The Beginnings & Mission: Immune Recovery and Wellness, Part I

 

 

Trained in her profession through strictly traditional methods, Roberta (Bobbie) Shepard-Mardocco obtained her Bachelors of Science in Nursing and became a Registered Nurse and Certified Adult Nurse Practitioner. She first became interested in Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) when her own patients began asking her for information on CAM treatments for a variety of ailments. She realized her traditional medical training had not prepared her to answer CAM-related questions. Over time, Bobbie discovered she had a segment of patients for whom traditional treatments had failed to address all of their health troubles. Finally, she herself had health issues arise; she, too, had a problem improving utilizing only traditional paths to treatment.

 

After gaining extensive training and completing her own research in the CAM field, Bobbie opened the Immune Recovery and Wellness Clinic in 2003. When asked to describe the team of caregivers/medical professionals with whom she works, she says: “Compassionate and competent. They are good listeners and able to think outside the box. They look for solutions, not quick fixes.” The vision for the clinic is simple: to provide all patients a safe environment in which to express their health concerns, openly and honestly, with the highest degree of confidentiality between patient and caregiver. Each treatment will be tailored to the condition and needs of each patient.  These treatments may be used to complement an existing regimen of traditional therapies and/or medications, or they may be an added as an alternative to a more “traditional” medical procedure.  The goal of every treatment will be to help the patient reach the highest level of health, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

 

Bobbie found out early that in too many cases, doctors and nurses in traditional medical settings became overwhelmed by the demands of day-to-day procedures, insurance requirements and other routines. As a result, their patients were often rushed to describe their ailments or to limit their questions and concerns to a quick ten-minute doctor’s visit. 

 

In her view, “[The healing process is] a partnership” between the Clinic and the patient, where “everyone plays a role in recovery.” The treatment process begins with an in-depth review of past medical history, current lab results and medications taken. Potential problems are identified and possible solutions are suggested and implemented.  Regular monitoring of the patient’s condition and improvement is provided, using in-depth lab work and in-person consultations. Client input is vital and is encouraged throughout the Clinic’s treatment process. 

 

One of the most important things to remember, Bobbie says, is that every path to healing takes time and may involve a combination of many different treatment methods; there’s no quick cure for the human body. Often, there is more than one condition that needs to be treated, which requires a multi-faceted approach. Take, for instance, the importance of pharmacal kinetics, or how prescribed drugs and/or over-the-counter or holistic medicines interact in the body. Let’s say that a patient battling breast cancer is also suffering from depression. St. John’s Wort is commonly used as a natural remedy for depression; however, St. John’s Wort is also known to be a possible inducer of the metabolic pathway cytochrome P450, used by Tamoxifen. So, the St. John’s wort and Tamoxifen would compete for the same receptor site. These are the kinds of factors that must be considered and addressed in the course of CAM-related therapies.

 

According to Bobbie, the goal of treatment is to restore health and hope to the patient. She considers herself to be a coach; she studies the condition at hand, establishes a game plan and encourages her patients to keep working toward their goals. She can help them formulate questions to ask their doctors and to become educated on the treatment options available to them. Each and every improvement in a patient’s condition is addressed. This means taking note of everything from an increase in appetite or white blood cell count to a decrease in the level of depression. By thus turning a patient’s focus toward simple ways of improving his/her condition and on making constant small improvements, patients are freed to set and achieve goals; they develop a lifestyle centered around taking positive steps forward, as opposed to making their life center around their illness. 

 

A cancer patient, for example, may be so used to thinking of their condition as “terminal,” that he/she fails to put any effort in to trying to establish a lifestyle that allows them some activity and productiveness. In turning each day into a series of small steps and improvements, however, hope can be restored and a healthier way of thinking and living can be established. Patients can finally begin to focus on getting back a quality of life they may have been missing for a long time. Ultimately, this is the mission of Immune Recovery and Wellness.