By Jong T. Shin, D.O., The Shin Center of Integrative Sports Medicine
“Why are you treating my neck today, that’s not where my pain is? Why are you treating my scars and asking about stressors in my life? Why are you asking about my dietary approach and sleep patterns? Why are you questioning trauma and injuries from 30 years ago? Why do you use sugar water and ozone for injection? And why are you using acupuncture needles on my ears and a tuning fork on my body? I came in for “just knee pain.”
During the initial office visit, patients have many questions of why, and are confused by the clinical approach of integrative medicine. Most patients who are not familiar with integrative medicine expect a quick visit and treatment focused only on the area of pain. They expect a quick needle to the knee, since they are coming in for knee pain; but they do not expect all the other questions that are asked of them. They are pleasantly surprised to be examined in other “unrelated” areas of their musculoskeletal system.
No one is coming in asking for a “pandemic tune-up,” but these days that’s exactly what everyone is leaving with. Society is stressed from dealing with the pandemic and its aftermath. Most patients are smiling as they state, “Yes, I am stressed, but it is not affecting my body.” But what I am noticing is that their bodies paint a different picture when I palpate them. In discussion with several dentists about pandemic stressors exhibited on our patients’ bodies, they too have noticed the stress manifesting itself in detrimental ways, such as dental fractures from teeth grinding. The stressors affecting us are hitting our bodies somewhere, whether we notice it or not. Added muscular tension, lack of quality of sleep, stress eating, etc, have all contributed to the declining “pandemic body.”
At the core of our approach are osteopathic philosophies and integrating modalities that share those concepts, such as acupuncture, prolotherapy, neural therapy, biopuncture, sound vibration therapy, osteopathic manipulative medicine and more. Added to that are the cellular IV nutrition, biohacking/rebooting/recovery modalities, and functional and nutritional medicine. Together, these concepts and modalities form our approach: ISM (Integrative Sports Medicine). The foundation of this approach lies within osteopathic medicine and it’s four tenets.
- The body is a whole – Mind, Body and Spirit.
- Structure and function are interrelated and interdependent.
- A natural healing, regulating, and maintaining mechanism exists inherently within the body.
- A rational approach to medicine would consider all three tenets.
Andrew Taylor Still, M.D., D.O. founded osteopathic medicine in the late 19th Century. At the time Dr. Still was an allopathic doctor (M.D.) who had lost two children to meningitis. He proposed that there could be a better way to approach medicine that focused on the God-given, natural ability of the human body to heal, regulate, and maintain itself.
That natural ability was based on the understanding of the biomechanical structure and function as it related to the whole body’s system. Thus, the four tenets of osteopathy were established.
Currently in the United States, a Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) is a licensed physician able to practice in all 50 states. The medical curriculum is similar to that of allopathic (M.D.) medical education, save for an added 300 extra course hours in Osteopathic training in philosophy, palpation and treatment techniques. D.O.s can apply to all Allopathic and Osteopathic residency programs in all specialities.
What are the benefits of integrative osteopathic medicine to the patient? With discipline, the right healing modalities and lifestyle choices, the benefits are boundless, with the utmost being longevity. Real positive change, if the patient has made a total commitment, will occur almost immediately and should continue over the course of the first six months; but only if they also commit to caring for their bodies, commit to an anti-inflammatory diet, and commit to hydrating and exercising properly. This depends very much on the discipline of the patient, and although they might not be at 100 percent right away, the patient should at least see a change in their sleep patterns and energy level soon after the first visit. Functionally, positive changes in their biomechanical body should be noticed by the end of the initial visit. Discipline is the major component in living a healthy lifestyle, which will lead to longevity. It’s a learning process and a partnership with the specialist that begins with learning how to combine the right healing modalities with the right lifestyle choices in order to have the health benefits the patient has always wanted.
A few years back, during Super Bowl 52, the Philadelphia Eagles displayed a clear example of integrative medicine and its benefits. With only nine seconds left remaining in the game, Tom Brady threw a “Hail Mary pass” towards the end zone. As the last few seconds ticked off the clock, the ball was batted around in the air several times, before finally hitting the ground; pass incomplete. The play was over. The game was over. The Philadelphia Eagles were the Super Bowl 52 Champions! I had been a medical consultant for Eagles for 9 years leading into that Super Bowl. A week before that fateful day, I had received a call from the president of the Eagles after their win at the NFC Championships. “Let’s finish what we started.” Along with my staff, Sung and Waleska, we set up and ran our ISM clinic out of the Eagles training room for four days, continuously treating players in preparation for the big game. The team had experienced the prolonged benefits of our approach to integrative medical treatment, and enjoyed the ultimate outcome, the first ever Super Bowl championship for the city of Philadelphia.
Dr. Jong Shin, is a Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) and fellowship trained sports medicine specialist in New Jersey. He is the Director of Shin Center of Integrative Sports Medicine and Body Reboot, using regenerative therapies to signal the body to heal using the patients’ natural healing mechanism. He also consults for professional athletes (NHL, MLB, NBA) and the Philadelphia Eagles, and was part of the medical team that treated the players during Super Bowl 52. He is married to his wife Rebekah and has 7 healthy children (Samuel, Timothy, Daniel, Christine, Hannah, Joseph, and Lily).
If you have any questions, please contact The Shin Center for more information:
Phone: 856-270-6800
Website: shincenter.com
