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The Practice

Ralph Golan with a patient.

 

PREVENTIVE AND WELLNESS MEDICINE

Dr. Golan's general practice incorporates both conventional and alternative health approaches with the goals of: diagnosing and treating illness, particularly long standing chronic problems. He also emphasizes building health reserve and maintaining that reserve. Dr. Golan takes a very detailed history, does physical examinations when appropriate and recommends diagnostic testing when needed. He is also a teacher who emphasizes health education and self-care skills. He works with you not only to overcome illness, but to optimize your health and well being. Dr. Golan involves your participation as an equal member of your health care team and of the process of developing your individualized health program.

"During my medical training I became acutely aware of far too many individuals who fell into the gray zone between health and disease - those who were not well but whose doctors could find nothing wrong; or those with an illness for which there was no cure or whose treatments were 'working' but still felt bad; or those whose many medications were controlling symptoms but who were not genuinely growing more healthy. There were just too many people whose needs could not be adequately met by conventional medicine. My current medical practice (and my book, Optimal Wellness) grew out of my personal need to find a more meaningful and whole approach to being a physician and teacher. I came to the realization that I could best serve people by creating a preventive and wellness medical practice which I established in 1979 in Seattle."

MORE ABOUT DR. GOLAN'S CURRENT PRACTICE

Although Dr. Golan performs physical exams, diagnoses and treats acute problems such as colds, flu, other infections, and minor injuries, and prescribes and monitors medication, patients seek his help to track down and treat the underlying causes of chronic problems. This detective work is one of Dr. Golan's strongest areas.

Dr Golan has discovered in recent years that more and more of these patients have their long standing issues due to tick borne infections (such as Lyme disease, Babesiosis, Bartonellosis and others) and/or mold/mycotoxin/endotoxin illness from current or past exposure to water-damaged buildings. These patients can be quite complex as they often develop as a consequence of these conditions secondary disorders: autoimmune diseases, and inflammatory disorders such as Mast Cell Activation Syndrome as well as Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). A large percentage of his practice is now devoted to these kinds of patients. (See his article: Lyme Disease and Associated Infections UPDATE 2020 Diagnosis and Treatment.)

He also excels in helping people build a health reserve by pinpointing weaknesses in and optimizing the status of our most critical systems: digestive, eliminative, cardiovascular, immune, hormonal, brain and nervous, and musculo-skeletal. He also has a strong emphasis on enhancing the body's detoxification systems, both for his ill patients as well as for those who want to maintain and optimize their health and prevent disease. It is essential to know that Dr. Golan is not a primary care or "family doctor"; he is not crisis oriented, is not always available for after hours urgent medical needs, and does not see patients in the hospital. Dr. Golan insists that his patients maintain their relationships with their primary care physicians and specialists and see Dr. Golan as a health consultant for concerns their other doctors are unable to address. Dr. Golan sees persons of all ages: adults (including seniors), adolescents, children and infants.

 

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A PARTIAL LIST OF CONDITIONS DR. GOLAN TREATS

  • Adrenal exhaustion
  • Angina
  • Arthritis (osteo and rheumatoid)
  • Atherosclerosis
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Autoimmune disorders
  • Babesia
  • Bartonella
  • Behavioral/learning disorders, hyperactivity
  • Candida / Yeast
  • Chemical sensitivities
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS)
  • Chronic Mycoplasma infections
  • Chronic rashes and hives
  • Chronic tendinitis
  • Cigarette smoking cessation through acupuncture and nutrition
  • Congestive heart failure, arrythmias
  • Coronary artery disease
  • Depression, anxiety
  • Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome
  • Digestive and bowel disorders:constipation,diarrhea, irritable/spastic bowel,colitis, Crohn's disease, ulcers,heartburn
  • Drug and alcohol addiction
  • Eczema and asthma
  • Erlichia
  • Fatigue
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Flu, mono
  • Food addiction
  • Food and inhalant allergies
  • Headaches
  • Heart disease
  • Hepatitis
  • High cholesterol
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Infertility
  • Low resistance, recurring infections
  • Lupus
  • Lyme disease and other tick born infections
  • Mast Cell Activation Syndrome
  • Menopause/Perimenopause symptoms
  • Mercury and other heavy metal toxicity
  • Metabolic Syndrome
  • Mold and Mycotoxin Illness
  • MS (multiple sclerosis), Parkinsons, ALS
  • Mycoplasma
  • Nausea of pregnancy, and preventative nutritional counseling
  • Neck and back pain
  • Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver
  • Nutritional and immune support for cancer and AIDS
  • Osteoporosis and osteopenia
  • Overweight and Obesity
  • Peripheral artery disease
  • PMS and other menstrual disorders
  • Poor absorption of nutrients
  • Poor memory, confusion, senility
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Sleep disturbance
  • Thyroid problems
  • Viral infections Chronic / Reactivated:
    • Epstein Barr Virus (EBV)
    • Cytomegalo Virus (CMV)
    • Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV6)

