Who I Am and What I'm Not
Student | Orientation | What We Do Together
I am a wholistically-inclined scientist. As a clinical physiologist and biochemist my job description would normally include "to organize tests on samples from patients to assist with the investigation, diagnosis and treatment of diseases" and then "advise clinicians and GPs on the use of tests and the interpretation of results as well as carrying out related research and development" and also "responsible for the evaluation and quality assessment of diagnostic tests". However, my intellect, mission and philosophy would not allow me to be so easily pigeon-holed. I wanted to be more than a cog in the medical wheel and actually work with the source of human physiology and biochemistry - food, herbs, color, bodywork, aroma, and other nutritional factors. Because of my passion and love for eternal wisdom in this area of our health, I have chosen to emphasize the function (enzymology) of healthy people - including pregnant women, athletes, executives, vegetarians, children, educators, professionals and those constantly exposed to toxic burdens - who are under considerable stress.
I am not a medical doctor, psychiatrist, or surgeon. I have never studied pathology, pharmacology, or diagnostics. I do not want to become nor do I want to emulate or replace your physician. However, I will be more than happy to share information with any or all of your doctors. My modus operandi is simple. As a wholistic educator, I use some sophisticated questionnaires and a few widely recognized non-invasive and safe methods to evaluate your unique individual situation. Together we can explore your genetic heritage as well as your biochemical individuality; the deficiencies and excesses in your nutritional patterns; the environment in which you have been and are now immersed; the lifestyle you have chosen; and, lastly, the events which have shaped your stress phenomena. Based upon the findings, I make suggestions tailored to your own background, expression, occupation, habits, personality, ability, and awareness. Then it is up to you on following through with the recommendations presented.
As you embark on this journey, you will find a wide support network available to you for additional information and encouragement. As a consultant, I am concerned not only with the quantity and quality of food and supplements you consume but also with your intake of light, sound, air, water, radiation, chemicals, as well as touch and thought patterns, which have recently been recognized for their nourishing or depressing effects. I am NOT interested in the labels others have tagged on you nor am I interested in curing your disease, although that may be a by-product of the work we do together. I am only interested in educating you about your own unique biochemistry and physiology and the roles they play in your present situation. I am most concerned with all the environmental forces that combined; act on your body, mind, and spirit to further that "aliveness" which supports the reproductive capacity of every cell and every organ.
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You Are My Student
I do not accept patients. Patients are passive and do no homework. As my student you are active in your own wellness and make yourself responsible for your reading, your exercise, your nutrient intake, and your thought patterns. Eventually you will real-eyes that the substance with which we think is no different from what we think about. After all, we are a most powerful creative energy. As a facilitator I do not push or pull but instead guide us into higher and higher levels of awareness. Starting with the physical body we gradually place more emphasis on the thought process, emotional outlets, and the path of the spiritual "warrior" - in search of awareness and inner (intuitive) guidance. A healthy connection linking these parts is wholeness.
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My Orientation
I do nutritionally-oriented biochemistry and clinical physiology. I am a citizen of the world: born right after WW II in the Netherlands, but raised and educated in different parts of Europe, South Africa, India, and Central America. I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Masters in Biochemistry and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Clinical Physiology (not psychology). It's the philosophical part that makes me different. More about that a little later.
Physiology is the science of normal function in living matter and makes an attempt to explain the many factors responsible for the mechanical concepts, constructs, origin, development and progression of living things. When I started in these sciences, biochemistry and physiology had many subdivisions but had in common modern methods far removed from health maintenance, healing, food and nutrition. The thrust was to land a "diagnosis" that could be used by the physician. It was not enough to describe conditions below the level of diagnosis in biochemical and physiological terms. To me, these disciplines were much more than science. They were arts.
I am on speaking terms with several languages including German, Spanish, and Afrikaans, and my native Dutch. All the others, due to lack of continued use, are waning fast. I enjoy playing the keyboard (synthesizer) as well as French horn, harmonica, and a few other instruments. In the past I have been known to make both music and poetry. My hobbies include photo-microscopy, collecting old medical books, chess, and, of course, traveling. My work, which I enjoy immensely, consists of reading, studying, integrating, educating, and counseling. I am a third- generation vegetarian and a frequent visitor in the stress-reduction flotation tank. An ardent history buff and critic of the prevailing attitude and role of the medical monopoly, I occasionally write articles on prevention as opposed to crisis intervention.
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What We Do Together
In the field of preventative care this concept traditionally involves the entire person: body, mind, and spirit. We begin with the fact that it is natural for the body to heal itself. Therefore we move away from viewing and treating symptoms with the immediate goal of crisis intervention. Drugs and surgery are not even considered until all other safe avenues have been exhausted - avenues such as aromatic herbs, ancient acupuncture, paleolithic nutrition, homeopathic remedies, chiropractic and other bodyworks, simple lifestyles, primitive exercises, etc., etc. Naturally we are most grateful for the knowledgeable medical doctor. We certainly would not call for a nutritionist or massage therapist if struck by a truck on the turnpike! All healers have their place. The diagnostic skills and crisis intervention techniques of the medical professional have been a blessing to mankind. Unfortunately, the crisis intervention mentality has taken hold of our health care system from cradle to grave, and medical practitioners are reluctant to share the work with adjunctive practitioners whose methods have been in place for centuries.
Transformation on all levels can be experienced only when the student and the practitioner agree on a method that will nurture both into recalling our wholeness. We need to learn from each other. This is an equal partnership, not a practitioner-dominant one. I eagerly welcome your questions and your input into finding your own path to wellness. We have a duty to be assertive and to negotiate responsibly in good faith. I hope that you, as a new client, can promise the same. After all, we are enlightened beings in the process of recalling our unity.
Take the first steps to wellness and Becoming a Client.
Dr. Van Beveren
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