Testimonials
"To all who seek an alternative or concomitant solution with traditional medicine and a willingness to participate in their own health and healing.
I first met Dr. Stram under difficult circumstances, by way of an unexpected ambulance trip to Albany Memorial Hospital's emergency room last December. I was rushed there after inexplicably collapsing at home. Where only a few hours before I had been cutting down a Christmas tree with my family, I was suddenly thrust into a struggle for my own survival. It was my incredibly good fortune to have the hospital's Director of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Ronald Stram, on call that evening. Fate had caught up with me that day and even threw down a barrier of 3 feet of snow for the EMT's to transport me through. Destiny however, was about to hand me a big break as a new world full of promise, hope and clarity was about to unfold before me.
Sometime after this traumatic event I decided to consult with him at the The Center. My life and my health have improved immeasurably since teaming with Ron and his wonderful staff of skilled and compassionate people, which includes his office manager and wife, Nadine. They have helped empower me to effect positive changes to my health by coaching me to use foods and natural supplements wisely. That along with the balancing and therapeutic touch of his specialized assistants has helped my mind and body bolster their own restorative powers to mentally and physically achieve that balance and to strengthen.
'Joining' their team as a pro-active partner in my health and well-being is one of the best decisions I've ever made. It is difficult to adequately put into words how highly I would recommend them to you. I know that my healing process is hardly complete, but I also know that I am finally on the right path and that I took a quantum leap forward in that journey the day I walked through their door!"
-Bill B. Averill Park, NY
"The Center is like coming to a loving, nurturing, caring environment where my special health needs are met with genuine concern and unrushed personal attention."
-Sandra B.
"Today is one of those days, when the words "thank you" seem so ordinary for offering gratitude for extra-ordinary gifts. When I first came to the Center, I came with some amount of cynicism, since I have spent so much time, energy, money and most of all trust and hope on promises and sales jobs by other practitioners.
Very soon I came to realize that what you and your colleagues are doing is so much different and most of all it is authentic, genuine and sincere. Over many years the empty promises led me to dis-trust most everyone and to lose hope that I would ever find a path to wellness. For me, the most important element of healing is really knowing someone is "really" there to support the process.
This compassion, caring and true knowledge that you offer is a gift that only true "healers" possess. So, once again, I offer my deep gratitude for what you are doing and I feel very fortunate to be a beneficiary of what the Center offers."
-Deborah R-B
"I am a 45-year-old woman and a mother of two boys. I had been having neck and back pain off and on for about year and my menstrual cycle had been irregular for a few years.
I thought it was time to become an active participant in my own health. I wanted more energy, exercise without pain, and ease into my middle years and my menopause gracefully.
I went to see Dr. Alison Finger in June of 2005. I felt we had an immediate connection and she understood how I wanted to feel. Her specialty is Women’s Health; she spoke to me frankly about pre-menopause symptoms and my monthly cycle. After a long talk and exam, she put me on a regiment of vitamins and seeds that would help regulate my cycle. We spoke about pain management and exercises to help relieve my neck and back pain.
Since June (it's now Sept '05) I have been completely pain free and my cycle is back to normal for the first time in years! I have more energy and am able to exercise without pain. Alison is always available to speak on the phone with any questions I have, which is such a welcome change in my relationship with a doctor.
It is a relief to go to a doctor who cares so much about who I am as a whole person rather than a “quick fix”. Instead of dreading my mid-life and all that it includes as a woman, I look forward to enjoying each day in good health."
-Andrea (Mother, Artist, Teacher) Delmar, NY
"The direction, genuine concern and skilled support I received from Dr. Stram and his staff at the Center helped me through the very difficult time I was having during the initial months of my cancer diagnosis and treatment.
And when traditional drugs failed, the weekly acupuncture sessions with Rebecca Rice helped reduce the severe nausea I was experiencing during my chemotherapy. They also helped me feel better in general, making it easier to cope."
-Alex (Researcher) Albany, NY
"If I could, and maybe someday I will, I’d write a whole book thanking the doctors at the Center for Integrative Health and Healing for the superbly sensitive and wonderfully compassionate medical care that they are providing me and my family.
When I discovered Dr. Stram and Dr. Finger in July 2005, I was feeling rather desperate. I had lymphoma in 2002, and at the time, I sought treatment from a highly respected doctor at a major cancer center in New York City. Over the next year, this doctor traumatized me with his careless and ultimately, highly irresponsible attitude toward my body and health. I finally left his care when he demonstrated in no uncertain terms that he cared far more about his research project than he did about me.
In 2003, I began seeing a local physician to coordinate my follow-up care. But every time I would see him, he would conclude the visit with the same awful words: “You are disgustingly healthy.” He chuckled when I told him I did yoga.
Finally, I decided I had to find a doctor who supported my approach to staying healthy. I searched the internet, but then, a good friend in Delmar told me about CIHH, right in the Capital District. She had heard about the center, and suggested I make an appointment to see Dr. Stram.
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. I have since brought my husband and both daughters to see the doctors. The Center is on the forefront of a new era of medicine, one combining West and the East. One that recognizes a wide array of healing techniques to treat not just the body, but the spirit as well.
These doctors have given me the support I need to begin to recover from the deep trauma I suffered at the hands of clueless and uncaring physicians. I thank Dr. Stram and Dr. Finger for opening an office HERE! And for doing all they do to promote good health. Bless you!"
