That’s me!
Who is Dr. Mikael Brucker?
After more than a decade of travel and study, I returned from Portland, Oregon and chose my hometown of Cheltenham to practice medicine, a decision my younger self could not have fathomed. I had lived a rich life of travel – from teaching math in the South American jungle to fighting fires in the Rockies – and medical study – from prescription drug management to shamanistic plant circles. Eventually, it was then time to go back and share.
I began to investigate medicine out of self-need. I felt tired and couldn’t digest food. Doctors would either tell me that nothing was wrong with me or that they couldn’t do anything to help me. Thus began an open ended quest to figure out ‘what’s wrong with me?’, which in retrospect doubled as a career quest, as well as an exploration of medical philosophy.
I first approached the issue using the scientific method, being a passionate physics major. If I am not digesting, what foods (variables) do I need to cut out? Somehow cutting out foods lead to more cutting out of foods, which lead to a cascade of other limitations and no improvement in overall quality of life. I began to appreciate that health must be broader and more interconnected than a few independent variables would allow.
I later enrolled in the National University of Natural Medicine to study holistic medicine, another example of archetypal the wounded healer. Midway through my studies, I was introduced to the spiritual science upon which Anthroposophical Medicine is based. Spiritual science was the framework from which I could truly embrace the interconnectedness of body, soul, and spirit for my own health and that of others. I could now study higher worlds of human emotion, soul, interconnect them with body physiology, and best of all, I did not have to abandon the systematic rigor of a scientific method.
I came to appreciate the inclusiveness of health. My digestion was not limited to what I eat but also how and why I eat. Over time, my digestion improved from the accumulation of changes that inched my relationship with food closer to the rhythms of nature.
Today, I practice such a medicine bolstered by an inclusive philosophical foundation along with a curiosity of people’s inner worlds. It is an individualized medicine, treating the person, not the disease. Two people could have asthma and need very different treatments. Chronic disease is usually not responsive to the pill-popping quick-fix. I empower patients through raising self-awareness and strengthening their body’s physiology.
Now you have heard my story. I invite you to come on in and share yours.