A note from Dr. Raff . . .

HEALTH, ILLNESS, AND WHAT ADVANCED MEDICINE IS ALL ABOUT

The human body is the best pharmacy in the world. It produces antibiotics, tranquilizers, digestive enzymes, diuretics, blood pressure pills, pain relievers, and just about everything any drug company can make, only much better since there are no side effects or allergies. In order to do this complex job, our body like any drug company needs a variety of basic materials to work with. This is provided by the food that we absorb, the oxygen in the air we breathe, the water that we drink, and exposure to outside physical forces such as sunshine, gravity, and radiation. The control booth of this amazing factory is our genes, which contains the DNA the blueprint of every function in our body.

Like any manufacturing process, anything that interferes with the proper supply and balance of raw materials will affect how well our bodies can function (grow, heal, repair, fight off infection, reproduce, etc.) and this lack of adequate materials leads to dysfunction and eventually tissue disease.

My approach to the best of health is in three steps:

1. Diagnosis – My aim is to diagnose the problem and the defects in their early, more treatable stages. Since nutrition plays a key role in maintaining good health, we look in detail at these areas. Inadequate nutrition can result from poor diet, malabsorption, unusual metabolic needs, and the malfunction of various digestive processes, and toxins, just to name a few. The degree of inadequate nutrition is extremely important. Most doctors do nothing until the patient suffers an obvious deficiency state. I prefer to test, diagnose and treat before the disease state is reached. No, I am not happy if my six cylinder car is running on four cylinders, even if the mechanic says it is OK. I don’t want OK, or normal, whatever that is. I want the best health possible for myself and my patients.
2. Nutritional Treatment - The more you can narrow down the cause of the dysfunction, the easier it is to treat. Unfortunately, many diseases and dysfunctions are so complex and indirect that it is important to think in terms of allergy, inflammation, autoimmunity, hormone imbalance, stress, and autonomic dysregulation in order to develop an appropriate treatment program. Since every function in the body affects every other function to some degree, the concept of a "specialist" often results in a limited thinking as far as the patient’s total health. This is where experience and judgment comes in because every person is unique and no two cases are ever identical. You must treat the person and not the disease.
3. Traditional medical treatment - Unfortunately, there are many situations in which our body is so severely damaged that it is unable to heal itself even with the appropriate nutrition. For over 100 years, doctors have been searching for other ways to supplement their herbal remedies. This has evolved into the pharmaceutical industry, which can provide valuable treatments in specific areas where nutrition itself is not adequate. Using natural and effective treatments instead of drugs is where good clinical judgment comes in My goal is to treat the person, and not the illness.

In summary, good medical care starts with a proper evaluation of the patient’s condition; it then attempts to bolster and enhance the body’s natural healing, and finally uses pharmaceuticals only when more natural remedies are unable to do the job by themselves.

For more information email: info@neilraffmd.com
or call us at (914) 241-7030

We would love to join you on your path to better health.