{"id":22227,"date":"2014-10-09T15:05:27","date_gmt":"2014-10-09T19:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=22227"},"modified":"2014-10-23T12:27:40","modified_gmt":"2014-10-23T16:27:40","slug":"medicine-should-promote-flourishing-not-just-getting-rid-of-symptoms-says-integrative-medicine-expert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/medicine-should-promote-flourishing-not-just-getting-rid-of-symptoms-says-integrative-medicine-expert\/","title":{"rendered":"Medicine should promote flourishing, not just getting rid of symptoms, says integrative medicine expert"},"content":{"rendered":"

The purpose of medicine is to remove disease, or at least the symptoms of disease. Right?<\/p>\n

Not according to David Mercier<\/a>, who currently works as an acupuncture therapist. He claims that medicine should promote more than healing. He advocates that patients should work with their doctors and therapists to pursue flourishing.<\/p>\n

In a Suter Science lecture titled \u201cTo Flourish: The Promise of Integrative Medicine,\u201d Mercier discussed the role of integrative medicine, sometimes called \u201calternative\u201d or \u201cholistic\u201d medicine, in encouraging health and well-being.<\/p>\n

Sometimes a person needs medication or surgery, but sometimes holistic treatment can replace or complement major medical procedures. Mercier talked about altering the \u201cterrain\u201d in which the body fights disease by improving exercise, sleep, rest, and nutrition. \u201cSometimes just taking care of a person\u2019s lifestyle at this level is enough to make symptoms go away,\u201d said Mercier.<\/p>\n

In regard to symptoms in general, Mercier offered an unconventional perspective. He called symptoms \u201cteachers\u201d and asked the audience of about 50 students and faculty to \u201crecognize that our pain, suffering, and symptoms are here to help us.\u201d When something goes wrong, symptoms are nature\u2019s way of warning the body. If symptoms go unattended, they eventually cause a disease and force the body to slow down and relax to allow healing. Traditional care comes into play when people need to know which aspect of their lifestyle causes illness.<\/p>\n

In advocating for a holistic approach to health, Mercier stressed more than just the physical aspect of well-being. While he did encourage nutrition and physical healing, he also stressed emotional, spiritual, mental, and social health. For example, sometimes a person needs to deal with personal conflicts rather than, or in addition to, taking medication.<\/p>\n

Mercier also talked about the mind-body connection. He cited Candace Pert\u2019s book, Molecules of Emotion<\/em>, to talk about how brains and bodies are not distinct from one another. Molecules important to the brain, such as serotonin and cortisol, also affect other parts of the body.<\/p>\n

Mercier has an impressive background that has shown him many ways to pursue well-being. He studied psychology at James Madison University (although he said \u201cI consider rock \u2019n\u2019 roll my major\u201d), positive organization development at Case Western Reserve University, and acupuncture at Tai Sophia Institute. His list of occupations includes lecturer, acupuncture therapist, Buddhist monk, and director of hospital-owned integrative medicine centers. To see more of Mercier\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9, visit his website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Roman Miller<\/a>, director of EMU\u2019s masters in biomedicine program<\/a> and a professor in the biology<\/a> department, invited Mercier to speak Oct. 3 as a part of EMU\u2019s 2014-15 Suter Science Seminar series<\/a> after the biomedicine faculty read Mercier\u2019s book, A Beautiful Medicine: A Radical Look at the Essence of Health and Healing<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Mercier drove his point home by showing several examples of physically fit older individuals. They pursued flourishing, not simply healing. He concluded his lecture by citing a quote from the poet Pablo Neruda: \u201cI want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The purpose of medicine is to remove disease, or at least the symptoms of disease. Right? Not according to David Mercier, who currently works as an acupuncture therapist. He claims ... read more about Medicine should promote flourishing, not just getting rid of symptoms, says integrative medicine expert<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":22248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4515,5583,14184,264,5623,5640,7682,5730],"tags":[16107,9491],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-22227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-campus-community","category-campus-guests","category-graduate-programs","category-special-programs","category-suter-science-center","category-suter-science-seminar","category-undergraduate-programs","tag-david-mercier","tag-roman-miller"],"yoast_head":"\nMedicine should promote flourishing, not just getting rid of symptoms, says integrative medicine expert - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2014\/medicine-should-promote-flourishing-not-just-getting-rid-of-symptoms-says-integrative-medicine-expert\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Medicine should promote flourishing, not just getting rid of symptoms, says integrative medicine expert - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The purpose of medicine is to remove disease, or at least the symptoms of disease. 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