Andrea Arvan, MD

During the pursuit of finding more personal care, I discovered a whole new approach to treating patients based on practices that have existed for millennia. I became an internist because I was fascinated by the complicated nature of the human body. Internal medicine touched on this intricate nature. The longer I practiced, the more I realized the personal nature of each individual required an even more personal approach. The idea of the old country doctor who knew patients on a personal level and was able to approach patients with the understanding of what they needed and what they wanted appealed to me. This led me to pursue learning a broader range of medical approaches that I could integrate into my current internal medicine practice. I found that these new approaches were basically returning to the old approaches of spending more time with patients, getting to know patients and listening to patients’ needs.

While practicing in the greater Kansas City area since 1996, I have been able to advance my studies first by pursuing medical acupuncture through the UCLA Center for East‐West Medicine. Realizing how effective working with one’s own body to heal itself could be, I then completed the Associate Fellowship program in Integrative Medicine through the University of Arizona. I am one of the few physicians in the Kansas City area that is board-certified in internal medicine and integrative medicine. Μy areas of interest primarily focus on primary care and preventive health. My affiliation with MDVIP allows me the time to spend with my patients to develop the kind of relationship patients can feel comfortable with and respond to.