"Imagine a world in which medicine was oriented
toward healing rather than disease, where doctors believed in the natural
healing capacity of human beings and emphasized prevention above treatment. In such a world doctors and patients would be partners working toward the same ends."
-Andrew Weil, MD

"Can I say miracle? Can I
say rainbow? Can I say
that I came out of an hour and a half visit with these fabulous doctors in tears
of joy and gratitude? I am a big believer in prayer, and I believe God answered my prayers when I found this incredible team, devoted heart and soul to working
with patients to heal body
and soul. The Center is on
the forefront of a new era of medicine, one combining West and the East."
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Integrative Medicine

Medical Treatment Plans of Yesterday

Like most American's you're being treated by a medical doctor who focuses on your ailment, makes a diagnosis and then prescribes a treatment plan, which normally includes pharmaceuticals.

You follow the plan, take the drugs and still don't feel better. In fact, you may now have additional problems from side effects of the new drugs you're on. You return to the doctor citing no improvement. Consequently, your doctor may prescribe a different drug and things go from bad to worse.

Wasting money on drugs that don't work and spending lots of time out of work or away from the things you enjoy can really wear on your mind and body.

But now there's a better treatment plan.

Integrative Medicine Plan of Today

Integrative medicine is the blending of conventional medicine with holistic, complementary, and alternative medicine. Integrative Medicine is defined as healing-oriented medicine that takes account of the whole person (body, mind, heart and spirit), including all aspects of lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and makes use of all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative.

Integrative Medicine is currently being incorporated into the education and training programs at top US medical schools including, Harvard, Duke, Columbia, Georgetown, and others.

You will be treated by Dr. Ronald Stram, MD (bio) a board-certified medical doctor and founder of the Center for Integrative Health and Healing. Dr. Stram is fellowship trained in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona with Dr. Andrew Weil, MD, world-renowned leader and pioneer in Integrative Medicine.

Dr. Stram opened the Center because he experienced first-hand how the medical community falls short by treating individual symptoms and not the whole person. He found this type of approach to be unsatisfactory for both physician and patient.

Instead, Dr. Stram and our licensed practitioners here at the Center believe there is a powerful interrelationship between the mind, body, spirit, and community in the interplay of both health and disease. Your progress will be monitored by both the medical doctor and complementary therapists to give you the "best of Integrative Medicine".

To be most effective, your health is addressed on all levels - including lifestyle factors such as diet; exercise; stress; personal relationships; your work; and of course, your body.

The Many Benefits of Integrative medicine are:

• Reduced reliance on pharmaceuticals,
• Reduce instances of surgery,
• Reduce hospital stays,
• Reduce the number of physicians on your team
• One physician who oversees all physician interactions and drugs prescribed
• A more comprehensive management of chronic pain and disease.

Dr. Stram and the Center's practitioners focus on assisting you in the creation of a customized wellness plan that is as responsive to your initial concerns as it is to your changing health needs, taking into consideration all aspects of your well-being. "Patients now have a broader range of treatment options including complementary therapies; my doctor's bag is bigger now", says Dr. Stram.

We develop customized treatment plans for you which take into account the benefits of the best combination of therapies available. They include recommendations from a wide range of appropriate therapeutic interventions from both conventional and complementary/alternative/holistic practices.

An integrative approach involves a thoughtful inquiry into the benefits of each form of treatment for a given health condition. Priorities are set after careful consideration of their relative contributions and any potential conflicts between modalities or treatments.

Whether the goal is to lessen pain, find an alternative to pharmaceuticals, or improve your quality of life, our integrative approach lets you have the best of both worlds - conventional medicine and safe, proven complementary therapies.

The partnership you form with Dr. Stram and our practitioners will empower you to make decisions about your health and well-being.

We are happy to work with your primary care physician or specialist to get you on the right track.

Please call 518-689-2244 to schedule a consultation with
Ronald Stram, M.D.

Dr. Stram spends time getting to know you. In fact, you should plan on spending up to 90 minutes reviewing your health history and concerns with the doctor at your first visit, and at least a half hour at a follow-up visit, during which you'll review and discuss a written health plan developed just for you.

Your treatment plan might include follow-up with your own personal physician or another medical specialist, diagnostic testing, recommendations for lifestyle changes, and/or referrals for complementary therapies such as acupuncture, naturopathy, massage, Chinese herbal medicine, energy healing, or nutritional counseling.

We take great pride in our staff's special team consulting approach to the care of our patients. Your progress will be monitored by both medical doctors and complementary therapists to give you the "best of Integrative medicine."

For information on our rates, please call Nadine or April at the Center or
click here to contact us by e-mail.