Patient Care Overview
Integrative Care
Some of our greatest treasures in life are things like good health and the freedom to live vibrantly, love
passionately and laugh heartily. And even though our bodies are designed to be healthy and self-healing,
problems occur when accidents, stress or our lifestyle exceeds our body’s tolerance levels, which causes
damage to occur. So when there is a healing deficit, chronic pain, dysfunction or even death can
sometimes be the consequence. Most of the major illnesses that plague us, like heart disease, cancer,
and diabetes, are often the results of our bodies not being able to maintain homeostasis in a hostile
environment, often created by a poor diet, sedentary lifestyle and/or stressful living.
Over time, we have learned that what you think you have may not be what you actually have. Our bodies
are very complex and they have a way of integrating various stressful aspects of our lives into problems
that express themselves in the form of pain or illness. Failure of our ability to adapt to our lifestyle
choices, physical, emotional trauma, and stress, results in disease and dis-ease. Our approach in
assisting you in the recovery of your health is to understand the nature of your symptoms and then
explore, in search of, the underlying root(s) or cause(s). The root cause of
each health challenge can usually be found somewhere in the “Triangle of Health” paradigm. Therefore,
the services that we use to evaluate your health are based on how we can best examine the Health
Triangle: Which pertains to the body’s desire for achieving health when the physical, biochemical, and
perceptual/emotional components are able to work together in relationship to each other; thus enabling
the body to achieve an optimal sense of overall balance and wellbeing.
Here at the Peterson Clinic, our doctors do not believe themselves to be the healers, rather, they see
themselves as the educated professionals in charge of identifying the roadblocks that are preventing your
body’s innate ability to heal. Even though the history of your problem(s) may be traumatic or gradual and
even if you have already seen many doctors that have offered a variety of diagnoses and
recommendations, we will still choose to evaluate your health with a fresh perspective. Your return to
optimal health is our greatest priority, and we are highly motivated to discover the roadblocks that are
detouring your healing process.
The Perceptual Component
Our ability to perceive determines how we relate and respond to our internal and external environments.
If our body perceives an infection, then the immune system is activated. If our toe gets smashed we
experience pain as a result and that invites us to attend to the injury. And in the case of relationships, if
we perceive a person or situation to be threatening, then our fight or flight response is also activated so
that we are able to respond appropriately.
Our nervous system is the part of our body that mediates and integrates all of these perceptual functions.
When breakdowns occur in this part of our system, it can cause a breakdown in our body’s ability to
communicate with itself and dysfunction begins occurring throughout every system in our body.
Neuroemotional Technique (NET), functional neurology, and Neurofeedback, are just a few of the ways
we are able to go about treating these perceptual issues here at the Peterson Clinic.
The Biochemical Component
Biochemically speaking, we are not only what we eat, breath, drink, digest and absorb, but also what our
body is able to manufacture. The latest research has shown that the way our bodies express themselves
genetically is often controlled by our choice of foods, beverages, and the various toxins we are exposed
to in our environment. What we ingest has been shown to switch our genetic tendencies toward health or
disease The fuel that we consume will, in a large part, determine our body’s ability to produce the cells
and chemicals that are required for it to adequately protect, heal, and communicate with itself and to be
able to eliminate toxins. And now, thanks to modern science, we have a variety of ways to accurately
measure our biochemistry in order to better determine how our bodies are processing what they are
taking in.
Based upon our Report of Findings concerning your unique situation, we may prescribe a few of the
following interventions such as: dietary changes, nutritional supplementation; hormonal modulation;
Neurotransmitter amino acid precursor therapy; botanical and phyto-nutrient therapy;
detoxification/chelation for environmental toxins (heavy metals, xenobiotics, pesticides/herbicides) and
homeopathic preparations; in order to help the body heal itself and rectify the deterioration and
dysfunction that may have begun occurring, so that you can get back on the road towards achieving and
maintaining your optimal health.
The Physical Component
Our physical body is made up of muscles, bones, and organs. These bodily components work together to
make it possible for us to move in any and all capacities. And since motion is an essential element of life,
it is important that we do much to protect the flexibility of our youth as it threatens to disappear over time
due to lack of activity, injuries, biochemical imbalances and stress.
