Andra L. Hall, PA-C, Founder & Owner
The Balsam Institute for Healing
Let me tell you my story… My name is Andra Hall. I never thought my life would take this turn. The turn into Functional Medicine, I mean. I was given the opportunity several years ago to pursue a lifelong dream, and I became a Physician Assistant. I worked in Midland at an Internal Medicine office, and I had the best job in the world. I enjoyed my work and was blessed with amazing patients, many of which left long lasting impressions on my life. I did notice one thing though; my patients were never fully healed from their ailments. The longer I practiced, the more it bothered me that nobody was getting better. They were stable, and their quality of life was acceptable, but many people were not thriving. I was becoming discouraged and thought I must be missing something. Then I met someone who changed everything…
Dr. Ben Edwards of Veritas Medical was speaking at a local church in Midland. A friend and I attended his presentation, and immediately his words began to resonate with me. THIS was the kind of medicine I always wanted to practice. After the presentation, I introduced myself and he graciously invited me to his practice to learn about the world of Functional Medicine. I coordinated to spend some time at Veritas in Lubbock and was shocked at what I learned. The patients at this clinic were actually getting better! What??! People were beginning to thrive again, living and enjoying life. It was not rocket science either. People were being guided on how to restore their health, and their bodies began to heal themselves. This was a game changer for me.
I came home and began to learn all I could about Functional Integrative Medicine. The concepts made so much sense to me: find out what the body has a deficiency in or an excess of and correct that. I always believed the body would heal itself if given the right resources. Now I was learning what those resources are. Naturally, I began to experiment on myself by making some changes to diet, becoming more diligent with my yoga practice, etc. Soon I was feeling better and others were noticing. I shared the concepts of functional medicine with family and friends. Many of them started to make some changes and soon they started feeling better too. Maybe there’s something to this.
Behind the scenes, the Lord was orchestrating a major change in my life. In February 2016, I got laid off. Of course, I was upset and very sad to leave my patients, but I decided to use this as a catalyst for a major change. I decided to make the switch from conventional medicine to functional integrative medicine. It was time to bring a vision to life: create a place where people can get the resources needed to heal their bodies.
I shared my thoughts with Dr. Edwards at Veritas who wholeheartedly invited me to train with him and his staff. He has a passion that people be healed and was excited about what I was doing. After spending several weeks with him and his staff, I returned to Midland to breathe life into the idea I had.
During the time of preparation, I was sharing my vision for healing with a dear friend who is a pastor in the Middle East. I was explaining to him why I liked the word “Balsam” and its connotation for healing. Immediately he grabbed his Bible and went to Jeremiah 8:22: “Is there no balm in Gilead, Is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery for the health of my people.”
I was astonished. The Lord confirmed what I had been thinking: Why do we have access to the most advanced health care but are the sickest nation on the planet? What did we do with the healing God provided, the proverbial Balm of Gilead?
Right there in my friend’s living room the Lord established The Balsam Institute for Healing. It was no longer just a fun idea I had. It is a reality that the Lord is serious about: His desire that we be healed and walk in wholeness. It is truly my desire that people come to The Balsam Institute for Healing and start to generously apply our resources to their own life and walk in the health and wholeness in which God designed us to walk. To further assist our members in their health recovery process, I have become a Certified GAPS practitioner. Additionally, I hold a certification in IV Nutrient Therapy, Ozone Therapy, and Prolozone Therapy.
In closing, I want to extend a special thanks to the many people who have been instrumental in the establishment of The Balsam Institute for Healing. I don’t want to embarrass anyone by naming names, but you know who you are: my dear friend “Q” who helped me develop the name ‘Balsam’, the design of logos, financial support, those who gave an attentive ear and good advice, helped with the restoration and decoration of our building, countless hours of prayer and preparation. Special thanks are extended to Dr. Flippin, my supervising physician, and her husband. You are both a delightful answer to prayer and I am grateful for your friendship and support. Without the collective effort of so many people, The Balsam Institute for Healing would still be just a crazy idea I once had. Because of each of you this idea is now a reality. I pray God blesses each of you richly.
Now it’s your turn, tell me your story…
Blending the holistic approach of functional medicine with conventional western medicine to get to the root cause of illness and correct it.
Your Healing Journey Begins Here