A heartfelt call for a more humane medicine
and global health for everyone
Bring humanity back to medicine.
Reinventing health.
In a breathless health system, where the disease is too often treated before humans, Medical Freedom offers a new breath. Through the authentic and deeply human journey of Dr. Lyne Desautels, pioneer of integrative medicine in Quebec, this book reveals the flaws of a model that has been rigidized... and the concrete solutions to get out of it.
After more than twenty-seven years of practice and twelve years of building, against winds and tides, a bold clinical model – the CMIE, Center for Integrative and Evolutionary Medicine –, Dr. Desautels opens the backstage of a necessary transformation: to place the person at the center, to reconnect with a medicine of prevention, precision and compassion, and finally to offer global care where we consider it.
Medical Freedom is more than a testimony: it is the story of a vocation that refuses to be extinguished, the story of an entrepreneurial doctor who has chosen to do otherwise. It is an invitation to understand, to think and to hope.
Through anecdotes, reflections, science, humor and a disarming franchise, the author charts a path to a freer, more intelligent, more humane medicine. A medicine where doctors and patients advance together, in a continuum of care rooted in collaboration, knowledge and hope.
This book addresses, with lucidity and benevolence:
inconsistencies in a system focused on disease rather than health;
the urgency to rethink our models, our laws and our vision of care;
the sacrifices and struggles of a woman who refused the status quo;
innovative approaches that are already transforming medical practice around the world;
the power of prevention, lifestyle and education;
the real opportunity for everyone to become an actor of their health.
Medical Freedom is for everyone:
citizens and patients in search of meaning and solutions;
doctors and health professionals who dream of a different practice;
decision-makers looking for viable, tested and promising models for the future;
to those who still believe that another future is possible.
Inspiring, courageous and of a burning news, this book illuminates a major issue of our time: do we have the right to heal?
Dr. Lyne Desautels
Dr. Lyne Desautels has been a family physician for over 27 years, practicing mainly on
Montreal's South Shore and in the Eastern Townships. She founded CMIE in 2012, which now has 9 points of service.
Before, she conducted fundamental research for 4 years (1986-1990) in molecular biology at the Université de Montréal in Dr. Pierre Chartrand’s laboratory as a graduate student in the master's and doctoral programs. She was a fellow of the Medical Research Council of Canada (MRC) during those 4 years. During her graduate studies, she conducted research on cancer in molecular genetics.
The functional medicine approach, combined with her clinical experience have enabled Dr. Desautels to develop a practice based on LIVING LAB principles. She collaborates with other healthcare professionals to personalize treatments and respond to patients' needs, helping them regain control over their health.
Her expertise covers bioidentical hormone therapy, longevity and precision medicine, medical cannabis, chronic conditions secondary from infections, among other areas.
Dr. Desautels places great importance on education, writing and lecturing on topics such as hormone therapy, medical cannabis and preventive medicine.
She is co-author, with Isabelle Huot, of the book Mieux vivre la ménopause (Living Better Through Menopause), and co-creator, with Véronique Bourbeau, of the educational platform MA SANTÉ MES HORMONES (My Health, My Hormones). She has participated in the
LOTOMENO series, the SOS Menopause program, and the “Women’s Hormonal Change at Every Life Stage” program. Her mission through this commitment is to help women regain their autonomy and hormonal balance.
For over 15 years, she has also developed expertise in women's health, guiding them towards optimal and global health.