Practitioners
Are you an MD or DO and have an interest in joining a collaborative team? Contact us about career opportunities to join the PMC staff.
PMCM Staff Directory
Elson M. Haas, MD, Medical Director
Integrated and Preventive Medicine Health Care Consultant/Educator
Dr. Elson Haas has been in medical practice since he graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1972 and then interned at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. Over the past 35 years, he has studied and incorporated many healing disciplines – Western and Eastern Medicines, Nutrition and Detoxification, Herbology, and Mind/Body Healing - into his ongoing practice. Since 1980, Dr. Haas incorporates all of these modalities with medical and functional testing into his practice that he terms Integrated Medicine.
Dr. Haas specializes in creating programs utilizing dietary changes, detoxification, and nutritional and herbal supplements. He writes about these in his seven popular books on health and nutrition, beginning first with the 1981 edition of Staying Healthy with the Seasons (new edition, 2003). Review his books on the Books page.
Dr. Haas lectures and teaches nationally and is a regular radio guest and writer for health magazines. His local detoxification programs are popular, affordable, and transformative. See Dr. Elson's upcoming events.
Judy Lane, NP, MS
Nurse Practitioner, General Medicine
Women's Health, Natural Therapies
Judy Lane received her MS, RN and NP degrees from Pace University and New York College in 1975, followed by an internship in Internal Medicine at New York VA Hospital. She continued to work in Ambulatory Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center. In 1985 Ms. Lane entered private practice with leading physicians in the field of Integrated Medicine in New York. She has lectured extensively and has appeared in the media with a focus on women’s health issues and natural hormone testing and therapies. Judy Lane has been with PMCM since 1994, creating individually designed health programs for her patients. She is the Medical Center’s Director of Women’s Health.
Alex Forman, PA, MPH
General Practice, Integrated Medicine
Medical Researcher/Educator
Alex Forman received his medical training at Stanford. He is a licensed Physician Assistant and Acupuncturist who has practiced integrated medicine for over 25 years. He was co-founder of the Alternative Therapies Unit at San Francisco General Hospital in 1977, the first integrated medical clinic established in a public hospital in the United States.
Alex Forman also has a Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley and has co-authored several articles in leading medical journals on the role of nutrition in the treatment and prevention of high blood pressure. He has worked for 15 years as a clinical medical researcher at UC San Francisco and has taught and lectured extensively on the subject of integrating modern scientific and alternative medicines.
Associates with their practice at PMCM location:
Richard L. Shames, MD
Integrated Medical Doctor
Health Care Consultant
Dr. Richard Shames is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Prior to entering private practice, he received extensive training in conventional medicine with the U.S. Public Health Service, the National Institutes of Health, and other facilities. In the 1970s, as Medical Director of the Wholistic Health & Nutrition Institute (WHN) in Mill Valley, CA, Dr. Shames and staff began the blend of conventional medicine with safe and appropriate natural remedies.
Dr. Shames’ philosophy of medicine is more completely expressed in his books, including his most recent book Feeling Fat, Fuzzy, or Frazzled? and his previous Thyroid Power: Ten Steps to Total Health, both co-authored with his wife Karilee Shames PhD, RN. The two of them teach Seminars nationwide to both healthcare providers and the general public.
Dr. Shames considers himself a Consulting Physician and Personal Health Coach, currently focusing on thyroid and adrenal disorders and their many related conditions. His innovative approach to “internet medicine” and telephone coaching has many devoted clients around the country.
Thomas H. Reece, DO, ND
Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine,
Cranial Sacral Therapy
Dr.Thomas Reece is the newest addition to Preventive Medical Center. He brings a wealth of knowledge. Dr. Reece received a doctorate in medicine in 1982 from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. He returned to school and earned a second doctorate in medicine, with honors, from the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Reece has been in practice for more than twenty years and is one of only a few practitioners with the dual degrees in both Naturopathic and Osteopathic Medicines.
Dr. Reece is board certified in Family Practice by the American College of Osteopathic Family Practitioners. For five years he was the Medical Director of the Southwest Naturopathic Medical Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, and he is also associated with the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Arizona. Dr. Reece specializes in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. He uses a variety of techniques, including Cranial Sacral therapy, Myo-fascial release, Muscle Energy work, as well as Strain/Counterstrain and Direct techniques. Dr. Reece utilizes acupuncture techniques he has learned both here in the United States and China to treat a variety of conditions. These special therapies referred to as multi-faceted treatments are helpful at correcting structural and pain problems.
Karilee Halo Shames PhD, RN
Certified Holistic Nurse, Health Counseling
Karilee Halo Shames is a certified Clinical Specialist in Psychiatric Nursing, with years of advanced study in integrated health care. She has worked with her husband Richard Shames, MD for 30 years, supplementing his medical care with natural nursing interventions.
In her practice Karilee offers clients the opportunity to explore the personal meaning of their condition in a safe and nurturing setting. She is particularly skilled in assessing environmental exposures, needs for emotional release, and self-care methods to optimize hormonal energy flow. Some modalities Karilee uses include Therapeutic Touch/Energy Healing, emotional counseling, breathing and imagery techniques, as well as movement and co-counseling.
Karilee Shames has recently expanded her nursing services to include telephone appointments if routine refills are needed between visits with Dr. Richard Shames. These half-hour or hour appointments allow her to help Dr. Shames determine how you are doing on the current protocols, and if your present dose of medications and supplements is optimal. She can serve as Dr. Shames' nurse, helping you to optimize your visits and proceed appropriately on health programs, saving you time and funds between your ongoing and annual visits with Dr. Rich.
Tuyet Cong-Ton-Nu, CN
Certified Nutrition Educator, Wellness & Detox Coach
Tuyet is a highly educated health and wellness guide who has a nutrition certification as an educator and supporter for dietary coaching with a hands-on and practical approach. She is graduate of Bauman College, located in Penngrove, CA. She is also a registered member of the National Association of Nutrition Practitioners (www.nanp.org). Tuyet can help you choose the best foods for you, especially more nutrient dense, lower calorie choices, as well as find the right balance in proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. She supports Dr. Haas and the other practitioners in making PMCM's health transformation more successful.
Carol Butterfield, Dip. Ac.
Medical Intuitive, Health Consultant
Carol is an experienced and gifted practitioner. After more than two decades of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture practice, her intuitive skills have blossomed, enabling her to see people and their subtle energies more clearly, and thus provide them with the support and guidance for deeper understanding and healing. Carol is a graduate of San Francisco College of Chinese Medicine in 1987 and had further training in Beijing, China with many world class acupuncturists. She has also been doing her medical intuitive practice for many years working with people in all areas of life, including many celebrities.
