It would be wonderful to think that at COEM we could do everything for every patient. This would be true of if we offered programs that don’t require anything from the patient at all except a few pills swallowed, lying down on a table for the skilled Physician to perform a high-tech procedure, or other marvels of modern medicine. But to come to COEM is to enter a relationship with a Physician that not only practices as a doctor, but also as the patient’s mentor. Patient Education is fully half of what we do at COEM!
Our consultation times are scheduled to allow extended time with patients to outline and thoroughly explain the reasons for and means of proposed treatment. Not only are Dr. Lieberman and Dr. McDaniel devoted patient educators, but Dr. Lieberman (our Medical Director) insists that every new patient have the attention of a Clinician assigned to spend nearly a full day coordinating that patient’s care, teaching the patient the specifics to follow through at home, and answering more questions. This amount of one-on-one attention during an initial consultation is unheard of at any other medical facility that I’ve encountered, either in the world of so-called “alternative medicine” or in the best traditional medical clinics.
Yet for every devoted teacher, in order for the whole process of education to bear fruit, there must be a devoted student. It does take both. It’s clear that the type of person who is attracted to becoming a patient at COEM is already a student looking for answers beyond those provided by their previous doctors and endless Internet searches. But there is something more that is required to be successfully healed than just the desire to get well, and this is where it gets tricky.
It’s a subtle quality called hope—not just hope, a wish, and a prayer—but hope that lets one begin to move beyond lifelong lifestyle habits, old ways of thinking or perceiving, and harder yet to change, ingrained belief systems. To trust enough to be willing to examine all those aspects that have built the foundation now manifesting as bodily sickness in place of natural health, this takes a very special person on a mission for total wellness. When a patient is willing to examine themselves at these deep levels, gently led by their COEM Physician and all the staff who are instructed to be part of this wonderful unfolding process, then true education, followed by persistent application on the part of the patient, can lead to healing rather than just managing symptoms.
Do you remember the old Agape poster showing Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree, with an apple falling, pictured mid-air, about to fall on Isaac’s head? The caption read, “Open your mind and say Ahhhhh….” This is the same sort of incident repeated daily at COEM. Rather than our doctors saying, tongue depressor in hand, “Open your mouth and say Ahh” (though they do both do that during physical exams), our Physicians ask each patient to open their mind and begin to envision that they could indeed BE well, through consistent effort based on right understanding.
So the tricky part is not only finding a devoted Physician, but a devoted patient. It does take a lot of hope and vision on the part of the patient to make the necessary effort to get well. When both Physician and Patient work together equally, like a solidly joined team, over time EVERYTHING is possible. We see it daily!