A Primary Care Physician [PCP] is the patient’s main healthcare provider, who provides ongoing healthcare, as well as coordinated care with the patients other healthcare providers. Primary Care Physicians and their patients form a partnership to maintain the patients’ health throughout their lifetime, with the highest quality and level of function possible for each patient situation. A Primary Care Physician provides education and guidance to help patients have positive health behaviors, as well offering the best treatment options for each individual patient. While Dr. Schourup informs and guides her patients in choosing the right treatment options, she reminds them that their daily behaviors and habits influence overall health more than any healthcare treatments. At The Clinic, we see our patients as individual human beings.  Each patient has specific healthcare needs and Dr. Schourup works with her patients to identify:
      
Daily nutritional intake                                                  Personal exercise patterns
         
Life-styles, behaviors, attitudes, and habits                   Current health status
 
With this information, Doctor and patient will then discuss together and decide what [if any] modifications can to be made to those behaviors to improve the patients quality of health. Together patient and Doctor will decide on what [if any] other treatment options are appropriate for them. The goal of The Clinic and Dr. Schourup is to help our patients live the healthiest life possible.

All patients need to know that Dr Schourup does not prescribe narcotic pain meds or benzodiazepines on a chronic basis. She feels strongly that there are better solutions for chronic medical issues. Narcotics & benzodiazepines are not good long-term solutions.

Preventive Medicine
 
The Clinic specializes in Preventive Medicine. We guide our patients in choosing healthy lifestyles, behaviors and perspectives for enhanced Health. We want our patients to have the best quality of life possible. Preventive medicine is a medical specialty that focuses on health maintenance and disease prevention. 
This includes identifying patients’ risk factors for development of specific problems, early diagnosis of health issues, counseling and discussion of needed interventions to avert/minimize health problem areas. Preventive medicine tries to understand the roots of patients’ difficulties, and to guide patients into adopting lifestyles, behaviors, and perspectives that will enhance their overall quality of life.
Dr. Schourup completed a three-year Residency in Preventive Medicine at Loma Linda University Medical Center in the early 1990’s.
 She also obtained a Master’s in Public Health from the Loma Linda School of Public Health while she was a resident physician.
 As a primary care patient at The Clinic, you will be encouraged and guided in identifying your personal risk factors. Then, together with the Doctor find the best preventive measures you can take, to maintain long-term good health. At the Clinic we understand every person has individual needs and attitudes toward health. We also know that everyone wants good health. We believe with the right information and guidance, most people will chose a proactive path to health. We are here to provide that guidance.  

We still believe “Prevention IS the best medicine!”

Integrative Medicine

The Clinic practices Integrative Medicine. 
We use both conventional and/or alternative methods to aid the body’s own natural healing response.’ Integrative Medicine [IM] is healing-oriented medicine, which recognizes the whole person (body, mind, and spirit) and includes all aspects of a patients lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and makes use of all therapies with demonstrated effectiveness.  

The principles of Integrative Medicine (IM) are:
o   A partnership between patient and practitioner in the healing process.

o   Appropriate use of conventional and alternative methods to facilitate the body’s innate healing response

o   Consideration of all factors that influence health, wellness, and disease, including mind, spirit, and community, as well as body.

o   A philosophy that neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically.

o   Recognition that good medicine should be based in good science, be inquiry driven, and be open to new paradigms.

o   Use of natural, effective, less-invasive interventions whenever possible. 

Integrative Medicine practitioners are concerned with patients’ overall health status and healing, and are committed to the process of self-exploration and self-development. IM combines standard-of-care medical therapies with non-conventional complementary therapies. However, IM uses complementary therapies for which there is some scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness. One of the most well known Integrative Medicine departments in this country resides in Tucson [U of A]. Dr. Andrew Weil is a Founder/Director of the department, and is also a well-known national speaker. Dr Schourup frequently utilizes ideas, concepts, and techniques from Dr. Weil’s writings, CD’s, and website [www.drweil.com].

Acupuncture 


Acupuncture is a centuries-old form of treatment that involves placing very thin needles at specific points along the body. Traditional Chinese medicine has used acupuncture as a treatment for a wide variety of physical ailments. Acupuncture is generally considered to be safe when performed by qualified practitioners who use sterile needles. 

The term “acupuncture” describes a family of procedures involving the stimulation of anatomical points on the body using a variety of techniques. The acupuncture technique that has been most often studied involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation. It has been shown that galvanic stimulation can increase blood flow around the affected area. When there is an increased flow of blood in the injured area, toxins can be cleared more readily, and the affected tissue will have a greater supply of oxygen, which assists in healing by stimulating your body’s own immune response. At The Clinic in Bisbee, Dr. Schourup uses a technique dubbed ‘orthopedic acupuncture’ by Dr. Jim Henrickson, who practiced this style of acupuncture in Bisbee for over 20 years. Dr. Schourup learned the technique directly from Dr. Henrickson and still consults with him when necessary. This method is very useful for musculo-skeletal issues, and utilizes manual or electrical [galvanic] stimulation of the acupuncture needles.