Integrative Medicine, Family Medicine

Dr. Alexandros Botsaris: A Holistic Vision for Primary and Longevity Care

I am Alexandros Botsaris, a physician who graduated from UFRJ in 1981, with a long and somewhat uncommon professional journey. Over the years, I have worked across several medical specialties, including internal medicine, infectious diseases, general and family medicine, and pain medicine. In addition, I have pursued advanced studies in cosmetology, integrative medicine, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and phytotherapy.

This path has allowed me to build a broad foundation of knowledge, giving me the ability to discuss, analyse, study, and deepen my understanding of most of the issues that arise in medicine and health today.

This broader profile has also made me a physician capable of combining and applying conventional medical techniques alongside complementary approaches, seeking solutions that are less invasive and, at times, more effective than the isolated application of either therapeutic approach.

A growing number of physicians recognise this strategy of integrating knowledge, often referred to as integrative medicine, as both more effective and better tolerated by patients.

Medical Journey and International Training

After graduating from UFRJ, I completed my residency in Internal Medicine at Hospital dos Servidores, then considered one of the finest hospitals in Brazil. I also worked in intensive care for four years while simultaneously practising in Ministry of Health institutions such as Hospital do Andaraí and Hospital de Nova Iguaçu.

I later moved to France to complete my specialty training in Infectious Diseases at Hospital Claude Bernard in Paris. Upon returning to Brazil, I joined the clinical staff of the Infectious Diseases Department at Hospital dos Servidores, where I worked until 1992.

The Development of Acupuncture and Phytotherapy

At the same time, I dedicated myself to studying a range of non-conventional therapeutic approaches, including homeopathy, Ayurvedic medicine, anthroposophic medicine, and chiropractic care, among others. The area to which I devoted the greatest attention was the study and practice of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

After returning from France in 1985, I co-founded the Rio de Janeiro Institute of Acupuncture with a group of colleagues. The institute became a training centre for many physicians in the field. This work, carried out alongside colleagues in São Paulo, contributed to the official recognition of acupuncture as a medical specialty in Brazil.

In the late 1980s, I undertook further training in acupuncture and Chinese medicine in Beijing and began studying Chinese and Brazilian herbal medicine at the aforementioned institute. After leaving Hospital dos Servidores, I joined the State Programme for Medicinal Plants (PEPM, SES/RJ) in the mid-1990s. In 1998, together with other colleagues, I also participated in the creation of the Brazilian Institute of Medicinal Plants, now known as Abfit.

Through the work of the IBPM (later Abfit), with support from Fiocruz and initially within the PEPM-RJ framework, we developed municipal training programmes for healthcare professionals that could serve as a reference model for family medicine education.

We established partnerships with municipal governments across the State of Rio de Janeiro and provided support and training for the creation of healthcare services using medicinal plants available locally or sourced from certified suppliers.

This work enabled effective phytotherapeutic follow-up and treatment. Despite its early success, many of these initiatives were later discontinued due to political changes within the municipalities involved.

Research, Institutional Projects, and the Pharmaceutical Industry

Later, our experience came to the attention of a group connected to Itaipu Binacional, which coordinated the Água Boa Project, an initiative supporting the sustainable development of municipalities surrounding Lake Itaipu.

With funding and strong alignment among local stakeholders, the same model was implemented and achieved positive results in both health and satisfaction indicators across the region. The Água Boa Project was eventually recognised with a UNESCO award.

As a result of the visibility I gained within the scientific community focused on medicinal plants, I was recruited by Natura Innovation and Technology as a scientist, with responsibility for developing the production chains behind the active ingredients used in the Ekos product line.

After fulfilling much of that objective, I moved into other areas of the company, including the identification and study of innovative active ingredients derived from Brazilian biodiversity. I spent eight and a half years at Natura, contributing to products that were widely recognised in the market at the time.

To join Natura, I took a leave of absence from the Ministry of Health. Upon returning, I was invited to organise and lead the Pain Medicine Service at Hospital do Andaraí, a role I successfully carried out until my retirement in 2017. Alongside this work, and due to the visibility of my professional activities, I also served as a consultant to several pharmaceutical companies, including BASF, Aché, and Catarinense.

Through Abfit, in partnership with UFRJ, I contributed to the creation of a postgraduate programme in phytotherapy. Together with Fiocruz and the Ministry of Health, I also collaborated on the development of 23 monographs on Brazilian medicinal plants, intended to serve as reference materials for their use within Brazil’s public healthcare system.

In 2017, following my retirement, I relocated to Portugal, where I worked in emergency departments across several hospitals within the National Health Service, including Centro Hospitalar do Algarve, Hospital de Setúbal, Centro Hospitalar do Médio Tejo, Centro Hospitalar de Leiria, and Centro Hospitalar do Oeste.

During this period, I renewed my experience in hospital medicine and emergency care while deepening my understanding of the Portuguese healthcare system. As working conditions deteriorated, I chose to transition into private healthcare.

An Integrated Vision of Medicine

Between 1996 and 2020, I authored 12 books on a wide range of health-related subjects, including medicinal plants, stress-related syndromes, Chinese medicine, medical astrology, theories of ageing, healthy lifestyle habits, and complementary therapies. Among these works is a critical book on medicine entitled Without Anaesthesia.

Motivated by the profound impact of losing one of my sons in a paediatric intensive care unit as a result of iatrogenic harm (injury caused by medical intervention), I examined and challenged distortions within both the scientific and business models of modern medicine that remain relevant today. I have recently signed an agreement to republish this book in Portugal.

Many of the concerns I identified and criticised in that book now form part of the principles that guide my clinical practice. These include:

• Valuing clinical observation and physical examination.
• Focusing on the patient as a whole, even when specialist care is involved.
• Individualising decisions by adapting protocols to each person’s characteristics.
• Respecting the patient’s subjective experience and taking their concerns seriously rather than dismissing unexplained symptoms as imagination.
• Preferring safe, well-established treatments over the premature adoption of newly released medications whenever appropriate.
• Integrating conventional medicine with complementary therapies to achieve better outcomes with the least possible intervention.
• Identifying disease at its earliest stages, before it becomes established, rather than waiting for illness to develop before acting.
• Sharing information openly so patients understand their diagnosis, treatment objectives, and the importance of adherence.

Underlying all these principles is a central pillar of great importance: medical ethics.

These values trace back to the origins of medicine, including the teachings and aphorisms of Hippocrates, and define a code of conduct that should be followed rigorously. Unfortunately, in contemporary medicine, many physicians face significant pressures or have not had access to sufficiently robust training, leading to deviations from these principles. The most serious of these occurs when personal interests are placed above the commitment to patient health and wellbeing.

A New Professional Chapter at B-Life

For this reason, I was positively surprised when I was introduced to the B-Life project.

The concept developed for the clinic was fully aligned with my professional principles and my vision of prevention, treatment, and long-term care for healthy longevity.

Combining the best of conventional medicine with time-tested therapeutic approaches, intervening early to prevent disease rather than waiting for it to emerge, individualising care, and welcoming patients in an environment that promotes safety and comfort.

This is how a new chapter of my professional journey began, one that brings me enormous satisfaction because I am finally working in a place where the medicine I believe in is practised.

Dr. Alexandros Botsaris has 40 years of clinical experience combined with evidence-based innovation. He is the author of 11 books, a regular speaker at medical conferences, a scientific consultant, and a guest lecturer in postgraduate programmes. At B-Life, he offers a model of continuous care that combines clinical precision, technology, and a human touch.

Portuguese, English

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