My Healing Philosophy

Where Science, Spirit and Music Unite

“In the space between a plant's intelligence and the body's wisdom, between ancient knowing and modern science, between sound and silence—that's where true healing lives.”

~Donnie Yance

Picture this: A young bass player in a smoky jazz club, learning to listen—really listen—to what wants to emerge in the space between notes. That same musician, decades later, sitting with a patient facing cancer, listening again—this time for the subtle harmonies and discord within a human body.

This is where my story begins. Not in a medical school, but in music. Not with protocols, but with listening.

Over four decades ago, I began what I thought would be a straightforward journey into herbal medicine. What unfolded was something far richer—a calling to weave together worlds that are too often kept separate. The precision of pharmaceutical science. The intelligence of plants. The depth of spiritual wisdom. The intuitive guidance of musical harmony.

What I’ve created isn’t another “integrative” approach that places treatments side-by-side. It’s something deeper—a true unification where every element serves the whole. Where science bows to wisdom. Where love becomes medicine. Where each person is approached not as a diagnosis to manage, but as a unique mystery to understand.

This is Mederi Care. This is Unitive Medicine.

Musical Foundation

Music teaches us about harmony, about listening deeply, about the relationship between individual notes and the whole composition. These same principles guide everything I do as a healer.

When I sit with a patient—whether they’re facing cancer, navigating complex chronic illness, or seeking to optimize their health as they age—I’m listening for their unique rhythm, their personal harmony, the places where discord has entered their system. This musical approach allows me to hear patterns that purely analytical thinking might miss.

“Music and plants are the two great healing gifts from above. In traditional Chinese medicine, their written characters differ only by a small grass hat. This is no accident.”

~Donnie Yance

樂

藥

Music

Medicine

Understanding Unitive Medicine

The term “unitive” means “characterized by or tending to produce union.” Rather than treating modalities as separate or competing approaches, unitive medicine weaves them together into a seamless synthesis where each approach amplifies and supports the others. Think of it this way: integrative medicine is like an orchestra where each section plays separately. Unitive medicine is the symphony that emerges when all sections play together, creating something greater than the sum of its parts.

This approach prioritizes maximizing innate healing in a wholistic manner, while still incorporating pathogenic treatment when necessary. I’ve learned that illness begins with “I” and wellness begins with “We”—which for me means that healing happens in relationship, in connection, in the recognition that we are part of something larger than ourselves.

Curious how this approach works in practice?

Principles That Guide Me

Practical Wisdom (Phronesis)

The Greeks had a word—phronesis—that captures something our modern world has largely forgotten. It means practical wisdom: knowing what actions serve life in each unique situation.

This isn’t about following protocols blindly. It’s about understanding not just what research says works in general, but what will work for this specific person, with their unique constitution and individual healing capacity.

Seeing the Whole (Hermeneutics)

We are not machines to be fixed, but living systems seeking balance, connection, and meaning. In hermeneutics—the art of interpretation—we look at individual symptoms only to serve our understanding of the complete person.

The parts matter, but only in relationship to the whole.

Network Medicine (Symphonia)

Your body is not a machine with broken parts that need fixing. It’s a dynamic network where every system communicates with every other system.

I see these systems as interdependent—like an orchestra. Each instrument plays its unique part while contributing to the unified whole. When one section falls out of harmony, the entire symphony suffers.

My Spiritual Foundation

At the deepest level, my work is guided by my spiritual practice as a lay member of the Franciscan order. Saint Francis taught that creation itself is the first scripture, filled with divine wisdom waiting to be read by those who know how to look.

This spiritual intelligence—not as esoteric mysticism, but as practical wisdom—infuses every aspect of Mederi Care.

I’ve learned that the greatest diseases of our time aren’t really about biochemistry—they’re about disconnection, which can be experienced as loneliness, anxiety, depression, and the overwhelming fear that characterizes so much of modern medicine. True healing addresses these deeper patterns of separation.

If love is the greatest healing force, then it must be integrated into every aspect of care.

This isn’t sentiment—this is medicine. When we create the conditions for genuine connection, for being truly seen and heard, healing becomes possible in ways that pharmaceuticals alone can never achieve.

“Illness begins with 'I' and wellness begins with 'we'.”

~Donnie Yance

Six Therapeutic Toolboxes

My approach integrates six complementary therapeutic modalities, each informing and enhancing the others. This is what makes Mederi Care truly unitive—everything working together to serve the whole person.

Herbal & Botanical Medicine

Plant intelligence and synergistic formulations

Nutritional Medicine

Precision supplementation and targeted support

Food as Medicine

Daily nourishment as foundational care

Modern Medicine & Pharmaceuticals

Advanced diagnostics and pharmaceutical integration

Spiritual Care

Finding meaning and emotional healing

Lifestyle Medicine

Lifestyle choices that transform wellbeing

Extending the Work

Through the Mederi Academy, I work with practitioners from diverse backgrounds—medical doctors, naturopaths, acupuncturists, nutritionists—who are drawn to this deeper way of understanding health and disease. What we explore together goes beyond protocols. It’s a different way of seeing, of listening, of piecing together the unique puzzle that each person presents.

Today, practitioners trained in this approach work throughout the world, bringing unitive medicine to patients far beyond those we treat through our Mederi clinic.

If you’re a healthcare professional curious about this work

Explore Further

Whether you’re seeking healing for yourself, looking to deepen your practice as a healthcare professional, or exploring the ideas that shape this work, I invite you to take the next step.

Experience Mederi Care

Learn about how we can support you in your healing journey.

Join Mederi Academy

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Read My Blog

Explore health topics, healing approaches, and the science behind our treatment protocols.