Our Aim at The Healing Sanctuary (THS). By Dr. Jeff Baker, MD.
Our aim at THS may be unlike any you have encountered regarding a health care provider. Our goal is to help you reach optimal health. We strive to address the concerns and areas you want examined and investigated, but we also strive to discover those areas that may be the cause for poor health and the catalyst for disease or illness.
We practice integrative and functional medicine. I, Dr. Baker, have invested a lot of time and money to be certified in functional medicine and board certified in integrative medicine. This means that we work upstream or on the root of the problem. If you were to stand at the banks of the Snake River and see trash floating constantly, you would work on removing all that you could from the river. This helps clean up the river somewhat, but the trash will still keep coming. It is more effective to go upstream and find the source of the trash and stop it. This is what we do at THS. We work on finding the source of illness or disease and how to prevent it from occurring. Similarly, if you were to cut off the top of a weed or plant and not get at the root, the plant will continue to grow. In order to eliminate the problem, you must get to the root.
The roots of many health issues lie in several key areas and any person may have an imbalance in one or in all that can affect the rest of the body. When a patient sees a provider, they generally focus on the top of the tree or limbs (symptoms) and never really get to the root. As you can imagine, it takes more time and invested effort to work at the root of a tree. At THS, we work with you to get to the root of the problem and help you reach optimum health. Our visits normally last 45-60 minutes. We look at nutrition, relationships, stress, movement and physical activity, sleep, genetics, mental and emotional issues, inflammation or infections, allergies, excess medication, and potential environmental toxins. We delve into each of these areas and focus on those that seem to be the main factor for illness, imbalance, or disease. We then work with you to create a treatment plan to address each area of concern. We have many resources available to help you in the healing process. Good health takes time and effort to reach, but we are committed to serving you in the best way possible. As we walk the path of healing together, your desires for good health and willingness to put in the time and effort will produce the best results.
Part of the investigative process is the use of questionnaires you will fill out. These may also include blood work and diagnostic tests as indicated. This helps us learn more about you and your health to find the root and to create a treatment plan specific to you. (Unfortunately, some of our care isn’t always covered by insurance, but we strive to use insurance when possible for your benefit.) Our work is similar to detective work; we are gathering clues together to find the root of the problem or what and who is putting trash in the stream. The great Sherlock Holmes even needed an assistant to help solve the mysteries at hand, providing clues that lead to solutions. We at THS aim to do this with those who come see us. And if you can’t come personally, we can still help meet your health needs through e-medicine and live web-based visits. If your desire is to simply stay healthy, then we can recommend many things to maintain and achieve optimal health.
The body is complex and we are continually learning and researching better and more effective ways to improve health. We are in the constant pursuit of learning the best practices, methods, and tools to help in healing. We hope you will always be a part of THS and bring your family and friends in to achieve optimal health physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Best health always,
Jeffrey B. Baker, MD
Founder and Chief Medical Officer