News

July 23, 2003

Medical duo shifts focus to wellness, prevention
Healing patients center's mission

By DAPHNE ROZEN     ©2003 Houston Chronicle

After practicing traditional medicine for decades, doctors Pamela Brewer Atkins and Floyd Atkins decided they wanted to do even more for patients ... so they created the Center for Wellness and Healing, which recently opened at 1707 Calumet. The center integrates traditional and alternative medicines using a nontraditional holistic approach, providing patients with long-term solutions to improve their quality of life.

"(The Center for Wellness and Healing) offers the best of both worlds," Brewer Atkins said. "There's a reason we're here. We can impact knowledge and education about wellness because it's needed."

Her husband agrees.

"There's (now) another option to complement what you have already (in terms of medical care in Houston)," Atkins said. "It works well for people who lack options."

"Wellness is about prevention and solving the cause (of illness) -- not (just) the symptoms," Atkins said. "Wellness is a process. It's the way you live your life."

At the center, patient care and treatment focuses on the entire body -- including its physical, spiritual, mental and emotional elements -- to help patients find a way to protect and strengthen their immune systems, thus enabling their bodies to fight off chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

"We're not advocating that we have a magic pill or magic cure, but we are trying to help people find their balance back to optimal health and wellness," Brewer Atkins said. "In medicine, often times we are practicing more Band-Aid therapy instead of figuring out why (the illness) happened."

Through personal medical research, Brewer Atkins has determined the root causes contributing to the development of onset diabetes including obesity, poor nutrition due to partially hydrogenated oils and margarines, sugar-laden foods, lack of minerals, vitamins and nutrients, and lack of exercise.

"These three things have set us up for adult onset diabetes," said Brewer Atkins, who stressed that the development of the disease may be reversed or even prevented by eating healthy and having a healthy lifestyle.

Patients may learn how to do both with the help of the center, which also serves as an educational resource by offering programs in nutritional counseling, wellness classes, lectures, special presentations, field trips and holistic podiatry.

The center's patient advocacy program aims to improve communication among specialists, and coordinates and explains treatment options to patients on an individual basis.

Other services include advanced testing such as innovative cellular analysis, metal toxicity, parasite screening and life cell analysis.

"We want to have quality in life, not just to live," Brewer Atkins said.

Both she and her husband advise against using pesticides and other chemicals in the home as well as eating processed foods, food colorings, and foods with high sugar content. They recommend adding more fruits and vegetables to one's diet and exercise.

"Just 30 minutes a day can help digestion, prevent constipation, osteoporosis and diabetes, lower blood sugar, raise good cholesterol and increase endorphins (making you feel better)," Brewer Atkins said.

"We practice what we preach," Brewer Atkins said. "I try to be a good example to patients."

Already it seems she has made a positive impact with some patients.

"They just do what they feel is needed," said patient Sandra Provost. "They'll definitely take care of you."

Her 13-year-old daughter agreed.

"They're more worried about me than getting my money," Brecia Provost said.

Atkins and his wife said this is the true testament of medicine -- it is not about the money but about helping people.

The center's goal is "to provide personal, unhurried, 'patient-focused,' health care based upon wellness and preventive medicine."

In fact, as part of the center's mission, insurance companies are not billed for services in order to keep costs at a minimum.

"We're not interested in excluding people because of finances," said Brewer Atkins, who spends an average minimum of one to two hours in consultation with every new patient.

"Medicine has really become a business," Atkins said. "We want to get it back to healing people."

For more information about the Center for Wellness and Healing or to make an appointment, call 713-520-9611.