General Information

     Ultimatologists recognize that all dimensions of what we call "health" lie on a continuum.  No matter where an individual lies on this health continuum, he or she can always be improved along that continuum.  Consequently, ultimatologists tend to regard the words "sick" or "well" as being misleadingly black-and-white, as these labels do not capture the continuous nature of a person's state of health.  Ultimatologists are dedicated to maximizing human health and the quality of human experience, regardless of one's present location on the health continuum.

     The Center for Ultimatology is composed of the following subdivisions:

          1. The American Ultimalogical Association (AMULAS)
          2. The American Board of Ultimatology (ABUL) -- for those who seek an official certification indicating a mastery of core ultimalogical knowledge
          3. The International Ultimalogical Association (INULAS)

     Professional ultimalogical practice includes three broad categories of focus:

          1. Clinical Ultimatology
          2. Educational Ultimatology
          3. Experimental Ultimatology

Licensure in Ultimatology

    To become a certified ultimatologist, please send inquiries to info@ultimatology.org, call 210-884-0990, or write to Ultimatology Certification, PO Box 40172, San Antonio, TX 78229.  Certification exams will be administered over the internet on an individually-arranged basis.  There is a one-time $50.00 fee for the exam.  The certification exam consists of 100 5-way multiple-choice questions based upon the core library.  Successful passage of the exam will be aided by mastery of material in the core library.  Passage of the exam also results in a lifetime membership in the American Ultimalogical Association and the International Ultimalogical Association.  Passage of the certification exam does not constitute licensure to practice ultimatology in a particular state or politically-defined region, but rather signifies mastery of a body of knowledge and way of thinking.  Thus, those who choose to incorporate ultimatology into their professional practices should make certain that they satisfy legal requirements for whatever their scope of practice will be.

Ultimalogical Medicine

     Ultimalogical medicine is the medical specialty that focuses on helping people who would be considered "well" by conventional medical standards to become even healthier.  Whereas most physicians focus on making sick people well, or keeping well people well, ultimalogical medicine starts with the well person, and attempt to enhance the health of that person to the highest degree possible.

     Prior to the founding of ultimatology, isolated examples of the practice of ultimalogical medicine could be found.  Such examples include the physician who prescribes beta blockers to enhance the accuracy of a musical performance; the psychiatrist who conducts "exploratory" psychotherapy for the sake of enhancing creativity; the plastic surgeon who focuses on aesthetically enhancing the human body; the internist who prescribes an idealized vitamin, nutrient, or pharmacological regimen for an athlete who desires to maximize his or her performance; or the ophthalmologist who's surgical procedure improves vision beyond the 20/20 norm. These are only a few of the numerous examples that could be given.

     When practicing ultimalogical medicine, the word "client" is often more appropriate than the word "patient" because ultimatology usually focus on people who are not "sick" by conventional medical standards.  However, it is possible that an ultimalogical client could suffer from a traditional medical illness (e.g. high blood pressure), thus be a "patient" while at the same time pursuing an ultimalogical regimen.

History of Ultimatology

     Ultimatology was formally established as a distinct discipline on December 3, 1998 by John T. Tennison, M.D.  On this date, the ultimatology.org website went online.  After considering many possible words to describe his approach to living, Dr. Tennison finally chose the word, "ultimatology," as it best captured the meaning he wanted to convey.  Other words that he had considered included "maxology," "maximology," and "optimology."

     Dr. Tennison received his M.D. from Stanford University in June of 1998.  Prior to entering medical school, he received his B.A. in psychology from Johns Hopkins University.  Dr. Tennison is a board-certified diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, is licensed to practice medicine by the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners, and is medical director of San Antonio Treatment Center, Tejas Recovery and Counseling Services, and Texas Psychiatry Associates in San Antonio, Texas.

Back to the Center for Ultimatology Home Page