While Western medicine saved Barbara Jo Koch-Smith’s life, integrative medicine helped her to heal—in mind, body and spirit.
Koch-Smith was introduced to integrative medicine while trying to recover from several health crises: a life-threatening heart attack and a debilitating inflammation of her joints that had appeared almost overnight.
"I would not be here if it weren’t for Western medicine," said Koch-Smith, who had an emergency procedure to open an artery and weeks of cardiac rehabilitation. Yet, she felt she was missing the key to her recovery. Koch-Smith believed that stress played a significant role in her heart attack. "I thought, once I get through this, I have to go back to living my life. I have to know how to deal with my stress."
She eventually saw Courtney Baechler, MD, a Penny George Institute cardiologist and integrative medicine physician, and began a process to determine if the joint inflammation was a medication side effect, related to food sensitivity, or had another cause.
During Koch-Smith’s first appointment with Baechler, she immediately felt that a weight had been lifted. It wasn’t that Baechler had all the answers, but that she took the time to listen.
While Koch-Smith continued working with her regular doctors, Baechler referred her to a variety of integrative resources. Through a combination of biofeedback training and Mindfulness Training, Koch-Smith developed tools to manage her stress. Weekly acupuncture helped with the stress and joint pain, even though she didn’t realize it at first. It was when she went a few weeks without acupuncture that she understood what a difference it was making.
Koch-Smith also worked with an integrative nutritionist. Her joint condition improved dramatically when she eliminated nuts and seeds from her diet. She recently learned that her heart had regained near normal function. "I credit that to exercising every day, a changed diet, acupuncture and the other tools I received at the Penny George Institute."
Koch-Smith is grateful for the help she received through the Penny George Institute, and for the opportunity to manage her health with a holistic approach. "Blending different approaches to health care can lead to a better solution," she added. "It’s the way medicine needs to go."