Other types of physical problems that impair our motion are things such as broken bones, pinched
nerves, tense muscles, weak bones (osteoporosis), torn ligaments, hiatal hernias, clogged arteries, blood
clots and tumors, just to name a few. Problems that are debilitating or life-threatening are usually just the
tip of the iceberg. Such problems usually stem from a variety of issues that have been ongoing for some
time. When ignored, unidentified or treated improperly, debilitating or life-threatening circumstances
come about as a result.
In countless cases, we have observed that the initial pain or physical discomfort one experiences is due
to a root cause or problem that’s festering below the body’s surface. In this discovery and treatment
process, we find that it is often better to treat the root cause of the pain than to hand out a pain-killer while
the problem continues to worsen or ends up causing more debilitation. In other words, we find it to be
more beneficial to take the pebble out of the patient’s shoe than to give the patient a natural pain killer for
the pain that the pebble is causing. At the same time, we believe in not letting our patients die of the
symptoms while treating the disease. So at certain times and in particular situations, we also believe that
there is a place for heroic medicine (i.e. surgery, or drug care).
Problems We Care For:
Your Experience
Your first visit to a new doctor can be stressful. Our intent is to make your first visit to our clinic a productive and pleasant experience. There are forms that need to be filled out prior to you visiting our office and can be downloaded from this website for your convenience and preparation. This information will help our doctors gain a better understanding of your health history and present-day complaint(s).
During your visit, your doctor will explore your history, examine you with the appropriate procedures, possibly recommend that additional testing be done to find the root and extent of your problem(s) and openly discuss the financial options available to you. Should additional testing may be prescribed by your doctor, these tests and the reasons why they may be needed, will be discussed with you. Your doctor will then share with you the treatment plan he’s decided upon that will best fit your health needs and welcomes any questions and/or concerns that you may have. A well-informed patient is not a threat to the doctors in our office, rather we consider them to be a vital part of the healing relationship.
Our Examples
Our Integrative Approach
Our Integrative Approach at the Peterson Clinic is based on our belief that a person’s optimal health is
comprised of three core components: Physical, Perceptual, and Biochemical. And since we do not
practice a reductionist model of healthcare, which is the more common approach, our new patients often
ask us to describe what it is, exactly, that we do? More often than not, that question proves to be quite
difficult to answer considering each one of our patient cases, and their treatment, is unique to them. But
overall, our clinic has two main types of patients: those who want to address a specific problem and those
who would like our doctors to be their primary health care provider. That being said, we will do our best
to give you a better understanding of “what exactly it is that we do” through the following scenarios which
are a composite of actual patients that have been treated in our office.
My Son Can’t Sit Still!
ADHD / Hyperactive Disorder
Mr. and Mrs. Concerned Parent brought their 9-year-old son, Joey, to the Peterson Clinic, after a friend
had told them of a non-drug approach used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Joey
was not doing well in school. He had to be refocused constantly, wandered around the room, failed to
turn in his work, was unable to sit still in his chair and blurted out responses when it wasn’t his turn. The
teacher enjoyed Joey, but he was high-maintenance. In addition to the attention issues, Joey also
struggled with reading and writing; having fallen two grade levels behind his current grade level in
reading. And despite his sweet demeanor, he couldn’t seem to sit still in the Doctor’s office during the
intake of his history. He was either, jumping up and down, playing with the doctor’s exam tools,
examining the wall sockets or interrupting his mother to tell her that he was bored.
At home he was affectionate and often wanted to help out, but even with simple and active tasks like
taking out the garbage, it could end up taking hours because he would end up getting distracted and
forget where he put the garbage. His parents wanted desperately to keep him off stimulant drugs even
though the school was insisting that he start. When Joey and his parents came to our office, we asked
them to fill out a Brain Symptom checklist and an ADD inventory together. We also administered a qEEG
assessment while Joey read, to better understand how his brain was functioning during reading, as well
as a continuous performance test, otherwise known as a TOVA, to objectively measure his focus and
impulsiveness. The test results showed that Joey had classic, excessive-slow-wave frontal lobe activity in
his brain, along with poor connections between the L-temporal and occipital regions in his brain. This
type of ADD is the most common of the five subtypes. The L-temporal disconnect was in the region
related to reading. This explained why he was struggling with those academic pieces in school. After
Neurofeedback (NFB) was explained to Joey and his parents, he began his NFB treatment to help his
brain learn how to better regulate in the areas identified above.
