Abstract
When Dr Tom Sult, author of Just Be Well, says, “Neither information nor knowledge is adequate; one must have wisdom to make impactful lasting change,” he's in good company. David Sackett, OC FRSC, one of the leaders of evidence-based medicine, says much the same. Just Be Well is not only informative; once you start to read it, you will have a hard time putting it down. Dr Sult's distinctive style allows his skill as a writer and storyteller, brilliance as a physician, and compassion as a human being to shine through.
Key Words: Book review, wellness, functional medicine, evidence-based
The practice of evidence-based medicine means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research. By individual clinical expertise we mean the proficiency and judgment that we individual clinicians acquire through clinical experience and clinical practice.
—David Sackett, et al, BMJ, January 1996
When Dr Tom Sult, author of Just Be Well, says, “Neither information nor knowledge is adequate; one must have wisdom to make impactful lasting change,” he's in good company. David Sackett, OC FRSC, one of the leaders of evidence-based medicine, says much the same. Just Be Well is not only informative; once you start to read it, you will have a hard time putting it down. Dr Sult's distinctive style allows his skill as a writer and storyteller, brilliance as a physician, and compassion as a human being to shine through.
In Just Be Well, Dr Sult tells a compelling narrative story of his exploration of the foundations of health and illness. He begins by asking the reader a question: “When was the last time you were completely and truly well? I don't mean the last time you 'felt okay' for a day or two; I mean completely well.” Using this as the reference point, most of us have probably been suffering for longer than we care to remember and may have lost sight of the fact that “disease is the body doing what it is supposed to do, given its environment.”
Dr Sult proceeds to illustrate through a series of case reports what functional medicine—a systems-oriented approach to chronic illnesses—offers patients as they interact with practitioners and make lifestyle choices. He walks the reader through the process that many functional medicine practitioners use as they work with patients to identify and treat the underlying causes of disease.
He clearly and persuasively illustrates the importance of the timeline and the functional medicine matrix. The timeline helps identify the links between key elements of a person's history and genomics, the environment, and his or her lifestyle. The functional medicine matrix organizes isolated symptoms around seven key biological processes or functional systems: assimilation, defense and repair, energy utilization, biotransformation and elimination, transportation, communication, and structural integrity. Realigning a person's system that is out of balance becomes the work of both the physician and the patient. When the therapeutic relationship creates a context and meaning for the patient, health often can be restored.
In Just Be Well, Dr Sult does not stand on the pedestal or intellectual authority of his position as a physician. Instead, he candidly reveals his struggles to become a physician as well as his concerns for his patients. This is part of what makes this book so enjoyable to read and why practitioners and patients alike will find it accessible. Just Be Well deserves a readership among a wide variety of practitioners and their patients.