Sheldon Baker04.29.11
Erik Goldman is the co-founder and editor in chief of Holistic Primary Care-News for Health & Healing, the nation’s premier holistic healthcare trade publication for physicians. He is also co-founder and producer of the Heal Thy Practice: Transforming Primary Care conference, an annual event exploring innovative practice models that sustain and support prevention-oriented holistic medicine. Erik began his career as a medical journalist in 1985, after graduating from the State University of New York, Binghamton with a dual bachelor’s degree in biology and philosophy. After two years as an editor of the Dermatology News, published by Academy Professional Information Services, he worked as a freelance medical writer and editor on a diverse spectrum of projects and publications, ranging from pharmaceutical marketing campaigns to medical atlases and academic medical textbooks (J. Willis Hurst's Ventricular Electrocardiography, and Fireman & Slavin's Atlas of Allergies.) From 1990 to 2000, he was the New York Bureau Chief for International Medical News Group, a division of Elsevier Health Sciences, and one of the country’s leading publishers of independent specialty-oriented medical newspapers. While at IMNG, Erik covered a wide range of medical specialties, including internal medicine, cardiology, infectious disease, gynecology, psychiatry and family medicine, as well as socio-economic issues in healthcare.
Health E-Insights: What have you learned from being a journalist in the field of health?
Mr. Goldman: That the healthcare field is not just about health or medicine. It's about everything! Politics, economics, philosophy and ethics, ecology, cosmology. How a particular society, culture, or country handles matters of health and illness tells one a lot about that society's values and assumptions about the world. Sooner or later every social issue ends up being played out in a practitioner's office. That's what makes healthcare such an interesting field to cover as a journalist.
Health E-Insights: Is there one specific area of alternative (holistic) health that really fascinates you?
Mr. Goldman: More than any particular modality or specific healing discipline, what interests me is the outlook, the viewpoint that the holistic disciplines bring to the essential human questions about illness, health and how to prevent the one and restore the other. A truly holistic practitioner, whether they use herbs, acupuncture, nutraceuticals, massage or even a scalpel is fundamentally looking at the inter-relationships between parts, and how the parts fit into a larger whole. It is in this viewpoint that the holistic approaches differ from the allopathic approach, which tends to look at the parts separately. And then if there's no solution at one level, you go to the sub-parts, or the parts of the sub-parts. When in reality the illness may have to do with dysfunctional relationships between the parts or systems.
Health E-Insights: Do you see health professionals continuing to embrace dietary supplements?
Mr. Goldman: Yes, absolutely—especially the conventionally trained MDs. At Holistic Primary Care we did a survey earlier this year of mainstream primary care physicians and we asked all sorts of questions about their engagement with supplements and natural products. The vast majority—almost 90%—are using some type of supplement themselves. And nearly 100% are recommending some types of supplements to patients. It's mostly basic stuff—multivitamins, fish oil, probiotics, minerals—but still it's big progress. Ten years ago, only a small segment of mainstream MDs even knew what a probiotic was.
Health E-Insights: In your opinion, what are the misconceptions, if any, MDs have about supplements?
Mr. Goldman: There are definitely some doctors out there who still believe that all supplements are hokum—I call them the "expensive urine" crowd. And some believe that the industry is unregulated. But I don't think they're the majority at this point. The majority is simply confused and unsure. A promising signal from our survey was that two-thirds of respondents agreed with the statement: "I believe that diseases/conditions can be treated or ameliorated with supplements and natural products." So a lot more docs are on board, at least in principle. But with so many thousands of supplement products out there, some of them of poor or questionable quality, many doctors are unsure which brands they can really trust. Very few companies have done a really good job branding their lines to physicians and establishing trust and credibility. The companies truly committed to quality, efficacy and high ethics have a golden opportunity right now to win the trust of the medical community.
Health E-Insights: You recently launched an annual event called Heal Thy Practice. What are doctors doing to enhance their business?
Mr. Goldman: They're doing all kinds of things. Some are jumping off the insurance treadmill altogether and developing direct-pay practices. Incidentally, I was talking to an executive at MDVIP the other day. They're one of the best known "concierge" or "retainer" based doctor networks. He told me they had 30% or better growth in every region of the country this past year, despite the recession. So that direct pay/retainer model is definitely expanding. Other docs are bringing in aesthetic procedures or advanced diagnostics like sonography, retinal scanning, allergen testing, apnea monitoring and many other things to create fresh revenue streams. Many are dispensing supplements and natural products. A few bold ones are opening medical spas or fitness centers. There's a lot of creativity out there right now.
Health E-Insights: How do you handle stress and pressure at magazine deadline time?
Mr. Goldman: I have a constant stream of music playing all day long, except for when I'm on the phone. Mediterranean, Celtic, African, mediaeval, Grateful Dead, all sorts of stuff. I play guitar as much as I can. Gaia Herbs' adrenal support formula has been a lifesaver, as has Traditional Medicinals' Easy Now tea. And of course, I make sure the rack's well-stocked with good dark dry red wines.

