July/August 2006

Medical intuition: More than a hunch

By Chris O'Brien

It’s natural to be skeptical of a practitioner who claims to use intuition to diagnose illness. But authentic medical intuitives aren’t palm readers or seers; rather, they’re trained professionals who often have powerful insights into the root causes of illness and disease. At their best, medical intuitives offer a comprehensive blend of science and deeply rooted intuition.
In the simplest of terms, a medical intuitive is one who has developed his or her so-called sixth sense, the innate ability to tune into the energetic fields of others to gain insight on health and wellness issues. These insights can reveal conditions and point to beneficial changes in the physical, mental and emotional realms. Unlike modern medicine, which focuses primarily on a physiological and symptomatic approach, medical intuition recognizes the overlapping of body and mind. So a medical intuitive may prescribe a mental remedy for a physical condition, or a lifestyle change for an emotional condition—such as dietary changes to treat anxiety, or meditation techniques to lower blood pressure.

One important distinction: there’s a difference between medical intuition and intuitive healing. While medical intuition is a specific practice combining intuition and medicine to diagnose and possibly treat conditions, intuitive healing refers to a family of alternative treatments that rely heavily on a practitioner’s intuition such as Reiki, energy work, psychic healing and other therapies.

And even though they’re seers of sorts, most medical intuitives are trained to some degree in modern medicine, allowing them to combine scientific observations with their intuitive powers for a more holistic evaluation of a patient’s condition. For example, a medical intuitive might look at a physician’s prognosis, lab results or psychiatric evaluation, while also tuning into energetic feedback from a patient to come up with a more comprehensive picture.

“When a patient comes in, I take a traditional medical history and listen to what they are saying about their life—whether they are depressed or anxious or having a relationship problem,” says Judith Orloff, M.D, psychiatrist, medical intuitive and author of Positive Energy. “I am intuitively open to any images, impressions, sights, sounds, smells, energies or dreams that may give me more information on how to treat this particular patient.”

“One of the wonderful things about medical intuitives is that we can often, by reading the energy of the body, discern symptoms for conditions—such as diabetes—even before they are medically detectable,” says Barbara Noonan, BS, BA, CHTP, C.Ht, founder of the Institute of Medical Intuition and Energy Medicine. “So, you can often take action before a condition becomes more serious, possibly requiring medical treatment.”

What it does best
Besides the “early warning system” mentioned by Noonan, medical intuition is great for those mystery ills. Many people have gone to a conventional practitioner with a pain, discomfort or the feeling that something’s just not right, only to be poked, prodded and x-rayed and given a final diagnosis of, “We don’t know what’s wrong with you, but take these pain killers and let me know if it gets worse.”

A medical intuitive can “sense” through not-strong-enough-yet symptoms into the core energy field of the person and at least get an inkling, if not a clear picture, of what may be driving the ailment.

“By reading energy fields, medical intuitives can see nuances of patients that traditional doctors cannot,” Orloff says. “This ability is often well-suited in the case of emotional symptoms, fatigue and anxiety, where traditional medicine is not very good at diagnosing core conditions; where something about the patient is often missed or the condition is possibly written off as being psychological or psychosomatic.”

Medical intuition is also uniquely appropriate in working with patients who cannot verbalize their complaints, such as newborn or unborn babies, those who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s, and those in a coma or disoriented state. And a good medical intuitive will always work with a patient’s established physician. “If a cancer patient is prescribed chemotherapy, a medical intuitive is not going to say, ‘Oh, you don’t need to take that,’” says Orloff.

Seeing a medical intuitive
Finding a good medical intuitive is tricky. While there are dozens of certification programs for medical intuition, there are neither consistent standards nor a regulatory body for the practice. Therefore, as with many out-of-the-mainstream practices, word of mouth and referral offer the best access to quality practitioners. Look for those with references from peers and mainstream doctors.

When you go to a medical intuitive, take a little time first to inventory your questions and concerns, so you can maximize your time. Expect to pay from $100 to $275 for a one-hour session. Usually, most of your questions can be addressed in that time but often, discoveries during the session will lead to new inquiries and perhaps another appointment.

And use your own intuition: if something seems not right, don’t be afraid to walk away. “I’ve seen patients who have been told damaging things that aren’t true by medical intuitives,” says Orloff. “Scary things, like you have a blood disease or too much anger or you’ll be tired for a year. These intuitives just want to be right or manipulate or exert their power.”

Medical intuition is about a more holistic approach to wellness by adding the tool of intuition to an already comprehensive medical intake. Whatever transpires with the medical intuitive should always be about working towards wellness, including emotional and psychological well-being.

For more information about medical intuitives, check out these resources:

• Guide to Intuitive Healing : 5 Steps to Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Wellness, by Judith Orloff, M.D. (Three Rivers Press, 2001)
• Positive Energy, by Judith Orloff, M.D. (Three Rivers Press, 2005)
• www.drjudithorloff.com/Judith Orloff, M.D.
• www.intuwellness.com/Jean Syme, medical intuitive and alternative holistic therapist
• www.medical-intuition.com/Definition, FAQ
• www.myss.com/energymedpro.asp Caroline Myss, Ph.D.

The following practitioners are Nexus advertisers who work as medical intuitives. See the page listed after their names for more information about the services they offer.

• Judy Dienst, CHt., MR/T, DNA/T, MI; 720-890-7363; page 42
• Andrea Jackson; 303-545-5485; page 51
• Martina Kuhar, CNA, RM/T, MH, IASM, MI; 303-665-3230; page 52
• Judy Lekic; 303-635-2243; page 52
• Barbara Noonan, RN, BS, BA, CHTP, C.Ht; 303-989-1281; page 51
• Teresa Robertson, RN, CNM, MSN; 303-258-3904; page 39