What is the next step for medicine? Hopefully 'fusion medicine', the combination of the best of traditional, time-tested methods with all the different schools of healing, rather than just one approach. Fusion medicine would vary from just the mixing of traditional and alternative paths as promoted in integrative medicine to utilizing a concept that healing is a transformation that would be individualized, creative and limitless in possibilities. Transformational healing has been a common thread of ancient healing systems, such as ayurveda, homeopathy, Native American healing and Chinese medicine. When you combine transformational healing with self-awareness and an individualized, creative treatment protocol the foundation of healing has been laid.

Where are we now? The unfortunate evidence of current health trends are that one in three people in America will have cancer, one out of eight females will have breast cancer, one out of two men will suffer from prostate cancer. 75% of Americans currently suffer from chronic diseases. The four leading causes of death are (a) heart disease (b) cancer (c) cerebral vascular accident, and (d) prescription medication. The fortunate evidence of current health trends is that visits to alternative health practitioners are on the rise. In fact, currently twice as many people visit all types of alternative practitioners as visit their primary care physician. 18.4% of Americans currently take vitamins and herbs. However, how do we determine what path delivers the appropriate protocol and not faddish trends or detrimental results?

If our goal is only to get rid of a specific illness, patching ourselves, relieving our pain and then returning to the path that led to our disease, we are defining medical insanity. Many holistic practitioners also treat the disease symptomatically. Instead of using prescription medications as in traditional medical practices, the patient is given natural 'drugs' in the form of herbs, homeopathics and vitamins. The psychological and spiritual aspects, however, may continue to be ignored. In fact, self-awareness and belief systems may not even be addressed at any time during treatment protocol, once again creating dependency on the alternative practitioner. Although the movement toward non-invasive, supplemental, alternative approaches is a move that is positive, how can we still determine what is appropriate for each individual, integrating the healing and spiritual traditions?

In the next millennium, we have to determine who we are. Technology has helped us combat traumatic and emergency situations better than ever before. Now, it can also assist us in determining our individualized effective supplementation with the aid of machinery like the Biological Terrain Assessment. The BTA-2000 measures your specific cellular terrain primarily focusing on two primary conditions, the lack of cellular oxygen and the increase of cellular acidity, which are central to illness and responsiveness to any or all supplementation. Now that cellular technology can give us breakthrough information, the path of wellness and longevity can be guided through the other emotional and spiritual aspects of an individualized health program. There will be parallel processes within each individual, energetically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. The medicine of the new millennium will help individuals see what they need and respect their readiness to change. In other words, to help each person develop the capacity for self-love, self-understanding, self-awareness, and the education they need to make empowered choices. The physician must let go of ego and understand it is the belief system of the patient and their understanding of their inner self, the gathering of proper technological and diagnostic information, and the use of that information in their operational world that is basic and fundamental to all healing.

The establishment of 'fusion' medicine brings a new excitement and working knowledge to an already growing field of integrative/alternative and complementary medicine. Each patient presents a new opportunity to branch into individualistic and self-progressive growth and treatment protocol based on physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual components with acknowledgment of their interconnection. Current medical treatment is so fragmented that it has actually created the necessity to bring the pieces of ourselves back together, creating the definition of true whole/holistic health care. The health care crisis has been a healing effort of realization for physician and patient alike to search for the answer together with reciprocal respect and sharing of knowledge to move toward a true health path. May the next millennium offer us the opportunities we wish and pray for all.