Buffalo NY Integrative Holistic Medicine & Individualized Treatment Specialist

Dr. Levy is a Buffalo, NY integrative holistic medicine specialist; he practices health medicine.  He is board certified in Internal Medicine (1989) and Integrative Holistic Medicine (2003).

The focus of Dr. Levy’s practice is:

  • Health Medicine, Healthy Aging, Optimum Nutrition

  • Compassionate Care, Individualized Treatment Plans

  • Dietary Supplement Guidance

  • Chronic Disease Prevention Guidance

  • Integrative Holistic Treatment of a Variety of Chronic Conditions (including, but not limited to): Dr. Levy Health and Wellness Doctor in Buffalo has extensive knowledge and experience in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and hypothyroidism.

  • Allergies, ALS, Alzheimer disease, Anorexia Nervosa, Anxiety, Arthritis, Asthma, Attention Deficit Disorder

  • Benign Prostate Hypertrophy (BPH), Bipolar Disorder, Bloating, Breast Cancer, Bulimia

  • Cancer, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Congestive Heart Failure, Chronic Kidney Disease, COPD, Coronary Artery Disease, Crohn’s Disease

  • Depression, Diabetes

  • Fatty Liver, Fibroids, Fibromyalgia, Food Sensitivities

  • GERD

  • Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Hypercholesterolemia, Hypertension, Hypothyroidism

  • Indigestion, Infertility, Insomnia, Interstitial Cystitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome

  • Leaky Gut, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Lupus

  • Menopause, Migraines, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, Multiple Sclerosis

  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis

  • Parkinson disease, PMS, Prostate cancer, Prostatitis (chronic)

  • Restless Leg Syndrome, Rheumatoid arthritis

  • Schizophrenia, Sinusitis (chronic), SLE

  • Ulcerative Colitis

  • Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome

Dr. Levy strives first and foremost to educate his patients.  He formulates with each patient an individualized treatment plan which may encompass lifestyle changes, modification in the specific types of food consumed, and suggestions to take select dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, fatty acids, and others such as glucosamine or Coenzyme Q10).  For individuals who seek guidance because they are ill, the treatment plan is based on identification of underlying disturbances such as:

    •         excess oxidative stress

    •         excess inflammation

    •         impaired liver detoxification

    •         gastrointestinal dysfunction

    •         hormone/neurotransmitter imbalance

Is this practice for you?

  • The individual is the focus of each consultation. Lack of participation in health care plans affords Dr. Levy the time and freedom to create with each patient a personalized and individualized treatment plan in Buffalo. A business model whereby the patient pays for the time used eliminates the time constraints of most medical office visits, allowing for telephone conversations and email exchanges with the doctor in between office visits.

  • If your health is excellent, and you would like personalized advice pertaining to achieving optimal health and healthy aging, Dr. Levy will help you develop a plan to invest in your health.

  • If you are healthy but have a family history which is concerning to you, you may want personalized advice upon lifestyle and/or dietary supplement measures you can take now to decrease your risk of developing the chronic condition(s) which “run in the family.”

  • If you are taking prescription medications and would like a second opinion regarding the necessity of each prescription, Dr. Levy can help you identify if there are alternatives to certain prescriptions, and/or take the time to explain why he believes taking certain prescriptions is in your best interest.

  • If you are experiencing intolerable side effects from a prescription medication, Dr. Levy may be able to help you find alternatives.

  • If you have seen multiple specialists, and nobody can determine why you are sick, and nobody seems to be willing to take the time to listen, Dr. Levy will listen and then discuss additional conventional and unconventional treatment options with you.

  • If you see multiple specialists for multiple chronic ailments, at your request, Dr. Levy can assist with coordination of your medical care.  He is a doctor not limited by the time constraints imposed by the health insurance system.

  • If you are seeking an educated guide in a health care system that can be overwhelming, Dr. Levy can assist you with navigation of the system.

  • If you are seeking a practitioner who can collaborate with you, striving to identify the underlying “root” cause of your symptoms/chronic conditions, and not just treat your symptoms, Dr. Levy will collaborate with you.

  • If you are intrigued by the possibility of a relationship between your physical symptoms and your emotional state, Dr. Levy may offer ideas and facilitate your exploration of this realm of holistic medicine (this is new to Dr. Levy; he has limited experience, and he is learning).

  • Perhaps your health is less than optimal, and you are motivated to make lifestyle changes; you may be seeking a collaborative relationship with a physician who can serve as your guide.

  • Perhaps your doctors have reassured you that your physical exam and diagnostic testing results are all normal, but your symptoms are impairing your quality of life. Dr. Levy can offer unconventional treatment options and/or additional diagnostic tests which may allow you to feel better.

  • Dr. Levy can provide a second opinion when your doctor has told you, “You just have to live with it” or “You are just getting older.”

  • As a member of your health care team, Dr. Levy will provide you with his cell phone number and email address and is generally available 7 days/week to address your questions and concerns in a timely manner. Dr. Levy will partner with you and advise and guide you, recognizing the role of the patient in many instances as the "diagnostician" of the cause of your poor health.

  • If you are not sure if this practice is for you, you can schedule an initial visit for as little as 15 minutes to meet the doctor and together determine what treatments/guidance the doctor would be able to offer to you at a subsequent visit.

The initial visit

  • Patients must sign a Patient Agreement prior to scheduling the initial visit. This can be submitted online, or mailed to the patient upon request.  

