based in Little Rock, Arkansas, with publication interests in three areas: Emerging Artists, Health and Wellness, and Local histories. Editors and contributing staff include Erin Pennington, Craig A. Meyer, Dr. George H. Jensen, Dr. Lanette Cadle, and Dr. James S. Baumlin. Et Alia plans to publish three to five books per year in small print-runs, basing editorial decisions on quality over market.


Emerging Artists gives voice to first-book novelists and creative writers working in highly literary genres. (Writers of formula-fiction need not apply.) Health and Wellness places special emphasis on physical, spiritual, and environmental wellbeing; the series also gives voice to practitioners of holistic and alternative medicine. Local Histories preserves and expands cultural memory in its diversity, especially valuing neglected and alternative histories.

As a matter of course, Et Alia publications will be well written and, if informative, well researched. Inquiries (via email: etaliapress@gmail.com) are welcome; unsolicited manuscripts are not. Do not send complete manuscripts unless requested to do so.

Et Alia publications may be ordered through Amazon.com or directly from:

Et Alia Press

5001 Woodlawn Drive

Little Rock, AR 72205