Amit Sood, MD

Growing up in India, Dr. Sood was naturally exposed to several different systems of caring including homeopathy, ayurvedic medicine and allopathy.   Most models worked very well, the beauty of the system was the availability of choice to the patients.  The objectivity and focus on scientific experimentation in allopathy attracted him towards a career in this system of medicine.  The promise of learning excellence in allopathic medicine brought Dr. Sood to the United States.  After training and practicing medicine in the US for the last several years, the significant gaps in the bio-medical model and the reductionistic approach used to solve complex medical problems became increasingly evident.   Thus, he began exploring non-conventional treatments and learned reiki, acupressure and yoga.  Dr. Sood found several of these traditions had enormous wisdom that could be used to improve patient care.  The successes with conventional medicine in treating acute medical conditions have created the epidemic of complex chronic medical diseases that are not amenable to a discrete intervention.  The medicine of future will have to integrate treatment of the patient at all the levels including the physical, mental, social and spiritual.  

Dr. Sood is presently working at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and has received post-doctoral training in clinical research and evidence-based medicine.   He is the Director of Research at the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic.  Dr. Sood has received several grants from the NIH and foundations to study innovative botanical and mind body treatments for addiction and cancer symptom control and also is part of the Integrative Medicine clinic at the Mayo Clinic.