Elson Haas, MD: The Modern Medicine Man
Dr. Elson Haas is an integrative family physician with more than 40 years’ experience in patient care. He is the founder-director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in northern California. Considered to be one of the “Fathers of Integrative Medicine,” Dr. Haas has many concepts and messages about disease and health, and has developed an integrative approach to healing that incorporates Natural, Eastern, and Western medical modalities into what he calls “NEW Medicine.” This combination of integrative, holistic, and functional medicine is designed to restore proper body physiology and support the healing process.
As a lifestyle and preventive medical physician, Dr. Haas encourages people to remember that our health—how we look and feel—is mostly a result of how we live. His message is always about protecting our health and honoring our body and the Mother Earth by eating foods from Nature as much as possible and taking care of our multi-dimensional self—our body, mind, heart, and spirit. The author of a dozen health books (for adults, children, and families), Dr. Haas has traveled the world helping under-served communities. His website is ElsonHaasMD.com
Dr. Haas’ seminal first book, Staying Healthy with the Seasons (1981), which Dr. Andrew Weil calls “One of the classics in the field of Integrative Medicine,” was among the first books to combine ancient Eastern healing traditions with modern Western medical practices, and is still as timely as ever. In addition to Staying Healthy with the Seasons, Dr. Haas has eleven other books, including Staying Healthy with Nutrition (a college course book), The Detox Diet, Ultimate Immunity and False Fat Diet. His most recent is Staying Healthy with NEW Medicine.
A long-time student of Astrology, Numerology, and Tarot and the connected symbolism to life, Dr. Haas is past President of Metaphysicians—a group of doctors who embraced the spiritual dimensions of health and disease.
According to Dr. Haas, illness is symbolic of internal conflicts especially related to life paths and decisions. And illness serves as interference, asking us to pay attention to the body. He believes health is a personal journey and so much of it is up to us.
An Interview with Elson Haas, MD – The Modern Medicine Man
Interview by Sharon Sayler
To listen to the full interview of Dr. Elson Haas by Sharon Sayler on The Autoimmune Hour on OMTimes Radio, click the player below.
Sharon Sayler, host of The Autoimmune Hour on OmTimes Radio spoke with Dr. Haas about his philosophies on healing and cleansing programs, which he has participated in every year since 1985. He offers both a Winter/New Year’s Detox class and a Spring Cleansing program at his clinic and online. He not only leads the courses but participates in them because, as he explains, “This isn’t simply a health concept for me but a key part of my lifestyle—an intrinsic part of my annual health program.”
Sharon Sayler: What role does food play in medicine?
Dr. Haas: The idea of using food as medicine has a long history, dating back to Hippocrates in the 4th century B.C.E., as does the philosophy and practice of not eating, or fasting. These centuries-old therapies are still relevant and useful today, however, they are often dismissed or ignored by the conventional medical establishment, so I am always interested to discover new research that supports this ancient healing wisdom. A study recently reviewed in the Harvard Gazette (“In Pursuit of Healthy Aging”) explored how periods of dietary restriction, like detoxing and fasting, might actually slow aging. Understanding what is happening at the cellular level has enormous potential—as one of the authors of the study says, “Our findings open up new avenues in the search for therapeutic strategies that will reduce our likelihood of developing age-related diseases as we get older.” This is good news and an important insight because the detoxification process becomes more and more important as we age and the consequences of our lifestyle habits accumulate, for better or worse.
Sharon Sayler: Your first book, Staying Healthy with the Seasons, outlines the concept of seasonal prevention that includes nutrition, exercise, herbal and natural remedies with lifestyle choices. How did you discover the value of these concepts?
Dr. Haas: During the 1970s, I was studying natural healing methods and Traditional Chinese Medicine to add to my Western Medicine training. I thought, “This is all important and helpful information, these early systems of healing, and this should be part of medical care.” I wanted to be a writer and help my patients and others understand what I was doing during those early years of being a doctor. The way I really discovered the healing value is that I transformed my own health from allergies and skin conditions to feeling healthy and vital through diet changes and eating close to nature, as well as bodywork, natural supplements, exercise, and meditation.
Sharon Sayler: Your latest book, the third in the Staying Healthy series explores Natural, Eastern and Western Medicine, what you call NEW Medicine. What’s this all about?
Dr. Haas: Yes, I love acronyms and Staying Healthy with NEW Medicine: Natural, Eastern and Western Approaches for Optimal Health is a book that incorporates my philosophical approach to healing that is another octave of what I wrote nearly 40 years ago in my Seasons book. There are so many conditions that I see that Western medicine alone does not really heal, although many use medications to try to control symptoms. There are of course strengths and weaknesses of each of the NEW Medicine systems.
Today, many medical doctors see and believe what early explorers, such as Andrew Weil, Bernie Siegel, Marty Rossman, Bernard Jensen, Michael Tierra, and I were discovering and sharing. Integrative MDs and DOs (Osteopaths) are now found in most major urban centers as are other naturally-oriented health practitioners, such as chiropractors, acupuncturists, and naturopaths who can assist and empower us to restore our health with lifestyle guidance and natural remedies and treatments.
NEW MEDICINE offers an integrated vision, empowering you to take more responsibility for your health. It presents an innovative synthesis of more traditional healing practices with the current “conventional” medical system. This integration combines a number of healing modalities and disciplines, including:
~ Time-tested Natural and Eastern energy approaches to preventing illness and optimizing health,
~ Nutritional and Herbal Medicines,
~ Cutting edge health psychology, wellness and lifestyle counseling, and
~ The best of Western diagnostic technologies and pharmaceuticals when needed, as well as newer integrative testing.
NEW Medicine supports both practitioners and health consumers to learn about employing more effective health care toward better possible outcomes, with lower costs and long-lasting results. This approach encourages a fundamental relationship of preventive and integrative care between patient and doctor and helps achieve improved health outcomes for various medical conditions, by helping each patient learn what’s needed for their health and self-care strategy. This involves guiding people to discover what works for them to live most healthfully, choosing wisely, and employing natural remedies where possible.
Sharon Sayler: I would also like to know if you have any tips for working with our primary doctor, who may or may not be used to alternative practices. This is so important if we want to incorporate all approaches to healing.
Dr. Haas: It helps to have a doctor, or more than one practitioner (which is common these days), that can help guide and support you toward the right therapy, which to me is the safest, least expensive, yet effective treatment. It’s ideal that we each have doctors that we respect and that have similar beliefs, and that respect our choices. The doctor-patient relationship (DPR) is central to an effective healing system for each person, so important that I devote a chapter to it in NEW Medicine, and offer both a The Patient’s and Doctor’s Bill of Rights to help you navigate this very important relationship.
The first step I suggest taking in a personally successful DPR is to identify what’s important to you in a relationship with your physician/practitioner so that you are engaged and excited to maintain your health and wellness, while also making certain that you can afford it. There may be one individual or a team of practitioners that fit your needs and beliefs.
Photo Credit Stuart-Lirette
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