Claudia R., Ph.D., Spencertown, New York
"The most amazing thing (to me, anyway) is I have not experienced acid reflux since you (Ron Stram) got rid of the hiatal hernia with positional release therapy. Now why don't other health providers do that little maneuver [prt] instead of plying us with medicine? I haven't taken a 'Pepcid Complete' since....I' m loving that!"
-Diane B., Communications Specialist
"I came to The Center for Integrated Health and healing because I was looking for a practice which would bridge the gap between my allopathic doctor and some of the alternative practitioners. I thought maybe a naturopath could help. I was dealing with health problems which had become alarming, felt lousy, and was trying to avoid surgery.
I came to the Center with a blood test which had me very anxious. Alison Finger was calm and very supportive, and we decided it was possible to bring about natural healing with a combination of homeopathic formulas, diet, some lifestyle changes, and acupuncture. I will admit that one of Alison's tasks has been to keep me calm.
In the months since, I have consulted with Alison, Ron, and also Chris, for acupuncture. I am impressed by the patience, kindness and attention I have been shown. While I am not yet completely healed, my blood test is much improved, and I believe I am now on the way to better health.
The benefits of a slow and natural recovery have included having to learn to slow down, teaching myself to eat well and live more joyfully, and creating a a routine of regular prayer. These changes will help me age gracefully - and I plan to live a long time! Thank you to the Center for their careful work."
-Kelly K.
"My experience at the Center for Integrative Health and Healing has been nothing short of wonderful. I am so grateful to the practitioners for the care and compassion they have shown me. I've been receiving weekly acupuncture from Rebecca over the summer, and the inroads to real, radiant well being have just been astonishing. It is so good to have found someone who can help me work through the years of blocks and deficiencies, really overhauling myself into health. Aided by the herbs and dietary changes she recommended, I've felt such a difference.
I also had such kind care from the naturopath, Alison. I'm not a big fan of traditional western doctors, and was thrilled to be treated with herbs, homeopathics and simple home therapies when I showed up with sorely inflamed tonsils. Alison again came to my rescue when I had stumbled through poison ivy.
I am so glad to have finally found real health care, not just symptomatic cover-up care. The Center is a great place to go when you decide that it's finally time to seek help and really heal."
-Erica WS
"While experiencing a recurrent gastrointestinal bacterial infection which traditional Western medicine was not able to overcome, I learned about the Center for Integrative Health and Healing.
For the first time in years, I sat with a physician, Dr. Ronald Stram, who really listened to me and who incorporated my questions, comments and concerns in the treatment plan he developed.
I immediately began to experience healing and one year later I am completely free of the bacterial infection, have lost 38 pounds and am planning a trip to Europe. I am eternally grateful to Dr. Stram not only for his sound medical advice but for his warmth and high level of concern and compassion."
-Patti
"I originally came to the Center for severe migraines which were thankfully relieved by acupuncture with Chris Reilly. I also discovered craniosacral therapy at the gifted hands of Diana Gribben, which alleviated years of neck and back pain. The Center's herbal therapies also helped me with stress reduction.
The Center for Integrative Health and Healing is a blessing to our healthcare community."
-Kathleen B.
"Since 1993, I have experienced pain in my abdomen with elevated liver functions. Diagnosed with hepatitis I began to accept the bloating that made me look 3 months pregnant, the pain in the area just below my sternum radiating throughout my abdomen and the back aches, as part of my life. The pain ranged from annoying to maddening accentuated by an occasional inability to digest any food. I also had asthma, IBS, and a score of other annoying diagnoses. In 2001, I began to experience what could only be described as arthritic pain in my muscles with very sore pressure points, later diagnosed at Fibromyalgia.
I can bore you with all the doctor visits, treatment modalities, tests, etc. but I won't. I will tell you after a great deal of pain and frustration, I decided to by my own advocate and I started to research all the diagnoses to find a common thread. I found that they are all considered autoimmune disease. At this point my medical doctor suggested another liver biopsy with an understanding that I would have to do Interferon again. He discounted the autoimmune link. There had to be a better way, I thought.
In talking to friends, someone had gone to the Center. Of course, I was skeptical; but I was desperate. The pain had gotten tot he point where I was considering disability.
I made an appointment with Dr. Stram so that I could talk to him about my philosophy and listen to what his philosophy was. The Interferon, the first time around, resolved the Hepatitis but took its toll. I didn't want to subject my body again to the regime. Surprisingly, Dr. Stram listed and agreed! We talked for 2 hours! Never have I sat with a doctor for that long! We discussed what autoimmune disease was; how Eastern and Western medicine handled this disease, what I could expect from the protocol he would suggest, and where we were going to go together. I was treated with respect and as an equal partner in the decisions of my treatment.
One of the recommendation was a therapy called PRT (positional release therapy). It is a massage/physical therapy. In layman's terms, it helps your gut align to what it should be doing so that the rest of your body can do what it needs to do.
My stomach is no longer boated and neither am I. I have mild to almost no pain, my liver functions are down to normal and the pain radiating from my sternum rarely interrupts my life now. I am taking quite a few supplements. I am on a restricted diet which I follow religiously and I do the PRT about once a month. The asthma is gone. As a matter of fact, the symptoms of my grass allergies, which I have suffered with for over 20 years, did not manifest itself this June. My husband is dumbfounded.
I cannot tell you how this blended approach has helped me regain my life. I am on the road to recovery and I am looking forward to each new day. I have more good days than bad and when the bad days come, I know I have a support system to help me through. How absolutely blessed I am to have found this practice."
-Maria C.
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The Center for Integrative
Health and Healing
388 Kenwood Avenue
Delmar, NY 12054
518-689-2244
Located 10 minutes south of Albany, New York