Alternative Medicine: Physicians merge conventional
and unconventional medical therapies

By Ruthan Brodsky

Integrative, or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is healing-oriented and considers the whole person - mind, body and spirit - as well as all aspects of lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship between patient and practitioner and makes use of all appropriate therapies, conventional and alternative.

Most major local medical facilities have a CAM department, including William Beaumont Hospital, Henry Ford Hospital, St. Joseph hospitals and Detroit Medical Center, as well as the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

CAM practices, once considered unorthodox in the U.S., are becoming part of the mainstream healthcare repertoire after rigorous scientific investigation shows them to be safe and effective.

Based on a 2002 survey by the U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 36 percent of adults use some form of CAM. When megavitamin therapy and prayer specifically for health reasons are included in the definition of CAM, that number rises to 62 percent. When prayer is included in the definition, the domain of mind-body medicine is the most commonly used domain (53 pecent). Most people use CAM to improve their health in combination with medical treatments (55 percent).


Clearly, supplements and alternative therapies are gaining a legitimate place in medical practices. Two years ago, for example, the government approved acupuncture to treat osteoarthritis of the knee. Today, most insurance companies cover the cost of this treatment.

Yet alternative therapies can be expensive for the patient. Most unconventional therapies are difficult to support financially in a private practice because they generally are not covered by insurance. This may mean the patient pays the entire fee.

Examples of fees charged by some physicians for alternative medical treatments include $10 for the first 15 minutes of an oxygen massage; $75-$300 for IV (intravenous) vitamin and mineral treatments; and $100-$150 for an acupuncture session.

Dr. Mark Hertzberg, a board certified anti-aging specialist, believes people are turning to conventional-alternative medicine because they hope this approach will not only treat and prevent disease but also enhance their qualify of life.

"I emphasize the importance of diet and exercise, recommend intravenous vitamin and mineral treatments to increase energy, and advocate bio-identical hormones for customized hormonal balance," said Dr. Hertzberg, whose Medical Wellness and Prevention Clinic is in Southfield.

"These are hormones formulated from plants that exactly match the patient’s hormone structure as opposed to synthetic hormones. I make sure my patients are well informed and take a good look at their options for good health."

Dr. Annette Greenstein, who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology, provides individualized care for health maintenance, education and prevention.

"I recommend bio-identical hormones for patients who suffer from hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms," said Dr. Greenstein, whose office is in Beverly Hills.

"This type of hormone treatment isn’t usually covered by insurance but it gives me the ability to tailor a hormone program to a patient’s particular needs. Unlike pharmaceuticals, however, there isn’t an instant gratification so patients need to be patient. We work with the hormones until we find a good match."

Although physicians who use a CAM approach use natural, less-invasive treatments when possible, they also recognize that good medicine, regardless of origin, is based on good science.

"Dr. Hertzberg has been my physician for 25 years because I appreciate the way he treats me as a person and he has always been open to alternative therapies," says Henry Bechek of Orchard Lake.

"I’m 67, retired, but I’m going go back to work full time as a consultant because I have the energy. I take vitamins intravenously on a regular basis and now I’m taking regular doses of testosterone. My 99-year-old mother, who looks 80, is also a patient of Dr. Hertzberg. She still has her original teeth. He’s a remarkable man, unafraid to let his patients matter to him."

Dr. Levine of Elle Medical Spa became involved with CAM through an interesting route.

"My practice was successful, but I felt something was missing,” Dr. Levine said. “Patients required more of my time than I could give them, and I needed more of their time to ask questions and listen to what they said and how they said it. I also wanted to provide more treatment options."

He says his Judaism also motivated him. Being a mentsh, a caring, responsible person, as well as doing the right thing was an integral part of his Jewish education and an important personal concept for him in medicine. He wanted to change the direction of his medical practice but, as a husband and father, he wasn’t sure whether he should take the plunge.

In 2003, he sought the advice of his rabbi, Joseph Krakoff of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Oakland County.

"Bob Levine came to me at a time in his life when he sensed a deep spiritual connection with medicine and wanted to change his practice," Rabbi Krakoff said. "He dug deep within himself and, with support from his family and friends, has found great joy with this new part of his life."

Rabbi Krakoff did the honors of placing the mezuzah on the door of Dr. Levine’s new medical spa.

The model for a medical spa was in its infancy when he made plans for the facility and the medical practice, which is under the supervision of a full-time health care professional.

The facility’s interior design, its traffic pattern and furnishings reflect a fluidity and calmness, unusual characteristics for a physician’s office.

