A new clinic in Los Angeles, California, is giving power back to parents. Dr. Joel ‘Gator’ Warsh—an integrative pediatrician and parent—opened his clinic, Integrative Pediatrics and Medicine, in 2018 and is charting a new course in pediatric care.
His clinic encourages open communication, offers alternative and natural treatments, values prevention, and teaches parents to trust their intuition. Warsh says that many people are unhappy with the Western medical system. “A lot of people are starting to wake up a little bit to the fact that they have to take health into their own hands,” he told The Epoch Times.
Warsh says parents want to have an open discussion, and unfortunately, many physicians practicing modern medicine are unwilling to do that—particularly with topics like vaccines. He encourages open discussions, even on controversial topics. This is part of the reason his practice has flourished.
Warsh’s focus on prevention and lifestyle doesn’t align with the typical medical model constrained by brief appointments. He dedicates time to comprehensive patient histories, discussing diet, environmental factors, sleep, and exercise. “You can only do so much in two or three minutes,” Warsh said.
If you’re not focusing on lifestyle, you’re missing a crucial part of health, he added. Warsh advocates for a partnership between doctors and patients. “I don’t think it’s a doctor’s job to tell people what to do,” he said.
“It’s to teach them what.
