2015 has turned out to be a transformative year. So much change. Some of us will feel the transformation more acutely than others.

We might notice changes in sleep patterns. We may experience anxiety or depression, foggy thinking, low energy. We may experience the stress of some crazy events around us in our families, in our communities, in the world around us.

What was once true seems to shifting. What we once knew is relearned. Everything changes. Gold transforms to silver. Dark shifts to light.

In 1997 I decided to leave conventional medicine and go out on my own to start my own integrative health care practice. It’s been a journey and now I have come full circle. Ironic, since I named my practice—Full Circle Family Health. I wanted to get back to the root of health care, to be able to practice the art of healing, to use my scientific training to become a medical detective, to uncover the root of dis-ease, to find alternative therapies when allopathic medicine could not heal or was not the patient’s choice. And I did. I created a holistic health care practice that focused on individualized therapy for each patient by merging the science of medicine with the art of healing.

Full Circle Family Health allowed me to come out of the closet and practice Intuitive Integrative Medicine. And the patients came from around the world. By word of mouth, they found me. More and more difficult cases. Each one unique. And I developed unique integrative treatment protocols—nutritional, herbal, homeopathic, natural hormone therapy, lifestyle counseling and education, spiritual mentoring, focusing on the symbology of dis-ease and soul lessons. The farther on my spiritual path I journeyed, the more receptive my patients became to learning the mind-body-soul connections. As I healed, so did they.

Then the recession hit. And I fought back. I maintained my cash based practice. No, I never accepted insurance reimbursement. Patients paid for my services out of pocket then sought reimbursement from their insurance. And they got what they paid for. Individualized care that focused on prevention, education rather than medication, and healing therapeutics that fit their belief systems. And most awakened to their truth, their soul purpose became clear, they began expressing their authentic selves in all aspects of their lives. And they healed.

In 2000, I developed a nutritional product—Genesis Gold—that became my foundational therapy to heal neuro-immune-endocrine imbalances and optimize genetic potential. Of course, science has yet to prove genetic optimization, but the proof is in the pudding. Few of my patients came to me well, paying cash meant a bit of desperation on their part and a great deal of commitment. I was often the last of their many medical and alternative consults. They had journeyed far in seeking healing so by the time they came to see me, they were pretty worn out by the system. The disease oriented system. Not only that of conventional medicine, but even their alternative practitioners tended to focus on relieving symptoms rather than getting to the root of the issue. Not that I blame them, it’s what the majority of patients want. “Can you just make this go away, doc?”

I am a big believer in teaching a man to fish rather than fishing for him the rest of his life. Conventional medicine is about doctors doing the fishing. My nursing background taught me that unless patients are educated they will never learn to heal themselves. And really we do not heal them. I do not heal my patients, I teach them how to heal themselves by helping them remember their innate healing abilities. And I model that remembrance for them.

The proof is in the pudding. My patients are the pudding. And so am I. If I don’t walk my talk, how can I expect my patients to be able to live healthier lives? Not that I prescribe any one diet, exercise program, or lifestyle. There is not one diet that’s right for every body. Not one exercise regime or lifestyle that is best for everyone. Individualized therapy is the key. And that takes time. Time consulting with my patients, performing thorough physical exams, learning their way of learning, of healing, of making shifts, and trusting my innate gift as a healer to pick up on the subtle energy of imbalance, whether it is hormonal, neurochemical, chromosomal, mental, emotional, spiritual. Even more reason for me to keep as healthy as possible. Healing is vibrational. If I am in tune then I can feel when they are out of tune.

It’s why the eye doctor has the thickest glasses. We attract what we are, what we believe. And I believe in the healing potential of every body. So they come sick and leave well. Not the same day, yet over time, they learn to heal themselves. I teach what I know. And I know optimal wellness.

May You Experience Optimal Health,

Deborah Maragopoulos MN FNP-BC