As far back as I can remember, at least to 5-years-old, I wanted to be some type o doctor that dealt with the brain and the mind. I was always fascinated with the idea that something as infinite as the mind could be housed in a rather fixed size organ, the brain. To me, the mind was every bit as fascinating as the universe. As I grew older and went to college, I realized that there was a link between physics and the mind and certain books unifying eastern mysticism and physics was exactly where my think and beliefs lay. The more I compared brain structure and function with psychology and compared different religious theologies, the more I realized that Einstein's Unified Field Theory was the same as the belief by Native Americans of Mitakuye oyasin which means all are one. After taking courses that seemingly had nothing to do with medicine or psychology, I realized that many health professionals were heading down what I believe to be the wrong path in the search of the single answer or magic bullet. I felt that a holistic approach was the best way to approach health and treatment of disease (see Wellness). This is certainly in keeping more with the philosophy of everything is one.

    I have been in practice for 20 years now and am no more tired of it now than on day one. Actually, I find practicing more exciting and rewarding with each passing day. As I learn more, I can help more and, as I help more, I am more rewarded in my work. Every patient that I see is unique and different from every other patient that I've ever seen before even though the diagnosis may be the same as many others. It is through my patients that I continue to learn so much and receive so many rewards. Salary or fee for service is only one type of reward for a service to patients. Some services are worth more than others in sense of money but, when you see someone get well and completely recover after losing all hope or being told there is none, the wonderful feeling you get from being able to help that person is priceless. Sometimes, the smile from a patient, a thanks, or other forms of feed back are wonderful paybacks for your efforts. Certainly, there is a lot to learn about health and curing disease but, even in the apparent failures come many lessons and blessings which is why I always tell my patients at some point in the course of their treatment to look for the blessing in their illness. Sometimes, the cure simply lies in finding the answer to that question alone. Never look at not being cured of something as a failure or curse. If you do, you certainly will never recover completely if at all from the illness. To all the patients I have had over the years whether I have helped cure them or have helped them very little, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to pursue one of my purposes in life and for providing me with such great rewards and a vast education. I thank you.

Dr. David Hopper