At one point early in my career, which has now spanned four decades, I wondered why my profession was called a medical “practice.” Now, I know why. The human body is the most incredible, complex “machine” ever! It is so amazing because it has the capacity to “work on” and cure itself. Yes! The body is its own doctor! Every second of every day, physical, organic and biochemical functions are occurring without the body having to consult anyone or anything. Can you imagine? It is a self-sustaining organism that for millennia has known what to do to survive and thrive. Now, every day new discoveries about our bodies are being made by the scientific and medical communities and, I submit to you, we have barely scratched the surface.
These discoveries are new to us but these systems have been around forever and ever. Therefore, it is important to note that physicians must remain humble and be in awe of the most complex of all “things” as we practice every day. They say that practice makes perfect, and if anyone can boast, it is physicians who have been in the profession for many, many years. I calculated that I have had more than 100,000 office visits throughout the years, and I can honestly tell you that I learn something new every day. It really is amazing and exciting.
The most common question I ask every day is, “How do you feel?” Wow! That is a loaded question, and the answer is not as black and white as it may seem. The answer to that question usually has more to do with a person’s emotions than with anything else. One of the things I have noticed is that when people are generally happy and things are going well in their lives the answer to that question is generally positive. So, we then say that the primary cause of endogenous/internal disorders is emotions. If you do not believe it, consider the following: “I was so frightened, I went in my pants!” Yes, fear has the capacity to weaken the kidneys and urogenital system to that degree. “He died of a broken heart.” Yes, sadness, grief and stress are the primary causes of heart disease and lung disorders, not cholesterol. If cholesterol was to blame, then the French would have the highest level of heart disease because they typically have high cholesterol, if not the highest in the world. But, they have the lowest level of coronary artery disease! The French are very laid back people. We also see that anxiety, worry and preoccupation affect the entire digestive system; hence the term “nervous stomach,” and chronic angst and anger affect the liver.
The second most critical component of good health is the quality and quantity of your blood. Blood testing is generally accepted as the most important diagnostic tool in medicine. What we know is this: Nothing changes your blood chemistry more than your genes and genetic predispositions. Those things cannot be changed. However, if there is something we do not like about a blood test, nothing will change the result of a test more than food. Food is the fuel for these amazing machines. We now have testing that tells us exactly what a person’s deficiencies are and what foods and vitamins they really need. Pharmaceutical drugs act on symptoms, but generally do little to change blood chemistry, with very few exceptions, and do nothing to address the root cause of disease. Pills are rarely the only answer.
Lastly, like a high-tech sports car, these physical bodies of ours need to be tuned and worked on! It is full of moving parts and “pipes.” It has conduits, valves and channels of all types and they too need to be unclogged and maintained. The physical healing arts address these components. Ancient, now proven therapies like acupuncture head the list of therapies that improve circulation. Chiropractic type techniques, manual therapies and massage also help. If you think that massage is not therapeutic, just think about the very first thing you instinctively do if you hit yourself against something. You rub it! Now we have modern laser equipment, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, vibration therapy and other techniques that help.
We see that identifying the “root cause” of disorders or disease is the kind of medicine that can cure, and finding a practitioner that has practice in evaluating and addressing your health in this manner makes all the difference in making progress with your health concerns.
Luis Fuentes, DOM, is a doctor of Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture with more than 25 years of experience. He is a pioneer and one of the country’s foremost practitioners of Integrative and Functional Medicine. He founded Integrative Health Diagnostics where, for the first time, multidisciplinary approaches from many different specialties were combined to evaluate patients.
During the last quarter-century thousands of patients, from babies to the mature, have experienced the caring, one-on-one attention of Dr. Fuentes. He has been recognized as a leader in the creation of state-of-the-art, personalized health, wellness and anti-aging programs. He combines the latest in Western diagnostic testing, an extensive network of specialists and centuries-old Eastern/Oriental medicine to help identify and resolve the root cause of health issues and pain. This effective blending of therapies, a deep-seated belief in emotional wellness, nutrition and lifestyle programs and expertise in treating the human body has been the basis for Dr. Fuentes’ international success throughout the years.
Health Med Plus is located at 9420 SW 77th Ave, Suite 101 and Dr. Fuentes can be reached at 305-412-0011.