  • The initial visit must be in person.

  • In advance of the initial visit, you prepare by making notes pertaining to your questions and concerns, and your goals. You complete a brief one-page intake form.(either by printing it from the website, and bringing to the initial visit or finding it on a clipboard at the check-in window when you arrive),

  • Dr. Levy comes to the waiting room to accompany you into his consultation room.

  • In the consultation room, you and Dr. Levy sit across from one another, with a desk between you (and his computer off to the side, not between the two of you). 

  • Dr. Levy starts each visit by listening, giving you as much time as you would like to "tell your story."

  • Dr. Levy jots down brief notes on paper as you speak, and as you answer his questions about your health history.

  • Dr. Levy strives to educate, provide detailed explanations, and collaboratively create an individualized treatment plan based on your goals and values. He offers an interactive partnership in your care that is not institutionalized. Throughout the visit, you have plenty of time to ask questions.

  • Dr. Levy strives to acknowledge suffering and to offer hope.

  • You remain fully clothed for the entire visit.  At most visits, Dr. Levy does not deem a physical exam to be necessary, but if you request a physical exam, or if Dr. Levy recommends a physical exam based upon your history, then a physical exam will be performed.

  • Within 24 hours of your visit, on his own time (at no additional charge to you) Dr. Levy prepares a comprehensive typewritten summary of the visit and shares that summary with you (via email or US mail). 

  • Follow up is available as in-person office visits, by phone or via email (with a charge based on time devoted to the phone call or email). 

    • If Dr. Levy is prescribing medication for you, an annual in-person visit is required.

    • Otherwise, an in-person visit is required every three years.

    • Dr. Levy sees patients in the office on Mondays and Wednesdays.

  • Patients who wish to communicate by email should read the email policy in advance of the initial visit, and sign a consent form at the end of the initial office visit.   

  • Dr. Levy does not bill insurance companies.  Payment is required at the time of service, by cash, check, or credit card. Upon request, a receipt will be provided which the patient may submit to their health insurance company for reimbursement. 

More about Dr. Levy

  • Dr. Levy was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, is the third generation to graduate from the University of Buffalo School of Medicine, and lives in Amherst. Buffalo is home!

  • Dr. Levy’s passion for holistic and integrative medicine dates to 1991, when he discovered the writings of Dr. Andrew Weil.

  • Dr. Levy devotes hours each week to reading the medical literature to keep abreast of the latest treatments. He also attends seminars and conferences, and networks with other practitioners. This translates into offering his patients an exceptional level of care.   

  • Dr. Levy has acquired expertise in many areas of preventive care such as nutrition, exercise, cancer screening, prevention of heart disease, and prevention of osteoporosis; he publishes an educational website for the benefit of his patients and the public.

  • Dr. Levy has developed an extensive informal network with many other practitioners. If acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, massage therapy, naturopathy, or a variety of other complementary modalities of treatment may be beneficial for an individual patient, he provides names of practitioners and contact information.

  • Dr. Levy is no longer functioning as a primary care practitioner. The office is not equipped to perform immunizations, EKG’s, ear rinses, or wound care.  Dr. Levy does not hospitalize patients himself – this would need to be arranged by the patient’s primary care physician.  Unless requested, preventive care issues such as cancer screening or screening blood work will not be addressed, as these important matters are the responsibility of the patient’s primary care physician. There is not an answering service, but each patient at the initial visit is provided with Dr. Levy’s personal cell phone number; voice mail is checked frequently and all calls are returned within a reasonable time. If Dr. Levy is unavailable, the message on his personal cell phone and the vacation response on his email will provide a contact phone number for a covering physician.

 PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY

Dr. Levy practices integrative holistic medicine, functional medicine, and health medicine in Buffalo NY.  A few of the tenets of integrative holistic medicine are (1) recognition of the healing response as innate - the primary role of the practitioner is to remove any blocks to healing, (2) recognition of the importance of healthy nutrition, regular exercise, and other lifestyle factors in the achievement of optimal health, (3) recognition of the role of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other dietary supplements in the treatment of many health ailments, (4) recognition of the role of complementary practitioners such as naturopaths, chiropractors and acupuncturists in our health care system, (5) recognition of the importance of the belief system of the individual and the power of the mind to heal the body, and (6) recognition of the importance of attentively listening to and educating each patient.  Integrative holistic medicine encompasses the use of prescription medications when indicated; Dr. Levy is qualified to write prescriptions if requested by the patient. He chooses though not to write prescriptions for controlled substances.

Dr. Levy strives to practice patient-centered and relationship-centered care, meaning that he as physician is the educator and guide, and the patient is the decision maker, and at times the patient is the diagnostician.  As a consultant and specialist in integrative holistic medicine, his primary focus is to address the specific needs and concerns of the patient.  Collaboratively with each patient, he develops an individualized treatment plan. He is committed to providing each patient with his undivided attention and respect and to treating each patient with compassion.  He recognizes the importance of trust in a therapeutic physician - patient relationship, as well as the role of a therapeutic relationship in healing. Questioning by the patient is encouraged; Dr. Levy supports patient’s doing online research into their condition/symptoms.

Dr. Levy chooses not to engage in business relationships whereby he would draw income or any financial benefit from the sale of dietary supplements.

Dr. Levy strives to practice evidence-based medicine, recognizing that there are many different levels of evidence, ranging from data gathered from randomized, controlled trials to anecdotes based on observation.

Page Updated April 24, 2024