My current practice is limited to Spine Care Services. In addition, I have a strong interest in and experience with Complementary and Alternative Medicine systems. Spine care includes collaborative practice with medical spine specialists, spine surgeons (orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons), interventional pain services, physical therapy, psychotherapy and behavioral medicine, and complementary and alternative medicine. As a family physician, I am interested in the whole person, wellness and illness management, in the context of the individuals personal, social, and spiritual values. As an osteopathic physician, I am also interested in manual therapy and the role movement plays in health: long term, this is an active movement program (exercise, stretching, yoga, etc.); and as needed, short term passive movement therapy (osteopathic manual therapy, physical therapy, etc). I am also interested in the management of pain, chronic and acute. I am interested in the role of psychological, cultural, and spiritual beliefs in health and wellness. I am involved in research activities in each of these areas as well.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) systems are, by definition, systems that arose outside the field of conventional western biomedicine. When is it safe to use CAM? What does it work for? Who should I see? Unfortunately these questions are largely not answered. Kaiser Permanente approaches CAM as we do all medical care. Where something has been shown to be safe, and effective, and we can monitor the quality of the program, we consider integrating it into our health care program. If there isn’t enough evidence to answer these questions, we get involved in the research that will help us know how to make the right choices. When there are health activities that are not directly used to diagnose or treat disease, we help you access these classes or programs through our Health Education department, or our affiliated health plan activities.