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Dr. Brian Olshansky, M.D.
Is Professor of
Medicine and Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology at the University of Iowa Hospitals,
Iowa City. He has a background in traditional "allopathic approaches" and has
contributed to his focussed subspecialty of Cardiac Electrophysiology for the past 20
years. More recently, Dr. Olshansky has developed an interest in alternative approaches to
disease management as he has noted that traditional approaches used to "treat'
patients in the United States do not always cure and can be harmful t. He has developed an
interest in herbal approaches to treatment and the use of supplements. Further, he has
become interested in mind-body approaches to healing where patients through a facilitator
may learn to heal themselves. This may even be the essence of the placebo response. Over
the pest several years, Dr. Olshansky has aligned himself with members of the
Complementary and Alternative medicine community and has become active in that community
on a local and national level. He is on the NIH study section evaluating grants related to
complementary and alternative medicine. He has helped develop the program in Integrative
medicine at Loyola and is going to be active in a program being developed at the
University of Iowa which is working now in conjunction with the Maharishi University in
Fairfield, IA.
brian-olshansky@uiowa.edu
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I have been and will
continue to dedicate my career to establishing a framework in which to improve the pursuit
of health for the general population through standard and innovative academic
pursuits. This commitment has not changed since I chose a medical career almost
thirty years
ago. Now, after establishing myself as a leader in the subspecialty of cardiac
electrophysiology, I can realize my goal to have a global impact on the care of patients
in a more holistic sense. It may seem odd that a cardiac subspecialist would have
interest to explore broad reaching alternatives to standard medical care. It makes
perfect sense to me as it is
a natural extension of my drive to expand the potential horizons of medicine. What
attracted me to electrophysiology was the enthusiasm and intelligence of a group of
forward thinking, creative, enthusiastic individuals who often lived on the edge and
who developed and established this important, yet
complex, subspecialty. With focus on this apparent, small, niche, I did develop an
identity, leave a mark in the field regarding understanding mechanisms of arrhythmias and
their treatment, and otherwise contributed to this field. I have accomplished the goals I
have set so far but this is only
the beginning of a larger objective.
Tremendous "cosmetic" and deep-seated changes in medicine have taken place
since I first attended medical school. Some of these have been
extraordinarily positive. Now, loss of patient and doctor autonomy, frustration, and
self-centered interests have come to the forefront. The interest is centers on power and
money. No wonder patients are abandoning standard approaches to health care and are
looking elsewhere. The doctor as
a powerful healer is on the decline. While traces of this decline have been present for
years, this trend continues to propel the profession in the wrong direction. The cry for
an evidence base for clinical practice was ignored by many physicians. Perhaps for these,
and other reasons, patients have developed an interest in other forms of healing.
I began to explore the impact of nonstandard therapies and realized that medicine, as it
is traditionally practiced in the United States, is leaving
out the most important individual: the patient. My interest in nonstandard approaches to
medicine grew. I had the opportunity to help develop an Integrative Medicine Section at
Loyola. The process of developing this section began several years ago by the collective
minds of creative thinking,
yet bold individuals who were optimistic for the future of medicine and were willing to
take risks. I became involved with the exploration of the utility of nonstandard therapies
for patients. The mind/body relationship, a crucial aspect regarding healing and often
omitted from standard medical practices inspired and intrigued me. Evidence of the placebo
effect remains a
cornerstone in the healing process but it is often ignored. To date, the mechanism by
which the placebo effect occurs remains obscure. The potency of the effect is often
greater than biologically active compounds or invasive
procedures. I began to communicate with and get to know a variety of inspiring individuals
in the emerging area of Integrative Medicine. It reminded me of my early days in cardiac
electrophysiology. I started writing small stories for the American College of Cardiology,
contributing nationally
to talks on the Integrative Medicine for the American College of Cardiology, and other,
organizations (such as the Chicago Integrative Medicine Group) and became known in
Cardiology as a potential mover in the field. I had the opportunity to spend time getting
to know the Integrative Medicine group at
the University of Arizona, Tucson and contributed to a satellite session with them on
integrative approaches to the cardiac patient in Tucson. I made connections with industry
contacts, including those at Medtronic who have a substantial interest in Integrative
Medicine. Ultimately, I was appointed to
the NIH study section for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. I have developed several
contacts with non-standard healers from many different backgrounds. I have acted as a
consultant to developing Integrative Medicine programs such as the one at Evanston
Hospital and have Over time, I have
become self-educated on the information available and the existing science behind
different aspects of CAM. To date, I have not had the opportunity to begin any research
studies in the area but have designed several protocols that are waiting for the proper
environment. It was surprising that in such
a short time I could develop credibility about a discipline of which several years ago I
knew little.
Over the past several years, I have incorporated into my practice the use of
non-traditional approaches in the treatment of patients. The use of these approaches along
with the patients' interest in these approaches is a good combination in medicine allowing
self empowerment of the patients. It is possible for patients to help themselves and still
have a sense of optimism. These changes will have a major impact on the types of lives our
patients and
we will live.
My goal is to bridge a gap that I sense is present between standard traditional medicine
and nonstandard approaches. I would plan to bridge this gap by having one foot in each
camp and to recruit others into these ideas.
I know this is possible. I hope to establish myself in the field of
Integrative Medicine and help to show its role through research, education and direct
patient care. I plan to help establish a clinical section in this regard but do not expect
that it will simply represent another section of a preexisting format of medical care. It
will represent a new era in the healing of patients.
Medical care needs to be transformed into a patient-oriented, empowering, beneficent,
optimistic, all encompassing, charitable structure. No doubt this will happen with the
help of those motivated to improve a faltering system. The present failure of the health
care system is a good thing. Failure, ironically enough, will stimulate growth in new
directions. The
health care system needs more than a "shot in the arm." As recognition of the
failures becomes more apparent, true transformation in the health care system can occur.
We are on the brink of a new dimension in health care. The possibilities are vast.
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