Dr. Carol Brown has sincerely enjoyed and is proud of her first 20 years in practice as a board-certified emergency medicine physician. When a favorite colleague launched a family practice, she was invited to work with him part-time and discovered a second niche for her interest in helping patients. She subsequently opened her own office, which grew into a thriving family practice that filled a community need for occupational medicine.

A few years later, a close friend encouraged Brown to attend a conference on integrative medicine, a system of health care that combines conventional medicine with science-based, peerreviewed complementary and alternative medicine. She says the conference not only changed her understanding of optimal health and her way of practicing, but it also changed her own life. “I was so impressed with the level of science and expertise of the physicians and speakers at the conference that I was hooked,” explains Brown. “I had an epiphany: This was it; this was what I was supposed to do.”

More than 10 years ago, that’s exactly what she did. Brown earned a second doctorate in integrative medicine and then founded The Center for Integrative Care, in Oak Creek, to provide her patients with a skillful blend of time-honored, evidencebased interventions and standard medical therapies.

An avid learner and scientist at heart, Brown added another board certification—this time in anti-aging and regenerative medicine. “I chose integrative medicine to help my patients not only treat their illness, but to offer more: optimal health,” she explains. “We are limited in conventional medicine because we don’t have time to treat disease at the root cause. Conventional treatment is primarily aimed at relieving symptoms. My patients have the advantage of intervention with more than one option or choice, and all interventions are designed to improve health, regardless of the stage of life the patient is experiencing. Modern living is a serious threat to optimal health!”

“I had an epiphany: This was it; this was what I was supposed to do.”

According to Brown, integrative medicine follows a physiological approach to care; designed to treat the cause, as well as the disease. The field of integrative medicine offers an impressive choice of laboratory and genetic testing options largely unknown to conventional physicians. “Initial testing and imaging, in addition to the integrative consultation, provide the basis for preliminary intervention,” Brown notes. “Integrative medicine is always a partnership between the patient and the physician, where the focus is on the individual and his personal needs.”

If a patient comes to the center with hypertension (high blood pressure), Brown explains, “We want to discover its cause, because hypertension is in fact, a symptom of vascular instability. When the cause is identified, we can determine safe and effective management. Many patients have been told that medication is the answer, but that is not always the case. Often, we find the cause and make a huge difference in the quality of a person’s life. Sometimes, it can be as simple as making dietary changes and taking specific supplements, though we are not averse to using the most effective medications.”

The Center for Integrative Care’s services include programs that target bone, cardiovascular and brain health; weight loss; thyroid and other hormone balancing; IV therapies; facial rejuvenation; massage; expertly selected natural nutritionals; and other tailored services.

The difference Brown sees in practicing integrative medicine is that patients are becoming well. In conventional practice, she has often observed a slow decline in health, despite the best of interventions. “The success rate is much greater in integrative medicine,” she affirms. “I always had satisfied patients, but not like I do now. They often thank me, saying they can’t believe how well they feel—better than they have felt since high school.”

The Center for Integrative Care is located at 147 West Ryan Rd., in Oak Creek. For more information, call 414-764-0920.