Modern, western medicine, as it is practiced in the United States, boasts amazing, state-ofthe-art technology and treatments for illnesses that were once deemed hopeless. However, health insurance limitations and the growth of corporate medicine have also brought an impersonal, even cold, element into the relationships between Americans and their health care providers.

Large numbers of Americans are now turning to alternative health practitioners for a more "natural" or "holistic" approach. There has been great interest in nutrition and Eastern medicine, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture, as well as healing approaches that focus more on spirituality than technology.

The relatively new concept of Integrative Medicine is to merge, or "integrate", these various alternative approaches with the best that modern western medicine has to offer, while addressing the whole person: mind, body, spirit and emotions.

"It can be tragic if a patient gets so turned off by our typical medical system that they think there’s nothing a doctor can do to help." - Dr. Weiss

Next Step^® Institute of Integrative Medicine has been one of the leading pioneers in this field for twenty-five years, and recently has established a new program with clinical offices in Vail and a healing center in Eagle, Colorado.

Dr. Gary Weiss, a Mayo-Clinic trained neurologist and one of the medical directors at Next Step^® Institute, said his purpose is to offer the best modern and alternative medicine has to offer, but with the type of old-fashioned care patients have been missing.

"It can be tragic if a patient gets so turned off by our typical medical system that they think there’s nothing a doctor can do to help," Dr. Weiss said. "But it’s also tragic if patients miss out on all the other, more holistic, options because they think they have to pick one way or another."

At Next Step^® Institute, local patients, as well as individuals and families who fly in for week-long programs, are thoroughly evaluated for mind/body/spirit and emotional issues that may be affecting health, and then a wellness plan is developed by a team of top physicians and other clinicians. Some patients are coping with serious, life-threatening illness, while others are looking to improve their overall wellbeing.

Next Step^® Institute offers a wide range of therapies, including Native American healing ceremonies, equine-assisted therapy, nutrition and naturopathic medicine, art and movement therapies, physical therapy and natural pain management, as well as acupuncture and Chi Kung.

For more information, contact Bonnie McDonald, Program Director, at 970-477-2800 or visit www.nextstepinstitute.org.