Integrating Ayurveda and Modern Medicine - Part 2
AN Integrative Medicine Odyssey
*This post is part 2 of a 4-part series: You can review Part 1, Part 3, and Part 4!
My professional development in the field of medicine - Ayurveda and integrative medicine in particular - was, from the jump, deeply intertwined with personal loss and a profound drive to heal. The passing of an incredibly close loved one and the heartache that followed brought with it a unique kind of thirst; a thirst for understanding what it means to heal in a complete, many-sided sense. This thirst led me, through many years of study and practice, to realize that genuine healing care involves addressing physical concerns, but also nurturing the emotional and spiritual well-being of myself and others.
More on that part of the story can be found here: ‘Healing Hearts: How Loss Inspired My Career in Medicine’
If it is true that healing involves balance in meeting the needs of the mind, body, and spirit, then medical care must be integrative to support healing. The broader integrative medicine field stands on this philosophy. Integrative medicine is at the foundation of medical practice at The Buddha’s Medicine. We combine lifestyle medicine, evidence-based mind/body practices, hands-on manual medicine techniques, supplemental therapies, and custom traditional herbal care with the advancements of modern allopathic understanding. These tools facilitate consistent, compassionate, effective, comprehensive, and deeply personal care.
The holistic integrative medicine discipline aims to treat the whole person rather than just addressing isolated symptoms (as covered in Part I of this series). I became aware of how necessary this kind of holistic framework is early in my medical training. This awareness drove me to pursue additional education and clinical training, and ultimately, to become a board-certified practitioner by the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM).
That awareness dawned on me before I began my medical school career, as I was studying Yoga and Sanskrit. It was around this time that I was first introduced to Ayurveda, which I was instantly captivated by. But it wasn’t until my first week of medical school classes that I really experienced it for myself. From the very first lecture, I found the medical education process dry, detached from the realness of human experience, and at odds with my own healing needs. And yet, throughout my studies, I was struck by the repeated realization that the body is always at work healing itself, and has an incredible number of tools to do so.
Throughout my clinical training, I encountered many, many patients who struggled with chronic conditions. Despite the many tools and advances of modern medicine, those patients would often share how stuck they felt in their healing process, and how badly they wanted to be unstuck. They would frequently tell me about how they wanted a different kind of relationship with their physician; lifestyle and non-medication tools for healing; more comprehensive care.
Dr. Matt
I recall, for example, one patient who was struggling with metabolic syndrome, a condition involving increasing blood pressures, high blood sugars (and moving quickly toward diabetes), and high cholesterol. Her primary care provider introduced the idea of putting her on a handful of new medications, and this patient felt alarmed about those recommendations. She also had low thyroid function, and felt pressured to take synthetic thyroid hormone in spite of past reactions to synthetic thyroid hormone. She expressed that she felt as though she was treading water on a more natural source of thyroid replacement, and just kind of “existing.” We worked as a team on developing a dynamic lifestyle-based plan of care, brought in some dietary spices to use as medicines, and were successful at completely reversing her metabolic syndrome. We also successfully managed to reduce her thyroid replacement dose. Encounters like these were pivotal for me - they highlighted the limitations of a purely allopathic approach, and fueled my desire to explore integrative medicine further.
My educational background is a fusion of the Eastern and Western (read Part 1 of this series to learn more), each piece and component bringing me closer to my personal vision of an ideal integrative medicine practice. My formal studies in Ayurveda began 15 years ago as of the time of writing. As part of those studies, I dove into the ancient texts and learned from esteemed practitioners who passed down the sum of many millennia of study and care. This training instilled in me a deep respect for the body's innate ability to heal and the importance of aligning our lifestyle with the rhythms of nature.
Simultaneously (beginning the same year, in fact), I pursued a comprehensive education in Western medicine, gaining a strong foundation in modern clinical practices, diagnostics, and evidence-based treatments. This phase of my life was rigorous and enlightening, equipping me with the skills to manage acute and chronic conditions effectively. Yet, I always felt there was something more - a drive to integrate these seemingly disparate systems into a cohesive way forward.
In some ways, the great potential of an integrative approach seemed to me like the most obvious thing in the world. So I sought opportunities to study and experience the growing field of integrative medicine, culminating in my board certification by the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM), which was also a subject we covered in Part 1 of this series.
My intention in bringing together Ayurveda and key tools from allopathic medicine has both professional and personal sides to it. In part, it is about honoring the wisdom, traditions, worldview, and heritage of the Ayurvedic system, while at the same time embracing the innovations of the present. It is about seeing the patient as a whole and providing care that is as personal and nuanced as their needs are. As The Buddha’s Medicine project grows and develops, I remain completely committed to this vision - to fostering a system of delivering healthcare that truly heals from within and paves the way for a balanced, more harmonious future for all.
Our work at The Buddha’s Medicine is rooted in the belief that healing is a journey we undertake together. It’s about holding space for patients to feel and grow in all the ways that humans do: to grieve, to find strength, to rediscover joy. It’s about creating a treatment plan that respects each person’s unique experiences and needs, ensuring that every aspect of their well-being is addressed. And in the thick of this work, I am reminded daily of why I took my life in this direction - to heal hearts, minds, and bodies, to inspire hope, and to honor the enduring connection we all share.
As always, if you are curious about your constitution & health (or health of a loved one), you can book a cost-free, 15min Consultation, and we’ll discuss!
Professional disclaimer: please do not initiate any herbal or other medicinal interventions without the guidance of a knowledgeable provider.
Dr. Matt Van Auken, MD, MPH
Dr. Matt is an Ayurveda-trained, triple board-certified physician.
