Treating Causes, Not Symptoms: Our Pharmaceutical-Free Practice
(Or at The Very Least, Pharmaceutical-Fewer Practice)
Conventional Western medicine has its strengths, but it for damn sure also has its weaknesses. I should know - I've been around the horn in my medical career. I completed a family medicine residency, worked in primary care practices (attempting to introduce Ayurveda and integrative medicine into those models with very incomplete success), and also spent time working in an addiction medicine care setting.
I've seen first-hand the limitations of allopathic medicine. Most of those limitations relate to a failure to treat the whole person.
The Buddha's Medicine is a practice where we take a different approach to healing - one that addresses the root causes of illness rather managing symptoms alone. And you can be sure that our philosophy extends to our stance on pharmaceuticals and prescriptions.
Whole Person Healing from the Inside-Out
Our practice is built on an exceptionally firm and time-tested foundation: millennia of Ayurvedic wisdom. At The Buddha's Medicine, we seamlessly combine that wisdom with evidence-based lifestyle medicine and modern integrative healing insights. We understand that true healing comes from within, and our role is to navigate with you on the road towards optimal health and vitality.
Why We Don't Offer Prescription Services (Mostly)
Plenty of very good reasons! Here are just a handful:
Focusing on Root Causes: Medications frequently mask and/or suppress symptoms and processes that underlie those symptoms. That's not healing! Our work is to identify and address the underlying imbalances and disease processes taking place for each person. And further, to prevent and treat those through nutrition, lifestyle, manual medicine, herbal medicine, and other wholesome means.
Empowering You: We believe that you already possess the keys to your own health and healing. Our job is to equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to make use of those keys. It's all about empowerment.
Avoiding Band-Aid Solutions: While medications can be necessary in some cases, they often serve as partial quick fixes that require long-term use just to tread water, or special exceptions to the rule. We're not into quick fixes. Our goal is long-lasting health improvements through natural, holistic, and other wholesome methods.
Minimizing Side Effects: Many prescription medications come with unwanted side effects. And while side effects are a consideration with just about anything one might put into their body (even foods in some situations!), we want as few of those as humanly possible. Our care approach looks to put you on a sure-fire track to good health without introducing additional complications.
Promoting Natural Healing: The human body has an incredible capacity for self-healing when the right conditions and tools are available. We foster those conditions through nutrition, lifestyle, mind/body medicine, manual medicine, and nature-based therapies.
Exceptions (!): And sometimes the fix is just a course of antibiotics. There will always be exceptions, and we will always be clear about those (as well as the limitations of pharmaceuticals in those situations).
Our Commitment to Your Care
We are so committed to these principles that we scarcely prescribe at all - and when we do, it is for a one-off like acute infection that needs a course of antibiotics. We provide lots of thoughtful, safe, guided meditation tapering. We do not offer longitudinal prescription services for chronic medications or fill any controlled substances scripts. Our standard is comprehensive, root cause-based, personalized care. Our goal is genuine well-being and whole health. And if we believe that prescription medication is necessary for any degree of treatment in your unique situation, we will refer you to appropriate specialists who can provide that service.
Your journey to optimal health is a partnership. We're here to support, guide, and empower you every step of the way.
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!
If you have questions about how we can help care for any health concerns and/or conditions not found on this list, please contact us.
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.