In addition to NFB, Joey was taken off of all products containing wheat because of sensitivity issues. He
was also treated with the Neuro-Emotional technique (NET) that helps to identify areas of stress in order
to deal with them and help his brain break its old habit patterns. This helped him overcome the feelings
that he was stupid because of all of the struggles that he had experienced in school. After 30 sessions,
Joey was reading at grade level, turning in his homework and the teacher said he was a joy to have in
class. During his last visit, he was able to sit still and follow the conversation. Joey never had to start
stimulant drugs that the school was originally insisting upon.
I Found a Lump
Cancer Diagnosis
Jane was 42 years old when she noticed a change in her breast tissue during her monthly self-exam.
Referred by a friend, she entered our office wanting to know what she should do. A clinical breast exam
revealed a small lesion in her left breast that was not painful nor was it adherent to other tissues. Her
lymph nodes were enlarged and she was having pain in her mid-back.
A Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI) picture of her breasts was ordered. DITIs, in contrast to
Mammograms, are physiological tests that detect early changes in the vascular system that occur when
cancer stimulates new blood vessel growth. Other tests included lab tests, tumor markers, and estrogen
breakdown markers. The DITI revealed angiogenesis (new blood vessel growth) around the palpated
lump region. The tumor markers were negative but there was a tendency for high levels of cancer
stimulating estrogens. Jane was referred to a surgeon for a breast biopsy. The biopsy was positive for
an aggressive Estrogen Receptor (ER+) and HERS2 positive cancer cells. Imaging studies showed
cancer in the spine, liver and lymph nodes. Surgery was not recommended but chemotherapy was. The
oncologist gave Jane a 5% chance of surviving over the next 6 months.
Jane returned to our office to discuss her options with Dr Kris Peterson and what she would like to do. Dr
Kris is Fellowship trained in integrative cancer therapies. Jane decided to start the chemotherapy and to
start adjunctive care to enhance the efficacy of the chemotherapy and to decrease its side effects. In
addition to the nutritional care, Jane also increased her plant-based foods and reduced her “junk foods.”
NET was utilized to help her work through the shock of her diagnosis and prognosis, as well as the deep-
seated resentment she held toward her husband for having had an affair and leaving her for the other
woman, several years prior.
Jane courageously fought her battle and following her chemotherapy, she was found to be cancer-free,
much to the surprise of her oncologist. She has remained cancer free for the past five years and still
takes great care of herself.
My Back Hurts
A Heart Attack in Disguise
Larry was a 35-year old male who had been experiencing pain between his shoulder blades for the last 4
days. He had obtained temporary relief with massage, but when the pain returned, he wanted to find out
what was going on. Larry was about 50 pounds overweight with slightly elevated blood pressure. He
was a diabetic and a smoker. Examination revealed some joint problems in the mid part of his back, but it
wasn’t enough to explain the degree of pain that he was experiencing.
An Electro-Cardiogram (ECG) was performed in our office that was abnormal, showing ischemic (lack of
oxygen) changes to the heart muscle. Larry was having a heart attack and the heart was referring pain to
his mid-back. Emergency measures were initiated and 911 was called. Larry was transported to the
hospital where it was discovered that one of the major blood vessels to his heart was 95% blocked.
Following his recovery from angioplasty, it was time to discuss lifestyle changes including; smoking
cessation, dietary changes, stress management and nutritional care. This program has been highly
successful in reducing the risk of future heart attacks. However, Larry was not interested in altering his
lifestyle. We disagreed with Larry’s choices, but respected his right to make them. Unfortunately, Larry
suffered another heart attack four years later, only this time, it was fatal.
I've Fallen, and I Can't Get Up
Stress Induced Musclar & Spinal Injury
Mary was helping to take care of her grandchildren when she tripped and fell while carrying a basket full
of laundry. The pain in her lower back was excruciating and each time Mary attempted to get up, her
back would spasm and she would crumple again to the floor. Eventually, she had to have one of her
grandchildren get her some ice, and then Mary spent the next hour icing her low back while she waited
for her daughter to arrive to pick up the kids. Meanwhile, Mary’s right leg began to tingle. When Mary’s
daughter arrived home from work, she thought it best if she could help to make her mother comfortable
and have her take an anti-inflammatory pill.
