A Brief Conversation with Dr. Feldman
Q: Dr. Feldman… after spending so much time in conventional medicine, what was the impetus for moving to seek other answers outside of the realm of Western medicine?
A: After caring for a man with multiple medical problems and a boatload of medications, despite getting all of his "numbers" in line, he still felt lousy. I had done everything "by the book" and it was clear that "the book" was not enough. So the search began. I knew that there were many answers that could even be combined to find solutions.
Q: So, how did you conduct your search through these alternative therapies?
A: So if you start with the idea of the body as an impossibly complex system my idea is that “one size fits one.” Period. The world has moved to soundbites and quick cuts, and I believe that medicine has been trying to do the same thing -- everything whittled down to a simple concept... a simple solution for everyone. Sure, that’s the goal -- but it requires organizing a million simple concepts, in the right order, at the right time, until you finally have something. Is it hard to miss the fact that the body starts as two 1/2 cells, join into one and some years later exists as a massive, multi-trillion cell organism (us) that all works together to create our world. For example, every morsel of food that we eat involves millions of different signals internally working in concert in order for us to digest it, excrete waste, and use the products for our benefit. But hey, everyone should be on a keto diet, or a celery diet, or a twinkie only diet.... you get the idea.
Now mix in the aspect of individuality and it was clear that I needed to search for, and if sound, embrace every possible solution… in concert with other solutions.
Q: What were the early successes that made you dive deeper onto other therapies?
A: Exposure to a broad array of alternative therapies has shown me some surprising effects. A young woman with an apparently progressive degenerative condition came to visit a colleague in a wheelchair, unable to straighten up. After using some energy techniques and adjustment of cranial sutures (something that conventional medicine says is impossible), after about 30 minutes, she was 50% improved.
Q: You spend much of your time considering the broad implications of inflammation with your patients. Why?
A: Inflammation is your body's natural response to a stimulus that is outside it's comfort zone. Think about trying to do anything outside your comfort zone. It makes you a little uncomfortable, then you figure it out, and you're "better" at the other end. Now, if you go way beyond your comfort zone, you really could have a problem, and that's true for your body as well. Setting up extreme, as well as chronic, inflammation results in all sorts of problems, ultimately leading to potentially devastating consequences. Chronic inflammation interferes with normal body functions. The clearest place we can see this is in blood vessels and the risk of heart attacks. The vast majority of heart attacks occur when the cholesterol collected in the artery walls get inflamed to an extreme stage, causing the inflammatory reaction in the blood vessel itself, which makes a clot and causes the heart attack. If you shut off the inflammation, you avoid the heart attack (even if your cholesterol is high!) But this is true for inflammation in your gut as well. An inflamed intestine allows "stuff" to leak into the bloodstream… "stuff" that doesn't belong! Then the body reacts with more inflammation, more leakage ("Leaky Gut"), and a whole string of disasters can ensue. The same thing ultimately can happen in your brain and you literally have a "brain on fire".
Inflammation is a critical piece in the general regulation of your body, but it needs to be maintained at a reasonable level. Think about stress - a little stress boasts people's performance, a lot of stress usual results in poor performance. Stress is literally a driver of inflammation - if you can maintain the body's stress at a modest level, the body (you) can thrive. Too much - not so good.
Q: It’s been said that the first one through the wall always gets bloody. Even though that’s a business term, isn’t it true that some of the tests and treatments you do are out of today’s mainstream?
A: Mainstream conventional medicine denies many things as being possible despite being supported in the medical literature for decades. Remember when meditation was considered just a wacky thing to do?
Have you heard of Tapping, also known as EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique? Combine tapping on your head, face and chest with some affirmations and shift your metabolism? 1000s of studies show it works in minutes, and the results last for weeks.
Or Cold Lasers? These are red light lasers or infrared lasers that emit a specific frequency that the body can immediately absorb and use in it normal healing processes.
Q: You’ve been referred to as a “concierge doctor”, but why do you feel that concierge medicine is a misnomer?
A: You go to a hotel and don't know where to go - you ask the concierge. So, is that what a concierge doctor does? Sometimes. Mostly it means you'll be paying extra, outside of insurance.
Most of the time a concierge doctor is simply a regular, conventional medical doctor who has recognized that insurance companies are not geared to help either him/her or his/her patients be healthy. They realize that insurance doesn't allow them to see their patients the way the patients need to be seen. Doctors typically get paid more or less the same for each patient visit, regardless of complexity or time. The complicated, the more expensive it is for the doctor. Those patients are made to come back multiple times to sort everything out. Most concierge doctors ask the patient to pay additionally above insurance so that the doctor can actually take the time to completely evaluate that patient when they need it, and not treat them according to what the insurance might want. That may mean that the doctor will go out of their way to see that their patients are directed to the right doctors/treatments (like a hotel concierge), and some even will travel with them (unusual, and very expensive!).
Q: Part of your “concierge” service is that you will go to patients’ homes and treat them there. Why do you feel that aspect of your treatment is important.
A: Because I believe that house calls are not only convenient for patients who may be in need or even incapacitated, but better for mind/body, providing therapeutic advantages. Ever get nervous just entering the doctor's office? Not the least bit unusual. Lots of times people are very uncomfortable in a doctor's office - a very sterile, unwelcoming environment. Plus, the patient is anxious about what they might hear...
When the doctor comes to the home or office, the patient now has at least one part of the equation in their favor. The patient starts a bit less uncomfortable, is in a comfortable environment and tends to be more inclined to open up about what's really going on. And the doctor gets to see a little bit more about the patient and what their life is like, which can be a real eye-opener! This little window can open up whole new areas of discussion and opportunity for change.