The doctor is in

Here's a question for you: When was the last time you filled out a questionnaire at your doctor's office asking about your ability to give and receive love? Or about what gives you a sense of connection and meaning in life?

Interestingly, there's a lot of data to support the enormous impact of these factors — not only on our mental health, but on our physical health.

One study at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center even suggests that these questions might be good to include on presurgical forms. In this study, people who answered "no" to two questions — "Do you draw strength and comfort from your spiritual faith?" and "Do you participate in a regular social group?" — had seven times more risk of dying six months after surgery than those who answered "yes."

If that's true, being social may be more important than quitting smoking!

Health — and community

This study is powerful because it also points out the ways in which our health as individuals is dependent on the whole. As human beings, we are part of a living ecosystem that includes not only other people, but animals, plants, earth and water.

Many cultures have described this concept as the tree, which does not exist apart from that which gives it life, including the soil, the rain and the bugs.

My mission statement


And you can hold me to it.

Stimulate reflection, thought and growth around health-related concepts and questions.

Provide accurate information.

Draw on multiple systems of healing, including natural, allopathic and mind-body medicine, to add perspective to the question or discussion at hand.

If being healthy means cultivating a sense of connection, it is important to see the ways in which our actions on a global level — dumping pollutants in our air, or mercury in our waters — affect our health on an individual level.

Welcome to a new column!

When The Seattle Times asked me to write a health column, it sounded fairly straightforward. People ask me health-related questions every day at work, and I answer them. Can't be much different from clinic, right?

Wrong. Bill — one of the editors — started by asking for my mission statement.

"Mission statement?" I asked.

"It's an important part of doing a column like this, don't you think?" he responded.

"Of course," I said.

But frankly, I was shocked.

Not that I didn't want to write a mission statement. Just that I had never put the concepts "creative personal expression" and "medicine" together in one sentence.

But Bill didn't seem concerned. At our next meeting, he followed his first question with a list of three more, all neatly written on a yellow legal pad: Who are you? What do you believe in? Why are you doing this?

"Oh, and by the way, I think this could make a great first column," he said as I was leaving.

At this point, I was feeling a little nervous.

Didn't he know that medical school doesn't consider creativity a key selling point for admission? How did he expect me to summarize all of my thoughts about health, who I was and what we would be talking about in 300 words or less?

"Don't worry," he reassured me. "We'll allow a bit more room for the first column."

So, keeping space in mind, my goal here is to answer all three of those questions, to briefly outline my mission statement, go over format and — oh yes — to let you know what I would like from you.

To be honest, I'm honored to have a chance to do this; it's just surprising to think that maybe medicine doesn't have to be as impersonal and left-brained as I once thought.

Who am I?

I am an M.D. from Tufts School of Medicine in Boston, and board-certified in internal medicine.

I also have a degree as a medical herbalist (the equivalent of four years' training) from the College of Phytotherapy in London. I have taught and lectured about nutrition, herbs, supplements and vitamins to doctors and lay people. I practiced as an allopathic (meaning traditional) primary-care physician before opening my own medicine practice, in which I combine conventional, holistic and mind-body medicine.

What do I believe in?

Health, for me, is a big word.

Most of the time, when we talk about health, we are referring to optimal physical functioning. In addition, health can refer to mental and emotional well-being. Most of the time, people separate the mind and body from each other, but there is considerable research to suggest that there is no real division between the two.

As a result, I think it's important not to underestimate the power of our thoughts and feelings to influence our physical experience — and vice versa.

In addition, as humans, we are part of a web of life. Our health as individuals depends on much more than just what we do personally; it also depends on the choices we make as a community and as a planet. To that effect, I think it is important to include public health as a key component of individual health.

Why I am writing this column?

Because I think it is rare for a single person to walk in so many worlds — the worlds of allopathic medicine, natural medicine and mind-body medicine.

I think I have a lot to share about how to integrate these three perspectives in a way that makes sense, and can help people figure out what information is relevant in different situations.

What is the format of this column?

A short question-and-answer, primarily. However, at times, I may include commentary on an interesting article or share a story.

What would I like from you?

Participate by sending in questions, or ideas for further columns, based on the information above. Thank you in advance!

Dr. Pujari is a Seattle M.D. with an additional degree as a medical herbalist; she practices at the Pujari Center and teaches as part of the residency programs at Virginia Mason and Swedish Providence hospitals. Her column is a weekly feature in Sunday Northwest Life. Send questions to apujari@seattletimes.com for possible use in future columns.