What is Integrative Medicine?

By Michael M. Defrawy

Integrative Medicine is a fast, growing field because it treats the whole person not just the disease. Dr. David Eisenberg of Harvard Medical School showed in 1993 that one out of three persons was treated by some form of Integrative Medicine which can include a certified or licensed provider such as a medical doctor, nurse practitioner, chiropractor, acupuncturist, herbalist, massage therapist, yoga instructor, nutritionist, physical trainer, psychologist, or social worker. At VIPIMC, where you are a Very Important Patient at our Integrative Medical Clinic, our medical director, Dr. Defrawy, is a licensed physician trained extensively in Internal Medicine, Urgent Care, Emergency Care, Acute Care and Primary Care. Serving as the Assistant Medical Director at Patient’s First, part of Johns Hopkins, for over a decade and treating patients in both hospital and private practice settings, Dr. Defrawy has extensive knowledge and experience providing exceptional, personalized medical care.

Dr. Defrawy medically supervises VIPIMC’s Integrative Medical and Wellness Team providing comprehensive care treating the whole human being. VIPIMC providers incorporate treatment options from conventional and alternative approaches, comprehensively treating the patient with physical symptoms, as well as addressing psychological, social and spiritual aspects of health and illness. “Patients want to be considered whole human beings in the context of their world,” says Esther Sternberg, MD, a National Institutes of Health senior scientist and author of The Balance Within: The Science Connecting Health and Emotions. Sternberg, a researcher who has done ground breaking work on interactions between the brain and the immune system, says technological breakthroughs in science during the past decade have convinced even skeptics that the mind-body connection is real. There is substantial scientific documentation.

Rebuilding and Restoring Health after Oncology

Treatments
VIPIMC offers integrative medical treatments for rebuilding and restoring the body with homeopathic and nutritional interventions including immune modulators. Osteopathic manual manipulation, a form of bodywork that treats most medical conditions, is a service offered along with other bodywork such as massage therapy, yoga and acupuncture, to help restore health with mind-body connection and vitality.

Testimonials
“I had four different cancers, adrenal, thyroid, breast cancer (twice), and a leiomyosarcoma, over the past decades with extensive chemo and radiation treatments. I was fatigued with severe digestive troubles due to surgical scarring and burning from chemo/radiation of my GI tract. I could not sleep at night and was exhausted. VIPIMC comprehensive treatments did restore and rebuild my body where my digestion is under control and I can sleep well now. In addition, the bodywork replaced my fatigue with a vibrant vitality. I am very pleased with the results.”
—Iris C. from Maryland

“At 50 yrs old, I was diagnosed with stage 4 rectal cancer that had spread to my lungs. This diagnosis brought on a whirlwind of activity. Months later I had already had lung surgery and had started on radiation and chemotherapy a week later. I was in the hospital thereafter due to a bad reaction to the chemotherapy. It was all so exhausting, physically and mentally. I was given only a 25-40% chance of recovery and was losing hope. I was in pain, depressed and beginning to feel that I might not beat the odds until I had my first experience with energy medicine. The VIPIMC wellness provider, Alice, was able to give me specifics about emotional blockages and healing my heart with my husband. Through this healing processing of information, I decided to take a trip to relax and meditate on the red rocks of Sedona.
Upon returning from Sedona, I had a PET scan and a pre-surgery visit. My colorectal surgeon used dye to outline the portion of my colon that was to be removed and informed me that in all likelihood I would need a permanent ostomy bag. However, my surgeon reported my PET scan findings as “No visible signs of active adenocarcinoma.” I did not do the surgery. The disappearance of all signs of stage 4 cancer, four months after diagnosis, is truly fantastic news to the point of being incomprehensible. I must have been ready. I have an entirely different outlook. My current focus is to restore my immune system and reconnect with a higher power. In general, I’ve been learning about energy work, the power of attraction, and other ways to live life to the fullest. At this time, there is no cancer showing up in the scans, but for me, this has moved beyond a cure, and into a new way of life.”
—Laurie H., Member,
VIPIMC’s Life Fairfax Wellness
Support Group

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About Michael M. Defrawy

Michael M. Defrawy, M.D., is a licensed physician board certified in Internal Medicine. He has extensive experience in primary care, acute care, emergency medicine and in internal medicine, both in the hospital and in private practice. Dr. Defrawy treats most medical conditions including chronic pain, gastrointestinal disorders, endocrine dysfunction such as hypothyroidism and hormone imbalance causing underlying fatigue and exhaustion, chronic fatigue disorder, weight loss, stress, diabetes, arthritis, allergies, infections including Hepatitis, Lyme and CFIDS, autoimmune disorders including IBS and fibromyalgia, cognitive impairment, hypertension and cardiovascular disorders, and respiratory disorders such as asthma and COPD. For the last 5 years, Dr Defrawy was a staff physician in the urgent care department at Kaiser Permanente Hospital. Prior to this, for over a decade, Dr DeFrawy was Assistant Medical Director at Patient First, an Urgent Care center that is affiliated with Johns Hopkins Hospital. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 571.344.4673