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May 7, 2004/Iyar 16 5764, Vol. 56, No. 33
Doctor trusts in power of natural healing
JENNIFER GOLDBERG
Staff Writer
As president of the Southwest College for Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) in Tempe, Dr. Paul Mitman, N.D., (naturopathic doctor) has seen firsthand the benefits of natural healing.
"(Naturopathic medicine) is a way of expressing my desire to do something that has a positive impact in this world," he says. "So many of the conditions people suffer from really can be improved by just taking better care of yourself."
According to the SCNM Web site, "naturopathic physicians diagnose disease and treat patients by using natural modalities such as physical manipulation, clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, homeopathy, counseling, acupuncture and hydrotherapy, among others. They choose treatment based on the individual patient, not based on the generality of symptoms."
Put simply, "our first choice is always to approach health care through those things that could have the biggest impact, like making significant changes in diet, reducing stress and increas-ing exercise," says Mitman.
Mitman graduated from naturopathic medical school in 1985 and did a residency and conducted research before beginning a private practice. He moved to Arizona from Massachusetts in 1997 to accept a teaching position at SCNM. In 1999, he became its president.
Mitman was initially drawn to naturopathic medicine because it seemed to fit in with the healthy lifestyle he was already pursuing.
"It wasn't that I felt there was anything wrong with conventional medicine. I was already into nutri- tion and exercise, and (naturopathic medicine) was consistent with the way I felt about health and health care," he recalls. "I also really loved working with people and found this to be a way to express my desire to do something that made a difference."
Naturopathic doctors charge fees comparable to medical doctors, yet they take a more rounded approach to diagnosis and treatment. Office visits to the SCNM clinic "are fairly time-intensive, but we need that time to help the patient become as educated as they need to be to make the changes that will really have a positive impact on their health."
Patients who receive treatment at the SCNM clinic receive a physical exam and have lab work done. However, "we also do an extensive history to understand the factors in a person's life that could contribute to their illness," says Mitman. These include nutritional influences, environmental factors such as home or office air quality and/or stress.
The next step is to come up with a highly individualized treatment plan that is focused on each patient's specific needs. Treatment plans can include natural therapies but can also comprise medication, which N.D.s are licensed to prescribe.
Mitman says that the Jewish population is genetically predisposed to be at a higher risk for several conditions that are typically helped by naturopathic medicine, in-cluding heart disease, some types of cancer, gastroin-testinal and digestive diseases, diabetes, certain types of arthritis and more.
Mitman's Judaism im-pacts his life on a daily basis. He characterizes his involvement with naturo-pathic medicine as "an expression of tikkun olam (repairing the world)."
Mitman, his wife Laura and their children, Arie, 17 and Cascade, 15, attend Temple Beth Sholom.
"I've found that going to Shabbat services is one of the best ways for me to let go of a lot of the stress that I have in my life," he says. "It's also given me an opportunity to explore Judaism in a way that I never did before." Mitman reads Torah at Temple Beth Sholom and says that "invariably, in preparing for the portion I have to read, I learn something that is en-lightening and that helps me in my personal life."
For information about SCNM, visit www.scnm.edu.
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