By Victor S. Sierpina, MD, ABFM, ABIHM, Director, Medical Student Education Program, WD and Laura Nell Nicholson Family Professor of Integrative Medicine, Professor, Family Medicine University of Texas Distinguished Teaching Professor
“We do not need magic to transform our world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better.”
–J.K. Rowling
Recently, I saw a Netflix historical documentary about the world-renowned Mayo Clinic. The story unfolded in a fascinating narrative that started with a country doctor, Dr. William Mayo, in the remote Midwest plains town of Rochester, Minnesota. He and his two sons, Will and Charlie, trained as surgeons, came to epitomize the meaning of quality care in medicine. Dr. Mayo in the post-Civil War days was caring for victims of a damaging tornado that had struck his town. Out of places to shelter the wounded, he approached the head nun of a Franciscan convent. Her students were away for the summer break, and their dorm rooms were unoccupied. She unhesitatingly opened her facilities to Dr. Mayo’s wounded patients. Thus began a relationship that has lasted over a hundred years as the convent facilities expanded into clinics, hospitals, and now a billion-dollar enterprise in three states.
The enduring and constant value in the story was the Mayos’ insistence on creating a system of care that was cutting edge, using the latest surgical and medical techniques, working in collaboration with colleagues, and always putting their patients first. This team approach continues today, and I still refer my toughest cases to Mayo Clinic for their high level, integrated assessment process to unfailingly resolve diagnostic dilemmas.
The same week I saw this documentary, the Mayo Clinic Integrative Guide to Good Health arrived at my mailbox. This self-care book is an incredible home resource with dependable, practical information on the full spectrum of integrative practices and how to apply them safely and rationally. The first section of the book emphasizes wellness practices with useful information on nutrition, exercise, stress, rest and relaxation, connecting with others, and explores the top integrative treatments.
Mind-body techniques, chiropractic, osteopathic manipulation, massage, acupuncture, herbs and supplements, spa therapy, and a variety of other approaches are unpacked for the interested reader and add new dimensions, options, and perspectives for even the sophisticated health consumer. Common problems like arthritis, fatigue, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, headache, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, stress and mood problems are all dealt with holistically in a book that is easy-to-read, beautifully illustrated with well-planned layout and design. I have already ordered a case or two for medical students, residents, colleagues, and patients.
The authors also offer what amounts to a second book within this one of detailed home remedies employing core first aid principles, alternative therapies, herbs, and other non-pharmacological therapies.
I am especially gratified to see how well the Mayo Clinic has incorporated these integrative medicine practices into their model of team-based, collaborative medical care. Despite the Texas Medical Center being the largest medical center in the world, I haven’t seen the level of cooperation, colleagueship, and holistic integrative care imbedded into our system as at Mayo Clinic. I challenge the health care system leaders, educators, and clinicians to adopt this expanded, patient-centered integrative approach more broadly.
A couple examples of how this kind of medicine is already being practiced in the TMC is a MD Anderson’s well-developed Integrative Oncology program that incorporates lifestyle, nutrition, yoga, meditation, music, art, acupuncture, massage, and medical consultation about complementary therapies and cancer. They are rolling some of these services out to regional and satellite campuses such as at the combined UTMB-MDA campus in League City.
At UTMB—Health, we have long had a dedicated cadre of faculty that provide integrative medicine consultations, and now includes a fellowship and residency track in this integrative medicine to expand access to patients seeking a broadened palette of care. Available options include nutrition, supplements, integrative oncology, pain management, mind-body approaches, and more.
Perhaps because of the Mayo family’s commitment and leadership, the strong social and spiritual support of the Franciscan sisters, and their never-ending quest for excellence, Mayo Clinic was best poised to be the beacon on the hill as a model of compassionate, first-rate medical care. No doubt it was helpful to have a program under one roof as opposed to multiple and sometimes competing hospital and clinical systems. They are an internationally branded, not for profit, magnet for those seeking the best and most trusted level of care available.
As such, we can learn a lot by studying the Mayo Clinic system and trying to emulate it. Take a look at the documentary film and the integrative health/home remedy book and see if you don’t agree with me. By the way, Mayo Clinic is ranked number 1 in the United States on the 2018–2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Honor Roll, maintaining a position at or near the top for more than 27 years.