I was born into a family of traditional healers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. From them I learned: to care deeply and listen intently to patients; to understand that health and medicine have spiritual and emotional components; and to heal the whole person-not just symptoms.

In Haiti, rampant poverty and hunger fueled an oppressive political climate; books were often banned, and schools closed at the first sign of unrest. These conditions made life especially difficult for women, who are still viewed as second class citizens. But I was given tremendous support from my relatives and was brought up to believe that I could do and be anything I desired. I decided that I was going to educate myself in order to achieve the status that only men occupied at the time. I was going to be different-I was going to be a champion of hope.

Over the years, several important events compelled me to become a doctor. When I was 9 years old, I became very ill, and I was brought back to health by my maternal grandfather, a well-known indigenous healer. At age 16, my desire to be a doctor and serve the poor was cemented by my experience as an assistant to Joseph, a nurse who was running a clinic in a poor rural town. My dream, while growing up, was to build a hospital, just as Albert Schweitzer had done, to provide medical care for the poor.

Today, my dreams have been answered; in Haiti, I have adopted the Dispensary and Hospital St. Joseph of La Vallee de Jacmel, a 30-bed hospital built by local people to serve over 100,000 residents. I rotate with another medical team, visiting the remote hospital twice annually to care for an average of 250 patients per day. Through my foundation, I raise funds to bring in medical instruments, prescriptions, and supplies.

My approach to medicine combines conventional medical care PLUS nutrition, with the emotional, physical, spiritual, and social aspects of a patient's lifestyle. I do not just treat symptoms - I treat the WHOLE PERSON.

I teach my patients that symptoms are often guides to seeking the source of an illness. After years of experience in western allopathic medicine, as well as alternative approaches, I know to direct my patients to the correct path of healing by empowering them to participate in their own health decisions.

My central message is that good individual health, that which addresses the whole person, translates to stronger, healthier families and communities.

There is a saying: "Knowledge equals confidence, confidence is power; therefore, knowledge is power." May the knowledge you attain from reading this column empower you to consciously make the right decisions for the present stage of your life-and for all your years to come!

Carolle Jean-Murat, MD