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WHO SEES DR. GOLAN

  • People who have been to health care practitioners and are told nothing is wrong. These individuals know something is wrong because they do not feel or function well.
  • People with a diagnosed condition for which conventional medicine has no effective treatment or else a treatment with unacceptable side effects.
  • People whose medical treatments are "working" but who still do not feel healthy.
  • People who want to lessen their use of prescription medications.
  • People who want not only to treat disease, but to build health reserve and become active participants in their health care.
  • People who are well and want to learn what they can do to stay that way-health promoting, health maintenance, and anti-aging/longevity enhancing measures.
  • People with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders who want me to determine and restore underlying nutritional and biochemical imbalances in order to be able to stop or lessen their prescription drugs.

APPROACHES UTILIZED

  • Nutrition: whole foods, individualized diets, allergy free diets, weight loss diets
  • Nutritional and metabolic therapy (oral and injectable nutrient supplementation)
  • BioIdentical Natural Hormone Replacement
  • Herbal medicines and acute homeopathic remedies
  • Acupuncture (for musculoskeletal conditions, neck and back pain, joint  pain, headaches, and for smoking cessation)
  • Detoxification protocols (cleansing diets, liver and bowel cleansing, fasting)
  • Environmental medicine (toxic chemicals and heavy metals as a cause of  illness)
  • Assessment of impact of psychological and emotional factors
  • Lifestyle counseling (relaxation, yoga, and meditation techniques, therapeutic touch
  • Mesotherapy
  • Apitherapy (bee venom therapy) - Castor oil packs
  • Pharmaceutical medications
  • Applied Kinesiology (muscle testing): Autonomic Reflex Testing and Quantum Reflex Analysis

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A PARTIAL LIST OF TESTS OFFERED

Type of Test
Benefits of Test
  • Carotid Artery Ultra Sound Scan
Determines the presence of calcified and soft arterial plaque and arterial wall thickness-- both risk factors for heart attack and stroke
  • Standard medical testing
comprehensive blood screens, urinalysis, X-rays, ultrasounds, etc.
  • Stool and blood tests
to assess candida related illness
  • Blood tests
to assess food allergy
  • Urine and Stool Tests
to assess absorption of nutrients, and gut permeability
  • Stool, blood and saliva test
Assessment for intestinal parasites, worms, pathogenic bacteria, and digestive competence
  • Urine and salvia tests
to assess liver detoxification capacity
  • Provoked 24-hour urine tests
to assess body burden of heavy metals (lead, mercury, etc.)
  • Blood tests
to assess levels of toxic chemicals (solvents, pesticides, herbicides, etc.)
  • Saliva tests
to assess adrenal function (cortisol and DHEA levels) and gluten intolerance
  • Blood tests that  measure free radicals and antioxidant defense levels
to enhance assessment of risk of heart disease, cancer, and other diseases
  • Blood tests
to measure body levels of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids
to assess the risk of estrogen-related breast and uterine cancers and other conditions
  • Comprehensive cardiovascular risk panels
lipids, homocysteine, high sensitivity CRP, fibrinogen, ferritin, lipoprotein (a), Apolipoprotein A, insulin, chlamydia, NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) Lipoprofile (see www.liposcience.com) and others
  • PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests
to identify the DNA of various bacteria and viruses implicated in chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions, arteriosclerosis, and other disorders

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