Exploring Whole-Person Healing With Dr. Melinda Ring & Dr. David Rakel
Dr. Melinda Ring is one of the most respected voices in the field of integrative medicine today. As the Executive Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University and the Tina Trott Professor of Integrative Health, Dr. Ring has spent her career advancing a more holistic, patient-centered model of care that bridges conventional and complementary medicine. Board certified in both Internal Medicine and Integrative Medicine through the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS), she combines rigorous scientific inquiry with a compassionate approach to wellness that honors the mind, body, and spirit.
At Northwestern, Dr. Ring leads clinical, educational, and research initiatives that promote evidence-informed integrative practices. Her interests include women’s health, culinary medicine, and the use of lifestyle interventions to treat and prevent chronic disease. She is a national leader in the field, currently serving as vice-chair of the American Board of Integrative Medicine and a frequent speaker on the national stage.
In a recent episode of Next Level Health, Dr. Ring welcomed Dr. David Rakel, professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Wisconsin, to discuss a concept at the heart of their shared philosophy: salutogenesis, or the creation of health.
What’s Salutogenesis?
Dr. Rakel contrasted the disease-focused model—pathogenesis—with salutogenesis, which asks, “What helps a human being swim well through the turbulent stream of life?”
The current medical model rewards interventions for disease rather than efforts to preserve and build well-being, Dr. Rakel says. In contrast, he advocates for shifting the intent of medicine toward health.
“How do we create this state of coherence where every human being has the best potential to heal?” he asks.
The discussion underscored that real healing stemmed not from fixing symptoms but from understanding the context of each person’s life—emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
A Call for Change to Our Patient Care Model
A major thread in the discussion was the need for systemic change. Dr. Rakel criticized the dominant fee-for-service model that incentivized more treatment over better outcomes.
“We spend $4.9 trillion a year and have some of the worst health outcomes in the industrialized world,” he said.
He points out that, by comparison, value-based care explores how to improve patient outcomes at a lower cost and with a better patient experience.
Dr. Rakel highlighted the effectiveness of primary care and interprofessional teams, calling it the most important investment we could make in healthcare. He noted, however, that only 5 cents of every healthcare dollar in the U.S. is spent on primary care.
“If we went from a nickel to a dime,” he argues, “we could see a five-fold return on investment.”
Dr. Rakel also critiqued the overuse of supplements and functional medicine tests, noting that while these tools can have value, they often mirror the same “match a pill to a problem” mindset of conventional medicine. Instead, he promotes a model that honors therapeutic relationships and the innate healing capacity of the human body. He views practices like mindful listening and shared meaning-making in patient interactions as sacred rituals that can catalyze healing.
The conversation concluded with a personal insight from Dr. Rakel on how perception shapes biology. He explained that our mindset can influence the body’s physiology, even down to the molecular level, and encouraged listeners to approach life with compassion, presence, and optimism.
By seeing people for their strengths and potential rather than their ailments, he says, we foster environments that support healing not just for individuals but for entire communities.
Learn More
To learn more about integrative medicine or physician board certification in integrative medicine through the ABPS, contact us today. As the only multi-specialty certifying board in the U.S. offering this credential, the ABPS helps physicians like Dr. Melinda Ring lead the way in advancing whole-person healthcare. Board certification through the ABPS affirms a physician’s expertise, commitment to continuous learning, and dedication to patient well-being.