Health E-Insights: What motivates you?
Mr. Goldman: God only knows. I'd say it’s equal measures of fear, love and curiosity. Seriously, it's got to do with a search to live artfully, and to find ways to apply my skills and inclinations in a way that puts a positive, healing influence out there into the world. It's rewarding to learn and share information, and know that the stories are helping others.
For more information and interview consideration, contact Sheldon Baker at sbaker@bakerdillon.com or visit his website at www.bakerdillon.com. And check out his blog at www.NutraInk.com.
Health E-Insights: What have you learned from being a journalist in the field of health?
Mr. Goldman: That the healthcare field is not just about health or medicine. It's about everything! Politics, economics, philosophy and ethics, ecology, cosmology. How a particular society, culture, or country handles matters of health and illness tells one a lot about that society's values and assumptions about the world. Sooner or later every social issue ends up being played out in a practitioner's office. That's what makes healthcare such an interesting field to cover as a journalist.
Health E-Insights: Is there one specific area of alternative (holistic) health that really fascinates you?
Mr. Goldman: More than any particular modality or specific healing discipline, what interests me is the outlook, the viewpoint that the holistic disciplines bring to the essential human questions about illness, health and how to prevent the one and restore the other. A truly holistic practitioner, whether they use herbs, acupuncture, nutraceuticals, massage or even a scalpel is fundamentally looking at the inter-relationships between parts, and how the parts fit into a larger whole. It is in this viewpoint that the holistic approaches differ from the allopathic approach, which tends to look at the parts separately. And then if there's no solution at one level, you go to the sub-parts, or the parts of the sub-parts. When in reality the illness may have to do with dysfunctional relationships between the parts or systems.
Health E-Insights: Do you see health professionals continuing to embrace dietary supplements?
Mr. Goldman: Yes, absolutely—especially the conventionally trained MDs. At Holistic Primary Care we did a survey earlier this year of mainstream primary care physicians and we asked all sorts of questions about their engagement with supplements and natural products. The vast majority—almost 90%—are using some type of supplement themselves. And nearly 100% are recommending some types of supplements to patients. It's mostly basic stuff—multivitamins, fish oil, probiotics, minerals—but still it's big progress. Ten years ago, only a small segment of mainstream MDs even knew what a probiotic was.
Health E-Insights: In your opinion, what are the misconceptions, if any, MDs have about supplements?
Mr. Goldman: There are definitely some doctors out there who still believe that all supplements are hokum—I call them the "expensive urine" crowd. And some believe that the industry is unregulated. But I don't think they're the majority at this point. The majority is simply confused and unsure. A promising signal from our survey was that two-thirds of respondents agreed with the statement: "I believe that diseases/conditions can be treated or ameliorated with supplements and natural products." So a lot more docs are on board, at least in principle. But with so many thousands of supplement products out there, some of them of poor or questionable quality, many doctors are unsure which brands they can really trust. Very few companies have done a really good job branding their lines to physicians and establishing trust and credibility. The companies truly committed to quality, efficacy and high ethics have a golden opportunity right now to win the trust of the medical community.
Health E-Insights: You recently launched an annual event called Heal Thy Practice. What are doctors doing to enhance their business?
Mr. Goldman: They're doing all kinds of things. Some are jumping off the insurance treadmill altogether and developing direct-pay practices. Incidentally, I was talking to an executive at MDVIP the other day. They're one of the best known "concierge" or "retainer" based doctor networks. He told me they had 30% or better growth in every region of the country this past year, despite the recession. So that direct pay/retainer model is definitely expanding. Other docs are bringing in aesthetic procedures or advanced diagnostics like sonography, retinal scanning, allergen testing, apnea monitoring and many other things to create fresh revenue streams. Many are dispensing supplements and natural products. A few bold ones are opening medical spas or fitness centers. There's a lot of creativity out there right now.
Health E-Insights: How do you handle stress and pressure at magazine deadline time?
Mr. Goldman: I have a constant stream of music playing all day long, except for when I'm on the phone. Mediterranean, Celtic, African, mediaeval, Grateful Dead, all sorts of stuff. I play guitar as much as I can. Gaia Herbs' adrenal support formula has been a lifesaver, as has Traditional Medicinals' Easy Now tea. And of course, I make sure the rack's well-stocked with good dark dry red wines.

Health E-Insights: What motivates you?
Mr. Goldman: God only knows. I'd say it’s equal measures of fear, love and curiosity. Seriously, it's got to do with a search to live artfully, and to find ways to apply my skills and inclinations in a way that puts a positive, healing influence out there into the world. It's rewarding to learn and share information, and know that the stories are helping others.
For more information and interview consideration, contact Sheldon Baker at sbaker@bakerdillon.com or visit his website at www.bakerdillon.com. And check out his blog at www.NutraInk.com.
