Dr. Saputo embodies the ideal medical practitioner of the 21st century. He uses cutting-edge laboratory tests to diagnose illness. He combines conventional medicine with adjunct alternative or integrative therapies. He goes to the source of many illnesses by looking at the patient's digestive system. Conventional doctors rarely consider nutrition and digestion to be a part of good health.
Dr. Saputo makes himself accessible to his patients. He prefers that they call him "Len." He encourages patients to email him with questions--between office visits--and he responds right away, as long as the question requires a straightforward answer.
I read extensively about medical issues. I typically arm myself with a list of concerns to show my doctors. My aim to be a part of my own care puts off some doctors. Dr. Saputo welcomes questions, and he takes them seriously. He is open-minded enough to consider my thoughts. Yet, he is a strong sounding board who doesn't let me hijack my treatment with my own fears or misinformation.
This review is not of Dr. Len Saputo's medical practice, but of his book: A Return to Healing: Radical Health Care Reform and the Future of Medicine. When he mentioned he was writing this book on medical reform, I thought to myself, Good luck with that. Only an optimistic, energetic person would tackle this subject. When he said that his goal was to provide a solution to the medical care crisis, I asked what his bottom line solution would ultimately be. He said something like, "People must take it upon themselves to demand change."
I had planned to write a detached and strictly professional-sounding review of A Return to Healing. But a doctor's patient is the perfect person to look at the ideas presented in this book and to view them at the micro level. Service to the patient is the bottom line--or at least, it should be. I admire the way Dr. Saputo operates his practice. Because he is honest, dedicated, caring, and open to change, I consider him a role model. Anyone seeking good medical care should read this book. Any doctor searching for a better way to practice medicine should read this book.
How familiar is this scenario? The doctor dashes into the exam room after you've camped out long enough to read People Magazine from cover to cover. This doctor is out of shape and somewhat anxious. He seems pre-occupied while he quickly peruses your file. During your quick visit, he seems irritated by your questions because at 11 a.m., he is already running behind. He has double-booked patients all day. He may have let a pharmaceutical rep cut in front of the line to school the doctor on the latest wonder drug.
Let's look at a different type of office visit: Dr. Saputo does not double-book patients. His patients individually book the time they will need. Dr. Saputo is a title holder in tennis. When he tells his patients to exercise, he is walking his own walk. His office building is filled with practitioners who are dedicated to healing their patients holistically. They CARE about their patients' physical, psychological and spiritual health. In addition, the warmth and positive attitude that is conveyed by his office staff is contagious. I wish Dr. Saputo's office were closer to my home because at times I lingered at the premises past my visit.
Let's face it: The old way no longer works, especially for those with chronic illness. Few doctors get their patients well these days. A doctor is trained to dispense pills. Much of the information the doctor has about these pills is given to him by the drug companies' sales reps. Patients may have some diagnostic tests--but ultimately they leave with a prescription slip.
What is good medical care? A Return to Healing describes Dr. Len Saputo's journey to find a better way to treat and to heal his patients. He writes about the challenges he has gone through in order to offer better care. He has set up a model for other doctors to follow as a starting point for change. This book is particularly interesting to me (as a patient who has read about various courageous "rebel" doctors) because it never occurred to me---as I enjoyed what Dr. Saputo offered---that he had received flack from members of his own industry, and that he was risking his own livelihood by stepping out of the box and daring to question the way things have always been done.
Dr. Saputo operates the Health Medicine Center in Walnut Creek, CA. At this center a patient can find several complementary therapies (such as, chiropractic care, cranial sacral therapy, sports medicine, pain management, guided imagery, etc.) While developing this practice--which is a part of what he calls the "Health Medicine Movement," Dr. Saputo has aligned himself with other medical doctors and dedicated healers to form the Health Medicine Forum . The members of the forum present guest speakers and hold conferences to exchange information in order to improve and expand their practices and to bring about a needed paradigm shift.
Although the purpose of this book is to ultimately bring about this paradigm shift, the ideas are simple; the suggestions are plausible. The author isn't someone with his head in the clouds who carries crystals in his pocket. He is a well-trained medical doctor who is a scientist.
What is science and what isn't? Much of what we've known to be "scientific medicine" is now a system of prescribing pills to patients that do not heal them. Today, those of us who seek good health must question exactly what science is when it comes to curing disease and treating patients. Is it scientific to take a medication that has a cure rate only slightly higher than a placebo? Conversely, there may be irrefutable evidence that an "alternative" therapy improves health or even saves lives. But when there is no ownership or patent on a product (like vitamins, for instance), finding the financial backing to publish research is not feasible. Without the research, there is no FDA approval. Without FDA approval, there is no insurance coverage.
This book delineates the power structure of the FDA and the large pharmaceutical companies. Who determines exactly what drugs and therapies are approved? The power that is wielded by the FDA, the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance companies has drastically changed the practices of today's doctors. This power makes it difficult for doctors to offer a full spectrum of treatments. A power shift must occur for doctors to be able to offer their patients all types of therapies and all life-saving remedies.
The U.S. government cannot legislate this paradigm shift. Both doctors and patients must look at the need for better medical care with new eyes. The following four categories listed in this book demonstrate a hierarchy of treatments from the least invasive to the most. Each category includes many choices and various things a patient can try to create and sustain good health. The first level of treatment is prevention, and the last level (or extreme) includes the most invasive treatments. Success at the first level can prevent the need to go the next level and so on:
FIRST LEVEL: "Lifestyle strategies such as a healthy diet, adequate sleep and exercise, stress reduction, weight control, avoidance of toxic exposures, and securing emotional and spiritual balance in life are the first line of defense.
SECOND LEVEL: Noninvasive complementary and alternative services such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, chiropractic, bodywork, homeopathy, and energy medicine are the next line of defense.
THIRD LEVEL: Natural-medicine approaches based on the latest advances in orthomolecular medicine, functional medicine, and bioenergetic research--and inclusive of the more advanced forms of testing--are a further line of defense.
FOURTH/LAST LEVEL: Very careful and sparing use of pharmaceutical drugs, surgery, and other invasive strategies are the last line of defense."
A Return to Healing is an informative guide for both patients and doctors who seek good medical care. It is a map for health care reform. If both doctors and patients adopt the above hierarchy in preventing illness and maintaining good health, a paradigm shift will occur.
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