Alternative Solutions For Natural Healing And Prevention

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Mind-Body Medical Center was founded in 1991 by Stephen L. Reisman, M.D. with the goal of offering alternative medicine to his patients in the Nashville, Tennessee area. We provide natural, holistic approaches to medical problems and emphasize the primary importance of learning and living in ways that promote health and prevent illness. We are open-minded in that we provide or recommend diagnostic and treatment options from any sound branch of the whole of healing arts. Everything we offer is designed to balance the body and mind in a way that addresses the specific illness or conditions that are of concern.

The Biopsychosocial Model and Beyond

For many years there has been a biopsychosocial model used in medicine to attempt to describe a complete picture of human health: healthy body functioning, healthy mind functioning, and healthy relationships.  At Mind-Body Medical Center our integrative, wholesome approach is based upon a similar idea, ours being a model that addresses five basic aspects of health.  We unify psychosocial functioning into one element, the mental aspect, since we are referring only to healthy thought functioning, regardless of whether those thoughts are being heard in your own mind, heard from another person, or spoken by you.  We identify four other fundamental aspects of health: biological, chemical, structural, and electrical.  Briefly, the biological aspect refers to our internal environment of living organisms, such as parasites, viruses, fungi, and bacteria, both friendly and unfriendly.  At the chemical level are influences from nutritional and toxic substances.  Our habits of posture and movement determine structural health, and the different frequencies of electromagnetic energy that may either support or block our life force define our electrical aspect.  One basic premise is that each of these five elements is deeply affected by all the others, and the proper attending to them will reliably bring about changes that steer one toward a healthier and more fulfilling experience of life.

The goal of the initial visit is to establish just such a comprehensive model from which you and Dr. Reisman will address your health concerns using the most natural, most effective, least toxic, and least invasive methods possible.  Our bottom line is to promote and empower your healthy functioning on all levels.  Using this approach we have either treated or contributed to the treatment of virtually every class of illness, including allergies, infections, cancer, inflammatory, autoimmune, and degenerative disorders, as well as hormone imbalances and psychiatric conditions.  The following are examples of some of the basic issues we may address.

Sleep, Energy, Thinking, and Moods

When sleep is ineffective, energy levels are inconsistent, or moods are unstable, a wide range of factors may come into play.  A detailed discussion of an individual's particular difficulties, along with sensitive testing of thyroid, brain, or adrenal chemistry, will often reveal the causes as well as a program for recovery that is free of side effects.  It is equally important to assess thinking patterns and relationships, since stress alone is often a significant factor.  A basic mind-body connection is the fact that reduction of stress allows the body to regain its natural energy, necessary for both the detoxifying and the rebuilding phases of healing. 

Nutrition, Digestion, and Metabolism

Nourishing and detoxifying the body are basic to maintaining health, and they have a role in virtually every medical condition.  Often a detailed discussion of symptoms is enough to begin an effective program for re-establishing health and vitality.  Non-invasive testing is also available and greatly beneficial for revealing the presence of food sensitivities, enzyme deficiencies, yeast overgrowth, abnormal bacteria, parasites, as well as inflammation or other abnormalities of the lining of the digestive tract.

Menstrual Cycles, Menopause, and Bio-Identical Hormones

In our female patients, we often address difficulties with menstrual cycles and menopausal changes.  Premenstrual and menstrual symptoms, both physical and psychological, are often related to inadequate breakdown of estrogen.  In the latter part of the cycle, when ovulation has already occurred, persistent high levels of estrogen may cause excessive stimulation of all female tissues and consequent abnormal cellular activity.  Effectively addressing this condition by methods that detoxify and balance body chemistry, thus helping to metabolize excess estrogen, is important not only for treating immediate symptoms, but also for preventing future illnesses.

When a woman is approaching menopause, there are a number of options to consider.  Any of a variety of nutritional and herbal protocols may be helpful.  For those in whom hormone replacement is necessary, the use of bio-identical hormones, hormones that are the same as those the human body produces, is clearly the preference.

Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF) Pollution

As use of electronic equipment has steadily increased over the past few decades, there has been a concurrent increase in the prevalence of many illnesses.  Though not the only factor, EMF pollution is believed to contribute significantly to the susceptibility to serious disease.  One theory holds that the mitochondrion, the energy-producing engine in each cell, is specifically compromised by EMF exposure.  The result is that the cell does not have the energy it needs to detoxify chemical poisons.  This would create an accelerated burdening of the immune system and susceptibility to chronic illness.  We routinely recommend the use of quality products that have become available for protection against EMF pollution.  Click Here for more information.     

"The progress our patients make may be attributed to any number of factors, such as the support they receive from our staff, the personal work they do with me in a private setting, and diagnostic or treatment options previously unknown to them."    -- Stephen L. Reisman, M. D.