In Memoriam: Dr. Richard Linchitz of Glen Cove, NY

Dr. Linchitz passed away on May 13, 2013.

The Best Answer for Cancer Foundation honored its “Physician of the Year” with the following tribute:

In 2012, the Foundation and the International Organization of Integrative Cancer Physicians made a decision to honor one of our physician members who has gone above and beyond the call of duty, one who has made a true and lasting difference to integrative medicine.

Moved by the personal stories of those living with chronic pain, Dr. Linchitz founded the first and only outpatient nationally accredited multispecialty pain program in New York. Over the next 22 years he managed the Pain Alleviation Center. He developed an integrated program of pain intervention based on lifestyle changes, rather than pharmaceutical-based solutions.

Dr. Linchitz has always lived by his own advice. An accomplished athlete, he lived what he thought was a healthful lifestyle until a diagnosis of lung cancer in 1998 – despite never having smoked. It forever changed his life and overall perspective on medicine. After receiving a bleak prognosis for survival, he sought to understand his disease from the inside out and to design his own path towards balanced wellness.

Determined to share the lessons learned from his own recovery, Dr. Linchitz became an expert in integrating conventional and alternative approaches to treat disease. Consequently, he created a unique program of health based on prevention and natural remedies.

• graduated with honors from Cornell University Medical College; completed his residency at the University of California, San Francisco, Moffit Hospital.

• board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, the American Board of Pain Medicine, the American Board of Anti-aging Medicine, and the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine

  successfully passed board exams from the American Board of Clinical Metal Toxicology and the International Board of Oxidative Medicine

• trained and certified in Medical Acupuncture and Insulin Potentiation Therapy

Dr. Linchitz dedicated his life to medical health and patient care. He was also

actively involved in the medical community:

• board examiner, American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M)

• board of directors, American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM)

• board of directors, Best Answer for Cancer Foundation (BAFC)

• program cochair, Chelation Examination Committee

• board of directors, International College of Integrative Medicine (ICIM)

• International Oxidative Medicine Association (IOMA)

• Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO)

• medical advisory board, International Organization of Integrative Cancer Physicians (IOICP)

His wife, Rita Linchitz, said, “We are heartbroken and at a loss as to how so wonderful a man could be taken so soon. He was a loving son and brother, a beloved husband, devoted father and grandfather, and the most dedicated and caring physician. We cannot imagine life without him. Please keep him in your prayers.”

We miss his steady guidance, his energy for education, his passion for better

patient outcomes, and his unique friendship.