Clinic focuses on alternative treatments, healing through nutrition, patient education

Many family medicine practitioners will each see about 30 patients each day, Dr. Sharon Hausman-Cohen said. At her practice, Balcones Woods Family Medicine, that figure is closer to 15 to 20 per practitioner.

Hausman-Cohen opened her practice in 2001 with a goal of providing patients with not only care but also education. Doctor visits last about 30 minutes because practitioners focus on incorporating healthier eating and exercise into their care.

"We do a lot of patient [education], and we still have constraints even though we have longer appointments than most physicians. It's still not enough to go into great detail on different recipes," she said.

To remedy that, Hausman-Cohen said BWFM hosts events and nutrition classes to provide detailed information.

"We will actually teach patients [and] give them recipes on how to cook," Hausman-Cohen said. "One of my friends said, 'Sharon, did you ever think you would be spending so much time teaching people how to cook as a physician?' My response to that is if that's what it takes to get people healthy, I don't mind doing it."

This focus on nutrition and exercise is key to not only helping patients manage diseases but prevent them, she said.

"That is what a family practice is about," she said. "Most diseases can be prevented. We feel that is a worthwhile part of what we do because it helps people to preserve their health instead of play catch-up."

Family Nurse Practitioner Laurelin Mullins said recently the practice has expanded its level of care to include alternative treatments. Mullins said BWFM only uses evidence-based treatments.

An example, she said, is using an over-the-counter herbal supplement called sambucol to treat symptoms of body aches and fever in viral respiratory infections, including influenza. Taking sambucol within the first 48 hours of the onset of fever can decrease the duration and severity of symptoms.

"We're learning more about alternative treatment so that it can be complementary to the regular treatment," she said. "Some things there aren't a lot of tools to use in Western medicine, but there are some [alternative treatments] that are safe and quite effective."

During most patients' visits, Mullins said practitioners discuss goals and how patients can achieve those outcomes. Patients will receive resources such as recipes, suggestions of books to read, and information on how to change their diet and nutrition.

"We go into a lot of detail of how they should change their diet rather than just a general statement, 'You should eat a healthy diet,'" Mullins said.

Hausman-Cohen said she started the practice with a different model than most clinics because she wanted to be proud of her work.

"Medicine is constantly changing, and I wanted to be able to change based on what the needs are and new knowledge," she said.

This mentality comes from something Hausman-Cohen said her father taught her: find something you love doing, and then find someone to pay you to do it.

"It's really important for people who want to be healers to hold onto their dreams and figure out how to stay in medicine in a way they feel they're living up to their own visions," she said.

Attention to patient detail

Kimberly Putman has been a patient of Dr. Sharon Hausman-Cohen's for three years. She said she always leaves an appointment with a patient plan of notes on taking medications and health recommendations, making it easier to remember what was discussed during the visit. She said Hausman-Cohen also takes into consideration her desire for trying alternative treatments.

"I work in the wellness business, so the fact that they're open-minded for natural methods and I don't have to come in with my own research [is appreciated]," she said. "They have plenty of information."

Putman said Hausman-Cohen also continued adjusting Putman's medication until she felt optimal.

"They made allowances for my lifestyle in how I would take my thyroid medication," Putman said. " Her wanting me to feel really well made the final difference in getting my thyroid exactly where it needed to be."

Balcones Woods Family Medicine, 11149 Research Blvd., Ste. 210, 512-231-1901,www.bwfamilymedicine.com, Hours: Mon. 8 a.m.–6 p.m., Tue. and Fri. 8 a.m.–4 p.m., Wed. 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Thu. 8 a.m.–5 p.m.