Using Body Intelligence to Treat Chronic Disease Rachel Carlton Abrams, MD, MHS, ABFP, ABoIM Restorative Medicine Conference, Tucson, Oct. 8, 2017 Financial Disclosure: Nothing to Disclose I have no financial relationships or commercial interests regarding this CME activity to disclose. Why BodyWise and Why now? 80-90% of the diseases in developed societies are • caused by our 21st-century lifestyle, including heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, asthma and allergy, and many cancers. Patients' culture and choices drive success or • failure with these conditions Integrative Medicine is particularly poised to • address complex chronic disease and lifestyle interventions. Respecting Body Intelligence An ability to listen to the body’s sensations and • signals, interpret those signals, and use them to guide healthy decision-making. Great clinicians use this ability for diagnosis • and treatment Patients can use this to diagnose the cause of • illness The Necessity of Body Intelligence Survival of the Species • Useful even today in avoiding • danger Essential to evaluating the • effectiveness of a treatment Necessary to help understand • the individual responses due to varying genetics, epigenetics, environment and culture Our Sensory Perception Our hearts and minds are wired to perceive and protect us, even giving us information before the danger occurs. Rollin McCraty, Mike Atkinson, and Raymond Trevor Bradley, “Electro- physiological Evidence of Intuition: The Surprising Role of the Heart,” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 10(1) (2004): 133–43. What has happened to our Body Intelligence? René Descartes and the mind-body split • Medical/Professional training • The necessities of modernity • Rewards for ignoring the body in favor of productivity • or serving others Herbal Medicine Nutrition Ayurveda Western TCM Medicine Functional Detox and Medicine Chelation Energy Medicine Tools in your Tool belt