Jonathan Gilbert, NCCAOM
Acupuncturist
Compiled from Group Meeting Notes and Emails
Table of Contents:
Introduction & Contact Information
Mr. Gilbert came to our support group's attention in late 2003. Since, he has been a respected practitioner and regular speaking guest until 2008. Gilbert advocated for CFS patients on CFIDS Lobby Days 2005. He was a volunteer at our 2005 kNOw MORE CFS Education and Empowerment
Seminar, and he hosted showings of the film about FM for Fibromyalgia Awareness Day in 2007.
For those with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, and Fibromyalgia, Jonathan Gilbert developed specific programs of support and treatment. These integrative programs are no longer offered, though consultations in private practice are.
Gilbert's 12 year apprenticeship in Oriental Medicine in a rare and effective form of herbal medicine for chronic disease makes him specially qualified to prescribe custom chinese herbal formulas.
Jonathan Gilbert has been an exam writer for the certification body for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, NCCAOM, nccaom.org. Links for Gilbert and his articles, speaking engagements, biography, and more can be found below.
Contact information:
Jonathan Gilbert, NCCAOM (301) 215-4177
Acupuncturist
Consulting Herbalist
TheGilbertClinic.com
info@TheGilbertClinic.com
The Gilbert Clinic (TGC)
7315 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 760E
Bethesda, MD 20814
(TGC is in the East Wisconsin Towers of Bethesda Crossing, which is between the West tower and the Hilton Garden Inn on Waverly St.)
Quoting Jonathan Gilbert, Acupuncturist
Needing space to heal
"My chosen
field of work is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). ... In this brief article,
I wish to explain holistic medicine from a TCM perspective and show how
immensely suited it is to the FM state. In my view, it can provide an
answer both in tis medications and in its overall approach to the
diseases. I understand the gravity of this claim, and I can point to a
record of 10 years of successful clinical experience as its proof."
...
"Because FM involves a state of exhaustion, the
last thing the the body requires is more demands upon it or further stimulation. The body
needs a metaphorical 'space' in which to heal. Physical stresses from
internal physiological imbalances have to be removed, and the 'playing
field' leveled once more. ... This approach has the ability to
provide long-term results."
...
"From a TCM perspective, FM is similar to many
emerging maladies that have no single pathological cause because they
are the result of numerous different stressors that have led to a
reaction in the human body. FM has many different presentations or
combinations of symptoms as there are causes. ... To effectively
heal the patient we have to take the laboratory out of the FM treatment
and reintroduce the human being into the process."
Breaking the Paradigm
Resolving the Causes Of Fibromyalgia,
Not Just Managing The Symptoms
FM Frontiers: 2005, Vol 13, No 3
FM Partnership
Much more than physical
"In our experience, the only way a patient with FM can be
effectively treated is to work concurrently with modalities that
address the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of the patient. ...
We firmly believe that the patient must also be a member of the
clinical team ... ... the patient should be aware of the
treatment process being undertaken and positively contribute to it.
This sounds like a common sense approach, but it is actually rarely
practiced by clinicians and patients. ..."
"... Humans are much more than physical bodies, and
understanding the broader influences on health and well-being are
crucial to creating health (creating a balance between mind-body-spirit
and environment) in the FM patient. There is growing evidence that
mental states affect physical health by inhibiting the immune system
and.... Multiple studies have shown that beliefs have the
power to heal or destroy. This natural healing system is an untapped reservoir
for creating well-being."
"First Stage - Eliminate Toxicity: ... It is
because the patient is battling different forms of dysfunction
simultaneously that the initial phase... is designed to restore
functioning and to regulate different systems of the body at the same time .... This is essential so as not to merely manage...but to re-create health."
"Second Stage - Rejuvenation: This is the stage
which we work directly on the patient's recovery from the primary
symptoms of pain and fatigue associated with the syndrome. It is a
period of nourishment and rejuvenation of the nervous system...."
"Third Stage - Towards Total Health: ...There is a
return to normal functioning.... However, at this point it is still
relatively easy for a recurrence of ill health to occur, especially if
the patient has been in an FM state for an extended period of time. The
body can still retain a 'memory' of dysfunction and revisit that place
unless there is reinforcement, both physically and emotionally, of the
success that has been achieved. ..."
"... The goal is healing and health, and
so by definition, the result is actually the absence of treatment once
health has been found again."
Part II - FM: Arresting The Cause,
Eliminating The Symptoms
FM Frontiers: 2005, Vol 13, No 4
FM Partnership
Regulate and stablize
"Up to the present time, both conventional and
alternative medical systems have offered little to the CFS patient
other than management of symptoms, one by one, without any real sign of
long-term alleviation of the condition. Our practice differs by
addressing the overall body-mind relationship and integrating Chinese,
naturopathic, psychotherapeutic and allopathic practices. Why? Because
its the only clinical approach we are aware of that looks at CFS, not
in terms of management, but only in terms of restoring health."
[In the First, most demanding stage of the three stage program]
"...we attempt to regulate the body's various
systems ... we initiate a detoxification of unwanted substances
that have accumulated and a restoration of normal absorption and
excretion. This doesn't involve the use of cathartic substances common
in alternative health care. Rather it depends on practices that
regulate or stabilize the body processes in the patient, ultimately
allowing the body to resume these functions.
At an emotional level, we work to cleanse acquired
habits that may have gotten in the way of healing. We also work to
create the emotional context for making the necessary changes to accept
and find health.
...
"... The holistic
approach reaches outside the clinical room and outside our current
realm of medicine. .. it complements [what has gone before]. Using this
approach, we have repeatedly shown that CFS is a treatable and
recoverable condition. There lies the beginning of hope."
Articles from same patient journals about TGC and Gilbert:
Q&A Perspective with 3 Gilbert Patients, Online Bonus Article
On The Frontier, A New Model for Treating CFS. Last Page of Treatment: Clinical Care for CFS.
CFIDS Chronicle Special Issue 2005-2006
Notes from Presentations by Jonathan Gilbert, NCCAOM
“Stress Talk -- Broadening Perspectives on Stress” -- by Jonathan Gilbert
“Okay as Who You Are” -- by Jonathan Gilbert
“Why We Stress, Why We (Need) Art" -- by Jonathan Gilbert
Web Links for Acupuncturist Jonathan Gilbert
Contact links
Articles about Gilbert, mentioning The Gilbert Clinic:
By Jonathan Gilbert, NCCAOM
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