The Revive – Mind Body Spirit clinic in Cairo is offering a new set of primary healthcare services drawing on conventional and alternative treatments. Primary care is a system that is common abroad but not known in Egypt. It is based on the principle that everyone has one doctor that takes care of their health, and who will refer them to other specialists if the need arises. The primary care physician follows up with the specialists and makes sure the patient receives the best treatment suitable for them. Revive-MBS is the brainchild of Dr. Heba El Nazer, director of the clinic who holds degrees from Ain Shams University, and opened her doors last November. “I started the clinic because I wanted to introduce primary care to Egypt and create a place where I could practice integrative medicine. We are the first clinic in the region to offer this," she told The Daily News Egypt. Integrative medicine combines conventional medicine with alternative therapies that are evidence based. “Primary care is the backbone of all medicine," Dr. El Nazer explained. “In Egypt people often go from specialist to specialist, spending a lot of their time and money on tests and treatments and end up confused. Your primary care doctor knows you, knows what your problems are and refers you to specific doctors or treatments that would benefit you." When asked about why she practices integrative medicine Dr. El Nazer said enthusiastically: “In traditional medicine doctors tend to treat symptoms, alternative therapies tend to treat the patient. " Revive-MBS is not a new-age centre though, Dr. ElNazer was quick to point out; “We are a medical clinic and any recommendation for treatment that I make to my patients is based on medical facts and evidence. You cannot just come to the centre for an acupuncture session, all patients are seen by me and all therapies are done under my medical supervision." Revive opened in November and has been doing well. “I expected that our patients would consist largely of people who are interested in alternative therapies, but it actually has been quite the opposite. Most of my patients come for purely medical reasons but they are open to alternative therapies I may recommend for them," she said. Integrative medicine focuses on the person as a whole and prescribes medication and therapies based on this holistic approach. “It is a global movement," Dr. El Nazer said, “more and more doctors in the US, Europe and Asia believe that integrative medicine is the best way to ensure the health of a community." “In order to build a healthy, prosperous community and nation we need to focus on what health is. Health is not just absence of disease, “ she concluded. Revive-MBS has several physicians and practitioners on staff, from a psychologist to a rehabilitation specialist and an acupuncturist. With introducing primary care and integrative medicine, Revive-MBS is revolutionizing the idea of healthcare in Egypt.