B y the next morning, Mary was not feeling any better. With the help of her daughter, and quite a bit of
struggle and pain, she was barely able to make it into our office, and almost stopped in at the ER on the
way. Her examination revealed that she had not only strained her back muscles, but that her disc was
pinching against her sciatic nerve. Care was given to relax the muscle spasms and to reduce
inflammation. As the acute phase improved, the disc that was bulging against the nerve was targeted
through the use of a technique called flexion-distraction. Flexion-distraction is a well-researched
procedure used to reduce bulging and herniated discs. Usually after three weeks of treatment, a 50%
improvement in pain is expected. However, Mary was showing little improvements over time even though
she was keeping her appointments, taking her natural medications, and doing her exercises.
At this time, it was decided to use NET to evaluate if stress was playing a roll in Mary’s lack of healing
response. Mary was resistant at first, expressing that the pain she was experiencing was not in her head,
rather it was in her low back and was due to her fall. We reassured Mary that we believed that she had
real physical pain, but that we had also seen in a lot of other patients, like her, how stress can often block
the recovery process. Following the NET protocol, it was found that there was an emotional wound
complicating her recovery. The Neuro-Emotional Complex (NEC) was related to anger that she’d been
holding onto regarding her late husband’s death and his lack of preparation for Mary’s financial security,
which was why she was living with her daughter. Mary was treated for the NEC so her body could
process and resolve the emotional wound. The body is able to respond to emotional injuries through the
same healing response as that of physical injuries.
Mary realized that she had stuffed this emotional feeling or response because her husband was a good
man and she felt embarrassed to have the emotion of anger towards him. After the charged emotion was
treated, Mary continued with her treatment for the sciatic nerve/disc problem. By the next week, 70% of
her pain was gone, and within two weeks she was completely recovered. Mary remarked: “Doc, you
should have checked me sooner for that NET stuff. I sure would have had a lot less suffering.”
We Are Looking For a Family Doctor
One Family’ Search For Their Primary Care Physician
The Smith family had recently moved to our area and was looking to establish healthcare. As is
commonly done, they had interviewed a variety of health care providers in the process, including us.
They were eager to find someone that they could trust and with whom they could share similar attitudes
and beliefs with about wellness and patient care. After we explained the model of health care that we
practice, and the benefits of our integrative approach, the parents ended up making an appointment for
themselves and their children that afternoon.
Since Dad was a trucker, he needed a Certified Driver’s License (CDL) physical while keeping in mind
that he had a family history of heart disease and also complained of indigestion after eating. The physical
went well, but lab work showed increased risk factors for heart disease including an increase of
lipoprotein (a), CRP and LDL cholesterol. A Heidelberg pH test for stomach acid was performed that
revealed Hypochlohydria (low stomach acid). Cardiac risk modifying strategies were discussed including
exercise, diet and nutritional care. Hydrochloric acid was added to each meal to help resolve his
indigestion.
Mom, on the other hand, was in good health except for the week before her period when the kids said
that everything would change. They said that the “mean mom” would come out. Mom related that during
these times, she had a headache, was very irritable, and even had thoughts of dying. Hormonal
evaluations showed that she was estrogen dominant, so the appropriate measure was implemented. The
kids now say that mom is always nice.
The oldest son was brought in, he was doing very well and passes his physical exam with flying colors
except for some allergies he had obtained since moving to the area and some stress resulting from
leaving his old friends and having to make new ones. He was treated for allergy desensitization and with
NET to help him adjust to his new school and help him say goodbye to his old friends. He responded
very well to the treatment.
The youngest boy was only two years old, and had already been on six different antibiotics for multiple
ear infections. His mother commented that, “Ever since I quit nursing him, he has been sick.” Part of that
had to do with the fact that his delivery had been traumatic; having been “vacuumed” assisted. His
evaluation revealed that there were some crucial imbalances that affected the drainage of his inner ear
and an allergy to dairy foods was also found. In the end, the baby was given a chiropractic cranial
adjustment, the family chose to eliminate all dairy from their diets, and a natural medicine was used to
resolve the ear infection that he was having at the time, which turned out to be the last ear infection he
ever had. During the passing years, the family would need spinal care, school physicals, flu and cold
treatments’ and the occasional referral for a broken wrist and colonoscopy. Over time, both the parents
and children grew healthy and learned to care for their bodies. The greatest honor for us was when the
youngest boy grew up and brought his wife and newborn son in to our clinic for care.