Advanced Medicine Ibiza - A Full Spectrum of Healing
By Jerry Brownstein
Dr Marja van Engelen has been practicing integrative medicine on Ibiza for over 20 years. She received her medical degree from the University of Utrecht in 1980, and worked in several areas of conventional medicine. However, she found that standard medicine did not have the answers for all problems, and decided to broaden the range of healing methods that she could bring to her patients. Marja studied in the US, Canada and Germany to learn various alternative healing practices including orthomolecular medicine, intravenous therapies, chelation therapy, ozone therapy, applied kinesiology and nutritional therapy. She had a thriving clinic in Rotterdam, Netherlands, but longed to practice and raise her family in a place that was more healthy and peaceful.
In 1998 she moved to Ibiza with her three sons, and set up Advanced Medicine Ibiza. The acronym AMI means friend in French, and this is the feeling that Marja brings to her patients. Experience has shown her that all therapies are more effective when you have a positive and trusting relationship with the patient. Her practice is focused on holistic integrative medicine, which simply means health care that unites the best of conventional medicine with complimentary health and healing therapies. This includes “functional medicine” which uses lifestyle and nutritional advice to promote optimal well-being, rather than just treating disease or symptoms.
Marja occasionally refers a patient with specific conditions to a doctor who specialises in that field of medicine. Now she is able to do this within her own practice, as AMI has expanded to include a team of specialists that she fully trusts. Dr Rosanna Minopoli is a paediatrician working with children of all ages from infancy onward. She has medical degrees from the Universities of Naples and Barcelona, and now has her practice in the AMI centre. Rosanna is qualified in all forms of conventional medicine, and also has many years of experience using homeopathic medicine, Bach Flower remedies, and other alternative methods. She emphasises that it is very important to give children regular checkups. This is the best way to make sure that problems arising in sight, hearing, bone structure, etc. can be detected early, and corrected before they have gone too far. Rosanna also uses special tests to reveal any deep traumas that may be lingering in a child’s mind. These subconscious traumas can cause illness, so it is best to work them out as early as possible.
Another new member of the AMI medical group is Dr Andreas Goddeeris, who is a general practitioner with a specialisation in sports medicine. In 2006 he began his practice in Belgium, which included not only sports and treating injuries arising from sports, but also functional medicine and several years as an emergency doctor. Here on Ibiza he has the equipment to perform exercise tests that can be used to optimize training – for both advanced athletes and those who merely want to improve their overall fitness. Andreas shares Marja’s understanding of the importance of orthomolecular medicine. This form of therapy is based on the logic that an optimal nutritional balance in the body is a key to good health. Imbalances or deficiencies are determined based on each patient's individual biochemistry, and are corrected through various methods of supplementation.
The AMI team also includes Barbara de Vries who brings the option of healing with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). She graduated from the universities of Medicina China de Beijng y Yunnan and la Universidad Europea del Atlantico, with double degrees in acupuncture and TCM. Barbara specialises in treating two types of problems: healing pain that is either chronic or acute, and overcoming addictions or obsessive habits related to food, alcohol, drugs, sex or medication. Her treatments are carefully adapted to the specific needs of each patient, and include acupuncture, Chinese herbs and Chinese massage. Barbara can see patients either at their home or at AMI.
Rounding out the AMI group is Diederik Trossèl, a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), who also happens to be Marja’s son. After growing up on Ibiza he left to study conventional medicine, but soon found that Traditional Osteopathy was his true calling. An osteopath seeks to treat the patient’s whole body with an integrative approach that also uses hands-on techniques. Its goal is to promote the body’s ability to heal itself by removing tensions and blockages in the bones, joints, muscles, tendons and nerves. Osteopathy is beneficial for people of all ages – from babies to the elderly. Diederick is motivated by the desire to help his patients reach their full potential: “I believe having a healthy body is the first step towards living life to the fullest; not just surviving but truly thriving!” This message is mirrored and manifested by all of the dedicated therapists who work with Marja at AMI. It is a place where you will feel welcomed and respected by knowledgeable physicians, who will care for you with an open mind to all possible healing options.
