The Big Five-0
I turned 50 on July 4th. Despite my most valiant efforts to ward it off, the big five-0 caught up with me. We argued for hours, and at least one of us thought my logic was very convincing and persuasive:
“There are a lot of really sick people out there, and only a handful of doctors who combine the marvels of modern medicine with the elegant yet extremely potent remedies of the natural world, ” I pleaded. “Imagine how much more suffering I could alleviate if you would just back off. ” My words landed on deaf ears, so I tried the opposite approach:
“My patients are getting healthier and healthier and living longer and longer because I refuse to pump them up with drug after drug which simply masks their symptoms without getting at the root cause of their dis-ease. I need to be around for a very long time in order to care for them. ” My detractor gazed at me pityingly, while chuckling silently to himself about the absolute absurdity and futility of trying to defy Mother Nature.
By now we’ve all heard of the serenity prayer. Byron Katie, a spiritual teacher I have been fortunate to learn from, the author of Loving What Is and other wonderful books, puts it a different way. She says there’s three kinds of business—“my” business, “your” business and God’s business. When we try to mess with any business that is not our own, we suffer. (By the way, your wife’s or husband’s business actually is considered “your business”. ) Trying to mess with God’s business is like asking an Oak tree to take few steps to the right. And yet, how often do we do it, over and over and over again? God doesn’t need to watch Netflix comedies (or tragedies, for that matter)—he/she has awardwinning entertainment on channel Earth.
Truth be told, in spite of my brief encounter with Mr. Half Century, there is much to be grateful for these days, and with Thanksgiving approaching, I decided to share some of that gratitude with you. If you would like, I invite you to take a look at your own lives and come up with at least 5 people or things for which you are grateful. Don’t just go through the motions—really feel the e-motions that are released by acknowledging their presence in your lives and effects on you.
Over the years I’ve often appreciated advertisements by local businesses thanking their clients for their patronage. As my tenth year of private practice in Albuquerque approaches, I want to offer my sincere gratitude and thanks to those of you throughout New Mexico and beyond who have placed and continue to place your trust in me as your integrative physician. Thanks to you, my practice has remained healthy and robust despite challenging economic times.
I couldn’t provide the quality of care and service that I do without exceptional support staff handling the myriad administrative duties required to keep a medical office running smoothly. Those of you who are already patients know I am particularly blessed to work alongside Irini, my Office Manager for the last two years. Irini offers a rare combination of heart, smarts, commitment, Aussie accent, work ethic, and humor second to none. She exemplifies the true meaning of “support staff”, as I feel totally supported by her. I am also fortunate to have just hired Liz, a kind, friendly and bright aspiring health care provider herself, who is Irini’s “right hand woman.”
This year I was invited to speak at the Global Foundation of Integrative Medicine’s World Conference, which brings together Integrative Doctors and healers from all over the globe. I’m honored to be presenting alongside such a distinguished group of physicians. The conference will take place right here in the Duke City, but has been postponed, so stay tuned for the latest about this exciting event.
As a Clinical Assistant Professor at UNM, I have the privilege of teaching Integrative Medicine in the comfort of my own office. I relish witnessing students have an eye-opening experience when they discover the beauty of deep healing, and they hear patients describe first-hand their recoveries from both acute and chronic illness. I always learn valuable insights from them. The great majority of my patients have graciously allowed students to sit in on their consultations, as they are eager to see the kind of medicine I practice be passed on to future generations of doctors.
Finally, last but not least, I’m grateful for the Art and Science of Homeopathy. While self-serving forces continue to mount a vicious international onslaught against this incredible system of healing, it continues to play a central role in my practice and make a huge difference in patients’ lives. This past week I saw two patients in my office who have experienced long-term benefits from homeopathic care, and I asked them to discuss the impact of the treatment on their lives:
Since childhood I've suffered from serious allergies. As a child I took Benadryl on a nightly basis. After getting my PhD I taught in Georgia and Louisiana for ten years. During that time it was unusual when I had an allergy-, headache-free day. For much of the time I took over the counter medications that left me feeling hungover at school. Approximately nine years ago I was referred to Dr. Weiss. Dr. Weiss spent several visits listening not just to my physical symptoms but also to what was going on emotionally in my life, and prescribed two doses of an individualized homeopathic remedy. Since then I've experienced only minor allergies--tearing eyes after a sandstorm and in the spring when the fruit trees are blooming, but nothing like I suffered from for most of my life up until that time. Moreover, I've not been sick for the past few years. As a college instructor exposed to illness on a daily basis, this is truly a miracle that I attribute to Dr. Weiss's care, as well as eating only organic food, exercise, and not over-sanitizing my home and work environment.
-Benay Blend, Ph. D. , Sept. 30, 2009
When I first saw Dr Weiss, I was miserable, with chronic persistent eczema that itched extremely, burned, and bled because I could not avoid scratching it. Because it was disfiguring, I never wore short sleeve shirts or shorts in public. Over the previous three years I had spent a lot of money and time trying to solve the problem. I had followed courses of treatment from a dermatologist, a naturopath, acupuncture doctors, and an Ayurvedic practitioner. I changed my diet, gave up dairy, gave up wheat, gave up sugar, just about gave up fun--nothing worked! In fact, the eczema continued to spread, taking over my entire torso and traveling from other spots on my body as well. Then I went to see Dr Weiss. In the first month, with the first remedy he prescribed, the eczema began to shrink. In two months I had a smooth torso and it was decreasing everywhere else as well. In the course of a year, as he "tweaked" the treatments, the eczema, disappeared, except for two small spots. I stopped going because I forgot it was there! The treatments have "held" and over three years later, having not seen him or any other clinician for my skin, my skin is clear except for two small spots. Whereas it once covered a third of my body, it now covers less than 1%. I cannot emphasize enough what a huge improvement Dr Weiss and homeopathy have made in my life. Thank you, Dr Weiss!
-Kiley Moran, Sept. 30, 2009
After reading these recent letters and reflecting on my first 50 years of this life, I took a deep breath and smiled. Tears of gratitude welled up in my eyes. This time it was I who caught up with the big guy. And when I did, I put my hands together in prayer over my heart and bowed deeply to him.