The Doctors
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Our Team
We’ve curated a multidisciplinary team of health experts who work together in therapeutic synergy, creating a vibrant healing sanctuary with a hub of leading-edge practitioners
Our Team of Doctors
What does being healthy mean? According to WHO (World Health Organization), health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of infirmity or symptoms of an ailment.
This is more or less the philosophy underlying integrative medicine, which concentrates on improving and maintaining patients’ health by combining complementary and alternative modalities such as homeopathy, herbal remedies, yoga, and acupuncture.
However, when medical practitioners pursue an integrative approach to care, what impact does that have on treatment? Is it advisable for patients to take prescription drugs?
Is acupuncture the best solution for every infirmity? This article seeks to expound on integrative doctors, integrative medicine, and the distinction between integrative medicine and functional medicine.
What is a doctor of integrative medicine?
A doctor of integrative medicine is a physician who practices functional and primary care medicine. They are certified practitioners in integrative medicine and family medicine.
Doctors of integrative medicine believe in a whole person or systems approach to managing chronic ailments and preventing illnesses.
Additionally, they believe patients ought to be educated about their conditions and have a better comprehension of their treatment plans and the motive governing the treatment plan. Half an hour of office visits with our doctors and monthly lectures are some of the efficient ways of accomplishing this at Robinhood Integrative Health (RIH).
We have a multidisciplinary team of health experts who work together in therapeutic synergy, thereby creating a pulsating healing sanctuary with a hub of leading-edge practitioners.
Bruce Lantelme, MD, is a physician at Robinhood Integrative Health. Dr. Lantelme graduated from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. His experience includes more than thirty-eight years of expertise in medicine including family practice medicine in the US Navy and obstetrics and family practice after leaving the Navy. He founded Robinhood Integrative Health with Dr. Wiggy Saunders.
Dr. Lantelme has a different perception of medicine. In traditional medicine, symptoms are treated. In traditional medicine, a diagnosis is made and a drug is prescribed. What isn’t being asked with the right frequency in traditional medicine, “How did the patient get to this point?”
I’m sure many physicians ask themselves these questions in passing, but collectively, most are shrugging their shoulders and writing a prescription as they move on to the next patient. Practicing medicine in this manner is largely responsible for skyrocketing chronic conditions. Much of modern-day healthcare expense is maintaining chronic illnesses and not reversing the causes or preventing them in the first place.
At Robinhood Integrative Health, we ask, “how did the patient get to this point?” and we set about solving the mystery. We realize that all systems in the body are interrelated and every person has a unique physiology. We enjoy hearing, “I haven’t felt this good in ten years”. We have developed an expertise in supplements, vitamins, herbs, hormones, energy medicine, IV infusions, peptides, and regenerative methods to aid someone in getting their health back and then maintaining their good health.
Weston “Wiggy” Saunders, MD, is a physician at Robinhood Integrative Health. He specializes in hypothyroidism and other complex medical conditions. He has been practicing Integrative Medicine for 10+ years and has helped thousands of patients regain their health through an integrative, all-inclusive approach. Dr. Wiggy strives to make sure each person is heard and understands the plan to achieve optimal results.
Nicole Craven, MD, is an integrative physician and pediatrician at RIH who has been practicing medicine for over 18 years. She completed medical school training at Tulane University School of Medicine and her pediatric residency at the Medical University of South Carolina. The most influential aspect of her training was an additional Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, Tucson. She trained directly under Dr. Andrew Weil. She is also a trained health coach, trained by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.
Most of her time is devoted to children providing visits for wellness and addressing chronic childhood illness. She treats gut concerns, allergy, eczema, asthma, anxiety, other mood disorders, chronic infections, autoimmune illness, and sleep disturbance. She also sees adults and treats chronic inflammatory illness, gut imbalance, and hormone imbalance. She looks forward to helping you find your unique path to wellness.
Meera Shah, PA-C is an integrative physician assistant at RIH who has been practicing medicine for 2 years. She completed her medical training at Wake Forest Medical school’s physician assistant program and has been trained on both a traditional and integrative medical model.
She treats a variety of chronic and acute conditions such as thyroid disease, IBS and gut disorders, dermatologic conditions, anxiety, depression and other mood disorders, hormonal imbalances, chronic infections, autoimmune illnesses. She looks forward to finding the root cause of your ailments to optimize your health, and she is passionate about being prophylactic versus reactive regarding health and wellness.
What is the difference between integrative and functional medicine?
Functional and integrative medicine are two rapidly growing types of medicine. They address your mental, physical, and emotional needs.
While integrative medicine strives to treat an individual as a whole and apply various forms of therapy to enhance wellness, functional medicine concentrates on developing personalized treatments tailored to treat and cure underlying causes of the disease.
Naturally, both integrative and functional medicine are similar. However, they have unique differences which may help you on your journey towards healthier living. Functional medicine focuses on treating underlying causes of illnesses influenced by hereditary susceptibilities and one’s surroundings. Typically, it uses personalized therapies to identify the exact cause of the problem and implements special testing to gauge if discrepancies came about after treating a chronic ailment or developed before the illness. The functional medicine approach centers around the notion that a condition may have several causes and vice versa.
On the other hand, integrative medicine strives to assess the patient as a whole and not simply a disease. When used in a clinical setting, integrative medicine provides a practical, individualized wellness support strategy for optimal health and whole-body health. Integrative medicine practitioners or physicians combine various therapies such as chiropractic care, homeotherapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, and behavioral therapy to offer thorough treatment in all fields.
What is an integrative health practitioner?
Practitioners of integrative medicine see patients as partners and work closely with you to ensure you’re receiving the treatments you need. Integrative medicine addresses many factors, including the physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental influences that affect a person’s health.
Our integrative health facility provides integrative health programs to all patients that teach them how to develop and coordinate these modalities into their daily lives. Doing so enables you to advance your health care goals, maintain whole-person health wellness, and create manageable self-care protocols for longevity.
Our team of integrative health practitioners encompasses health and wellness coaches, writers or speakers, allied health care professionals, consultants or educators, health consultants for community health organizations, and government or community-based integrative health care advisors.
To book an appointment and to interact with our skilled practitioners fill out our patient application form here. You can also visit our Facebook page any time.
