"Only by blending the best of Western mechanistic and chemical knowledge with the best of the ancient Eastern vitalistic approach can we become whole beings and claim our maximum healing potential," writes Mark Mincolla, Ph.D., in Customized Healing. Trained in both Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM) and Western nutrition, Mincolla has been integrating these seemingly opposing modalities to cure disease and promote health over the last thirty years. Mincolla relies on an understanding of the synergy of mind/body/spirit to address his patients' needs. That's why the foods you eat, the supplements you take, your daily exercise, what you think, how you act, and what you believe and aspire to are all part of his integrated, holistic approach.

Enhancing the flow of life-force energy, or chi as it's called in CCM, and avoiding blockage of chi are essential in Mincolla's practice. He views symptoms as messages about what the mind/body/spirit needs. Grief in your heart or from clogged arteries both lead to blocked energy. To help him diagnose a person's bio-individuality, he uses CCM's five constitutional types, based on the five energies-wood, fire, earth, metal, and water-to discover the nutritional therapy, mind-body medicine (such as yoga, meditation, and tai chi), and natural medicine (specific foods and vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements) needed to help the person achieve vibrant health.