Dr. Weil tells Portland "Why Our Health Matters"

Last Thursday, October 15, we went to hear Dr. Andrew Weil give a talk in downtown Portland. (Here's a picture of ACHS President Dorene Petersen with Dr. Weil outside the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.) Dr. Weil, author of 8 Weeks to Optimum Health, has a new book, Why Our Health Matters: A Vision of Medicine That Can Transform Our Future, which addresses many of our current healthcare myths and challenges, as well a “Call to Action” for change.

Did you know, for example, that the World Health Organization has ranked the U.S. 37th in the world for healthcare outcomes, which puts us on par with Serbia? We hear about healthcare and disease everyday, but do we really know what all the information circulating about means for our health? "We don't have healthcare," Dr. Weil said. "We have disease management."

Dr. Weil attributes the root problems causing "disease management," to the unimaginable and rising cost of healthcare. We literally cannot afford to get sick. Why the high costs? Dr. Weil talked about two main reasons: 1. We don't talk about prevention (or, not enough); and 2. Medicine is dependent on high-cost technology.

Why, then, aren't we serious about prevention? What's holding us back? What can we do?

"The real meat of prevention is lifestyle medicine," Dr. Weil said. And, "if we are going to see meaningful healthcare reform, it will have to come from you."

So, how can you get started?

Here are some changes we can demand immediately, Dr. Weil's Call to Action. This list has been adapted from information included in "Why Our Health Matters" program materials.

1. Ban direct-to-consumer marketing and advertising by big pharma.

The pharmaceutical industry is the most profitable in the country, with sales totaling about $643 billion a year. Most pharmaceutical companies spend a lot of their budget on advertising, which has created a skewed view of how health care works, that there is a “pill for every health problem.”

2. Create a National Institute of Health and Healing at the NIH and fund it generously.

Medicine needs to “return to its roots,” to focus on the natural healing power of humans. Research into the body’s ability to defend itself and regenerate will help achieve this. As a result, we will create and improve treatment and therapies that are less invasive and expensive.

3. Create an Office of health and Promotion within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and fund it appropriately.

Obesity kills about 400,000 people a year; yet, we spend 40 times more on the health risks of terrorism than obesity. The emphasis should be on prevention, not on treating disease. Education about nutrition, exercise, and healthy lifestyle is the most effective way to “defeat the epidemic of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and conditions that lead to life-threatening diseases.”

4. Teach health promotion and integrative medicine at medical schools and residency programs.

We need “hands-on primary care physicians” who can education their patients about prevention of disease in addition to strategies for disease management and crisis intervention.

5. Require insurers to cover health promotion and integrative care.

Today, millions of Americans are taking supplements, practicing yoga, and using other natural modalities, which are all preventative measures that will “keep them out of the doctor’s office and drive down the costs of treating serious problems like heart disease and diabetes.” Yet, insurance companies do not cover these activities.

6. Establish an Office of Health Education within the U.S. Department of Education.

Healthy habits needs to start young. An Office of Health Education would make nutrition, diet, an integral part of every child’s education and would promote new and more meaningful ways to teach health.

7. Learn how to take care of yourself.

“You can’t afford to get sick, and you can’t depend on the present health care system to keep you well.” You have to make the right lifestyle choices to protect and maintain your body’s health.

Food as Pharma

According to a recent Times article, "Food as Pharma," it is becoming more clear that "food is more than just fuel." What you choose eat, in fact, effects "how elastic your blood vessels are, how easily you resist cancer-causing toxins and whether or not you will barrel down the road toward heart disease."

Can food, though, actually prevent disease? Current research suggests that Yes, the foods in your kitchen do have the potential to fight disease. In a 2002 study, for example, "researchers found that people at risk of diabetes could delay or in some cases even prevent the disease from developing by eating fewer calories, getting them from the right kinds of foods and exercising more than two hours a week."

>> To learn more about holistic nutrition, CLICK HERE

>> To read the full length article "Food as Pharma", CLICK HERE

Holistic health approachs to cancer care

Cancer...We have options, but--what are they?

Though we've yet to find the cancer cure-all, more and more people are rediscovering age-old holistic health protocols to augment more traditional treatments. For example, according tot he National Cancer institute website, aromatherapy has been shown to improve quality of life and reduce stress and anxiety for cancer patients, and can easily be combined with other treatments like acupuncture and massage.

But there are several less known, yet effective methods for eliminating stress and excessive toxins from the body, both linked to cancer development.

Here is a very useful personal account with 5 tips for turning the tide of cancer with holistic health protocols.

To learn more about holistic health for personal care and consulting, CLICK HERE.

How to prevent death 101

I was watching The Biggest Loser last night-I love that show. They had one of the contestants check in with the doctor after 3 weeks of working out and eating right. They showed us (the viewers) the amount of meds this guy was taking SIMPLY BECAUSE HE WAS OBESE!!!

He spent $20,000 a YEAR on medications BECAUSE HE WAS OBESE!! Does ANYONE have $20k burning a hole in their pocket? Eager to spend it on diabetes medications and blood thinners? He had a life span estimate of another 10 years that way. $200,000 spent on the last 10 years of this mans life would have been on pills to "make him normal." I was astounded at how the medical community was so ready to offer medicine to this dying man and not ever address the real cause. Not the SYMPTOMS but the CAUSE of the disease.

If the medical community would join hands with the holistic wellness community, they could prescribe a fitness trainer, a healthier eating plan, and a real CURE for his disease versus medicate to make him more comfortable while he dies. He does not have cancer; he is over fat.
Each day you help yourself by eating the right balance of foods for your body, add in the right amount of activity to prevent fat gain, consider it money in the bank!

Hippocrates, the father of medicine is credited with saying, "Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food." Yet, we often forget that. Seldom do we think to ourselves "I feel sluggish. Have I been eating correctly?"

We who feel that a healthier path is what we follow still reach for herbal remedies when we are still filling our body with too many calories, too little activity, and very little rest.

Again, the father of medicine stated hundreds of years before we had crisco, high fructose corn syrup, and became a fast food world: "If we give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not to much, we have found the SAFEST way to health."

Consider what is too little and what is too much for your own body. If you are gaining weight then you are taking in more calories than you are using during the day. Slow down your caloric intake and find foods in a more whole state to help you feel full as you transition to lower calories. Increase your activities, any activity where your body is exerting energy is fine. Gardening, walking, dancing with the kids--think of any movement you enjoy that you will not grow bored from and increase that activity in your daily life.

Doing these things will give you the safest way to health, to whole health and wellness. Less colds, less fatigue, less emotional stress because your body is being fueled in the best possible way. More enjoyment in the day, more restful sleep, a clearer thought process, less colds, less illness, disease prevention, a longer life span, and a better looking body are the rewards. Let me just reiterate:

"If we give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not to much, we have found the SAFEST way to health."

Find your right amount.