Martha H. Howard

Education/Background

Education/Training:
MD, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine
Acupuncture Certification, National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Years Professionally Practicing:
I have been practicing acupuncture since 1978 and Integrative Medicine since 1982.

Contributions/Publications:
I am a board member of the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine, and a former board member of the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. I am author of The Power of Suggestion CD series, a set of hypnosis/guided imagery CD’s for health and improved states of mind.

Philosophy/Approach

Describe your healing philosophy:
My philosophy is holistic and cooperative. I enjoy having a healing partnership with my clients. I believe that kindness, cooperation and listening are very important, as well as consideration of the whole person, and every aspect of their lives-physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. I also believe in the Chinese medicine concept, “treat the root”; that is, find out what is really causing a problem and deal with it, rather than just naming a set of symptoms and then giving a drug for them.

Describe your style or approach:
I believe in a constructive, creative, ecological approach to health. It gets better results than a “disease management” approach. An aquarium is a good example. If your aquarium has a dead fish and some blackened plants down in the corner, do you want someone who will scoop out the dead fish and plants and throw in some tetracycline, or someone who will take out the dead fish and plants, clean the aquarium, fix the oxygen bubbler, put in a better balance of plants, and some new fish? I am all for choice number two!

Why do you do what you do?
I think people deserve better health care than they are getting now in our health care system. I like seeing people’s lives improve as their health gets better. I like preventive work, and the “detective” aspects of good diagnosis. I like to help people receive the greatest health benefits with the best methods in the shortest time. I enjoy the challenge of helping people avoid the worst of the problems of mainstream medicine–more and more tests and surgery drugs-and I like helping them with less invasive, more effective methods.