Mark Freedman of Waterford said, "I sought help [for thyroid problems and high stress] from several doctors." I was examined and tested, prodded and poked and given Synthroid, but that drug didn’t really solve my health problems.

"Nothing worked until I saw Dr. Levine. He has helped me relax with massage and acupuncture. I’m taking nutritional and herbal formulas and lost weight the last two years. Today, I wear orthotics and have cut down on my smoking."

Dr. Levine tells of a pregnant woman referred to him for back pain, especially when she coughed. She asked for acupuncture because, being pregnant, she couldn’t take medications. During his exam, he quickly diagnosed pneumonia. Working closely with a pharmacist, she was immediately put on an antibiotic that is safe during pregnancy.

"If she had visited an acupuncturist first, he probably would not have known about her pneumonia and this lady would have been very ill very quickly," Dr. Levine said. "That’s the beauty of combining conventional medicine with the ability to apply alternative approaches. I can make a diagnosis and give the patient exactly what she needs."

Alicia Tisdale of West Bloomfield recently broke her hand while playing with her grandchildren. Her hand was put in a cast by an orthopedic surgeon. Then Tisdale visited her physician, Dr. David Brownstein, medical director for the Center for Holistic Medicine in West Bloomfield.

"The first thing he did after examining my hand was to put me on a magnetic generator," Tisdale said. "It goes on over your head like an inner tube but it’s smaller. I used it three times a week for 20 minutes. I could feel the vibration and the heat and I know it speeded the healing process by at least one or two weeks."

"When a hand surgeon took my cast off, he said, ‘You don’t need physical therapy or anything. Get out of here.’ He couldn’t believe how it healed."

Tisdale and her husband, Paul, both are patients of Dr. Brownstein.

"David has written several books on health, his latest about Celtic Salt and what it can do for your health," Alicia Tisdale said. "He markets many of the products because some of them are difficult to find, and he works with nutritional manufacturers he trusts."

Dr. Brownstein could not be reached at his office for comment.

Dr. Robert Levine, Ph.D., is research director with the Henry Ford Center for Integrative Medicine where treatments include acupuncture, chiropractic care, mind-body-spirit therapies, neuro-muscular therapy, massage therapy and herbal counseling. The Novi center integrates complementary and conventional medicine for conditions such as arthritis, headaches, chronic fatigue, depression, and gynecological, fertility and digestive problems.

"Increasingly, consumers and physicians recognize that conventional medicine doesn’t have all the answers for everyone’s health care needs," Dr. Levine said. "Fifty to 70 percent of all chronic illnesses will respond to lifestyle changes, which means most people don’t need a prescriptive drug for every ache or pain."

"Previously, we waited until something broke and then we fixed it. This approach doesn’t work well because once better, people return to their former bad habits. Now we tell patients they are also responsible for their own health and that it may take more than one approach to keep someone healthy."

Physicians in practice for at least 10 years, maybe even five, had little or no courses in alternative health approaches. Today, medical schools include CAM information.

"Our goal at U-M is to take the best of conventional medicine and the best of complementary medicine and integrate them so that physicians are better able to treat the whole person," says Dr. Rita Benn, Ph.D., director of education of the University of Michigan Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Center in Ann Arbor.

According to Dr. Benn, students receive approximately 20 to 25 hours of complementary medicine classes during their first and second years in medical school.

"Medical students exposed to a variety of treatment modalities early in their studies are likely to be more open to alternative treatment and their evidence,” Dr. Benn said. “There must be about 1,200 clinical trials in progress that focus on CAM. Our students have the medical background to apply this evidence-based research in their practice."

Many Western physicians are skeptical of alternative methods and have difficulty letting go of the Western medical paradigm.

"Alternative therapies have a place in a medical practice, but primarily as an adjunct to conventional medicine," says Dr. Alan Cutler, a specialist in gastroenterology with Digestive Health Associates in Farmington Hills. "I have become more open to their use but I caution patients to find out if the health care professional has received adequate training and is certified for a particular treatment."

"I also want patients to understand that just because a product is natural doesn’t mean it won’t have side effects. Natural products are real agents and work like drugs, providing benefits and potential danger."

More physicians are realizing that conventional medicine alone doesn’t have all the answers, especially when it comes to chronic health conditions and end-stage illnesses.

Indeed, with additional research, indications are that CAM practices may prove effective in preventing and treating chronic diseases, possibly reducing the costs of healthcare as well as advancing our understanding of how healing works. At present, however, only some of these practices have been tested for safety and effectiveness. Many others are on the sidelines, waiting for discovery and validation.