The Crazy Wisdom Community Journal • January - April 2013 • Page 41
childhood and many losses — father to divorce, mother to schizophrenia and alcoholism, siblings moving away” as well as to her experience with cancer. “It took me a while to see how sanctimonious my perspective was,” she says, exposing a certain rueful humility. Though it is rare for her to talk publicly about herself (this article is a breakthrough for her), she has long used poetry to express her inner self. She called one poem “The Martyr's Prayer,” but subtitled it “A Cautionary Tale,” “to remind myself to not inflate the meaning of my suffering.” She cringes to think she ever used the word “martyr” to describe herself. Saunders’s change of heart occurred while she was in medical school at Ohio State, a two-hour drive from where she grew up. As she became increasingly aware of the ubiquitous nature of suffering, she began exploring the meaning of health in society. After completing her residency, also at Ohio State, she went to Duke on a two year fellowship in general internal medicine and, while there, she earned a master’s in public health from the University of North Carolina. Her broadened perspective has taken her medical understanding to new dimensions. “Everyone has inner wisdom, and everyone's task is to find their own path toward healing and peace of mind. I no longer feel like [my experience] sets me apart. These things rather bind me to others, as we are all in the same boat. We are all ‘wounded healers,’ as Rachel Remen says in Kitchen Table Wisdom.”
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against the system. “Now that I have left the medical center,” she says, “I realize that I don't feel the need to see things as an ‘us versus them’ kind of struggle. That's good because that would be counter to my goal to integrate the best of many approaches to patient care for each individual patient.” To look at Amy Saunders today is to see a picture of health. She works at it. She meditates two to three times a week, eats wisely, visits her masseuse as needed, and holds stress at bay, where possible. She also has remarkable perspective.
To look at Amy Saunders today is to see a picture of health. She works at it. She meditates two to three times a week, eats wisely, visits her masseuse as needed, and holds stress at bay, where possible. She also has remarkable perspective.
Turning to practical matters, I ask what insurance she will accept at her new clinic. She mentions that establishing her credentials to be a certified provider was an ordeal, mostly because each insurance company requires completion of a “load of paperwork.” At the time of this writing, she will be able to provide care for people who have Blue Cross Blue Shield, straight Medicare, Cofinity, Aetna, and HAP. The process is ongoing.
“Now that I have left the medical center, I realize that I don't feel the need to see things as an ‘us versus them’ kind of struggle. That's good because that would be counter to my goal to integrate the best of many approaches to patient care for each individual patient.” Meanwhile, Saunders is pleased to be in a place where her work is more aligned with her values. She relishes the time allotted to see patients. She likes her new office, the pictures on the walls, her customized electronic medical record, and the way the clinic communicates with patients. The way the clinic is run reflects her attitude and philosophy about patient care. In retrospect, she appreciates the latitude she had to practice integrative medicine while working in the University of Michigan Health System. While she had cause for frustration regarding restrictions on time and on the therapy she could provide, she now realizes that part of her problem there was a function of internal dissonance. She chose to see herself as an outsider struggling
I realize how amazingly fortunate I have been. I have been blessed to have had great love and support from my siblings, a wonderful husband, and have two terrific daughters, aged 18 and 23 [who are] very supportive and compassionate people. I have also had the opportunity to do work I love with brilliant colleagues, and meet and be friends with some amazing and beautiful people. I also have had a very mild course of my multiple sclerosis. All of these blessings have filled me with a new sense of gratitude. These blessings also support and promote her capacity to embrace new opportunities for growth. Several years ago, she went to China with a group of physicians to see how Chinese medical centers integrated old and new medical approaches. She has worked with several Chinese practitioners in the area since her return. She is a frequent visitor to Crazy Wisdom Bookstore, and attends its lecture and Salon events. She cultivates a sense of humor. She lives to learn. Dr. Amy Saunders’s new practice is located at the Natural Balance Wellness Medical Center at 1310 S. Main Street in Ann Arbor. For more information, call (734) 9292696 or visit their website at nbwellness.com.