Untangling Health

The year 2020 shined a bright light on what really matters for most of us. For Bess, this resulted in the pivot of her natural medicine practice to a more multidisciplinary approach with a new name: Form & Function Medicine. The name change was made to mark the acknowledgment that seemingly contradictory ideas not only can coexist, but must. Between being a mom, private practice, and living life, the pandemic times helped clarify the guiding principles for the way I practice medicine. The following is an abbreviated list of these ideas, so that you can get to know some of the theoretical framework under which this clinic operates.

• Medicine is flawed. All medicine is flawed, whether it be surgery, drugs or acupuncture. We must humble ourselves to this fact and always be looking at our own individual and societal compasses to evaluate the true value of a medical modalities’ impact.
• Medicine is art. All medicine – both eastern and western – is art – whether it is backed by data or not. Doctors and patients must always be educating each other in a mutually respectful relationship in order to create a treatment plan and implement new adaptive patterns to achieve their common goal.
• Medicine is experimental. All medicine is experimental – life is dynamic, always changing, and fleeting – what works one day may or may not work the next – we must be prepared to try and fail, and most importantly to keep learning.
• Medicine is specific. We must all define health for ourselves – otherwise we are trying to achieve an invisible goal. And once we see this goal clearly – we must acknowledge that it too is always changing – and may never be attainable – but may serve as a guidepost, a north star.
• Medicine is meaning. We all need meaning in our lives – this is one aspect of health that I found to be true for all people. The chaos of the world is pulling us away from meaning – and we must fight for it.
• Medicine is language. We need to continue to evolve our language so that it promotes adaptive and life affirming behavior. The language we use in medicine is just as important as the medicine itself. In my practice I am always trying to find new ways to talk about the way we experience the world so that we can feel closer to what is true.
• Medicine is mothering nature. Ecological sustainability is paramount today more than ever – and this informs my practice and treatment strategy- I believe that true health will only come if the health of the earth is unveiled. Right now we need to MOTHER (v) nature just as much as each child and person needs to be mothered. Being healthy as an individual requires a relationship to both nature at large and one’s own true nature internally.
• Medicine is connection. Connections are crucial to health. Between ideas. Between people, animals, stuff. This is the circulatory system of the planet.

I look forward to connecting with you – call, text or email for an appointment. Please don’t hesitate if you have any questions as well…