Practitioner Profile: We Wish Every Doctor Worked Like This

Dr. Leonard Wright Companions Each Patient

By Bill Peterson

Dr. Leonard Wright, Medical Director of The Wege Institute: Mind, Body & Spirit at Saint Mary’s, feels satisfied that his arduous morning commute from his Muskegon home to his offices at the downtown Grand Rapids campus of Saint Mary’s Health Care, has a handsome payoff. His reward comes when an elderly patient’s health miraculously turns around after long illness. Or when a young wife thanks him for "giving me my husband back." From personal experience he knows that his commitment to finding helpful options is worth whatever it takes.

At heart, Dr. Wright’s ability to knowledgeably identify a problem and provide options fulfills his professional role. But for a practitioner who is as resolute as Wright in following through and supporting his patient’s journey to wellness, physical diagnosis and treatment are just the beginning.

In an effort to address all aspects of the human being–mind, body and spirit, Wright calls on decades of experience as a traditional physician plus more than 17 years of integrating complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) into his practice. He believes that unless the dynamic interplay of all three dimensions within an individual are taken into consideration, "it will be difficult to experience true healing."

Of course successful physicians everywhere rely on years of dedicated training, expert skills and an earnest desire to help others. Yet how many can empathize as well as those who have walked in the patient’s shoes?

Wright relates the story of how at age 35 he was diagnosed with an "inoperable" brain tumor on the "unforgettable date of October 6, 1989," and left with the prognosis of three to ten years to live. Alone and adrift, seeking a safe harbor that would obviate his fate, Wright was relieved to feel an upwelling of an unwavering resolve to overcome this condition. He understood that finding a physician willing to join him on the journey to wellness was essential. The "right" physician for him would not be a stoic pragmatist, but a compassionate and thorough ally willing to assist him along the challenging road to wellness.

The focus of his work in medicine crystallized during the 12 months of his recovery. More than any other, this single experience forever changed his life, altered his perspective and redirected the trajectory of his career.

Wright acknowledges that had he not sought medical assistance and been thoroughly checked out he would not be alive today. As he sees it, Western diagnostic tools safeguard the patient. Simply knowing that a headache is a headache and not a brain tumor allows for proper diagnosis and the most suitable care. "Western medicine is the best in the world at acute care and trauma care," he says. "But true caring for the patient has gotten lost."

To this day Wright supports each patient with the same steadfast dedication he once received. He understands how great a difference it makes when a physician chooses to focus on options rather than outcomes–seeing possibilities rather than finalities. In the event that a diagnosis is severe, remembering that "a doctor-patient encounter is above all else an experience between two human beings" allows hope and empowerment to converge upon the patient even in the case of "bad news".

Wright’s earlier service as a staff physician and Medical Director of Hackley Hospital Emergency Department in Muskegon had honed his ability to empathize with all kinds of patients and quickly support their needs. He knows how to be both sympathetic and practical. "Having been on both sides of the desk, I know how what’s said to a patient can determine whether his days after diagnosis are filled with anything but despair," he says. "More important, what an insightful doctor says can propel him or her to make decisions that might help, even when modern medicine no longer can."

Wright’s own recovery brought yet another revelation as he expanded his willingness to consider alternative means to wellness. This pioneering sojourner explains that the original "death sentence" proscribed by traditional medicine had freed him to "explore the fringes." He observes that conventional factors like controlled studies and statistical data have no significance to a dying man. "To a person with a terminal disease, the only important word in the phrase ‘anecdotal cure’ is ‘cure’," he says. As patient Wright was thrilled to discover "invaluable new ways to reclaim and rebalance my life."

Today, if one of his patients objects to recommended treatment, as recently was the case of a cancer sufferer who felt that a chemotherapy/radiation protocol was not right for her, Wright remains a stalwart supporter of whatever direction the patient ultimately chooses.

Such a courageous position does not come easily. "It’s difficult when you care deeply about a patient’s well being, but your best advice doesn’t fit the patient’s belief system or intuition," he says. "The last thing I want is to be another obstacle. Rather I can remain as a safeguard, and together we see the patient’s choice through." From long experience Wright believes that developing long-term supportive doctor-patient relationships come through open communication, honest dialogue and trust, which ultimately leads to the best and most suitable care.

Wright serves as a gate keeper for his profession as well. As a licensed medical acupuncturist, Wright has been appointed to the Michigan Board of Acupuncture by Governor Granholm as a representative of the state’s licensed physicians. Working with a supportive team of credentialed practitioners trained and experienced in a wide range of therapies and techniques, Dr. Wright facilitates holistic health assessments of individual cases so that appropriate therapies and treatments can be safely explored. Frequently fellow physicians refer patients to him when western medicine alone has failed to provide relief.

"It’s a supportive symbiotic relationship for all those involved," observes Wright. "The primary physician is relieved of having to personally sort out what CAM therapy would be best for his or her patient. The patient can explore an integrative approach. And the patient-physician relationship remains intact."

Encouraged by the mind, body and spirit principle of the Wege Institute and its Medical Director, other department leads through out Saint Mary’s and their patients are benefiting exponentially from this holistic direction in healthcare.

Many healers offer assiduous care. A wise healer inspires progress. Dr. Leonard Wright proffers both. Everyone benefits.

Source: Dr. Leonard Wright is a board certified internist with 17 years of experience in non-traditional forms of healing. To schedule a holistic health assessment call 616-752-6923. For more information about The Wege Institute: Mind, Body & Spirit at Saint Mary’s visit WegeInstitute.org.

Source: Originally published in Natural Awakenings West Michigan June 2007 Men’s Health issue.