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  • From: bobf <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Homestead] Alternative medicine = mainstream
  • Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2009 05:55:29 -0800 (PST)

>From this am WSJ. I have stated before that I am no follower of Deepoak
>Chopra. He reminds me of a highly educated carny huckster. But , that may
>be one of those 'listen to the good parts of the message, while you overlook
>the messenger" deals.

My wife has followed, the not-as--well-known , Andrew Weil , for many years,
including a luncheon with him as speaker. I rarely discuss my health care or
my views on health care with my wife. It leads to personal tensions that I
would rather avoid..

It is obvious from converstations past, that, on this list, I am among the
most ignorant when it comes to the subject of alternative medicines and
remedies. But, I am trying to learn, and I am keeping an open mind. I
thought this commentary by Chopra, Weil and others was an interesting read.
Take from it what you
will.............................................................

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Alternative' Medicine Is Mainstream

The evidence is mounting that diet and lifestyle are the best cures for our
worst afflictions.

By DEEPAK CHOPRA , DEAN ORNISH , RUSTUM ROY and ANDREW WEIL

In mid-February, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of
Sciences and the Bravewell Collaborative are convening a "Summit on
Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public." This is a watershed in
the evolution of integrative medicine, a holistic approach to health care
that uses the best of conventional and alternative therapies such as
meditation, yoga, acupuncture and herbal remedies. Many of these therapies
are now scientifically documented to be not only medically effective but also
cost effective.


Martin KozlowskiPresident-elect Barack Obama and former Sen. Tom Daschle (the
nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services) understand that if we
want to make affordable health care available to the 45 million Americans who
do not have health insurance, then we need to address the fundamental causes
of health and illness, and provide incentives for healthy ways of living
rather than reimbursing only drugs and surgery.

Heart disease, diabetes, prostate cancer, breast cancer and obesity account
for 75% of health-care costs, and yet these are largely preventable and even
reversible by changing diet and lifestyle. As Mr. Obama states in his health
plan, unveiled during his campaign: "This nation is facing a true epidemic of
chronic disease. An increasing number of Americans are suffering and dying
needlessly from diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, asthma and
HIV/AIDS, all of which can be delayed in onset if not prevented entirely."

The latest scientific studies show that our bodies have a remarkable capacity
to begin healing, and much more quickly than we had once realized, if we
address the lifestyle factors that often cause these chronic diseases. These
studies show that integrative medicine can make a powerful difference in our
health and well-being, how quickly these changes may occur, and how dynamic
these mechanisms can be.

Many people tend to think of breakthroughs in medicine as a new drug, laser
or high-tech surgical procedure. They often have a hard time believing that
the simple choices that we make in our lifestyle -- what we eat, how we
respond to stress, whether or not we smoke cigarettes, how much exercise we
get, and the quality of our relationships and social support -- can be as
powerful as drugs and surgery. But they often are. And in many instances,
they're even more powerful.


These studies often used high-tech, state-of-the-art measures to prove the
power of simple, low-tech, and low-cost interventions. Integrative medicine
approaches such as plant-based diets, yoga, meditation and psychosocial
support may stop or even reverse the progression of coronary heart disease,
diabetes, hypertension, prostate cancer, obesity, hypercholesterolemia and
other chronic conditions.

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences found that these approaches may even change gene expression in
hundreds of genes in only a few months. Genes associated with cancer, heart
disease and inflammation were downregulated or "turned off" whereas
protective genes were upregulated or "turned on." A study published in The
Lancet Oncology reported that these changes increase telomerase, the enzyme
that lengthens telomeres, the ends of our chromosomes that control how long
we live. Even drugs have not been shown to do this.

Our "health-care system" is primarily a disease-care system. Last year, $2.1
trillion was spent in the U.S. on medical care, or 16.5% of the gross
national product. Of these trillions, 95 cents of every dollar was spent to
treat disease after it had already occurred. At least 75% of these costs were
spent on treating chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, that
are preventable or even reversible.

The choices are especially clear in cardiology. In 2006, for example,
according to data provided by the American Heart Association, 1.3 million
coronary angioplasty procedures were performed at an average cost of $48,399
each, or more than $60 billion; and 448,000 coronary bypass operations were
performed at a cost of $99,743 each, or more than $44 billion. In other
words, Americans spent more than $100 billion in 2006 for these two
procedures alone.

Despite these costs, a randomized controlled trial published in April 2007 in
The New England Journal of Medicine found that angioplasties and stents do
not prolong life or even prevent heart attacks in stable patients (i.e., 95%
of those who receive them). Coronary bypass surgery prolongs life in less
than 3% of patients who receive it. So, Medicare and other insurers and
individuals pay billions for surgical procedures like angioplasty and bypass
surgery that are usually dangerous, invasive, expensive and largely
ineffective. Yet they pay very little -- if any money at all -- for
integrative medicine approaches that have been proven to reverse and prevent
most chronic diseases that account for at least 75% of health-care costs.

The INTERHEART study, published in September 2004 in The Lancet, followed
30,000 men and women on six continents and found that changing lifestyle
could prevent at least 90% of all heart disease.
bears repeating: The disease that accounts for more premature deaths and
costs Americans more than any other illness is almost completely preventable
simply by changing diet and lifestyle. And the same lifestyle changes that
can prevent or even reverse heart disease also help prevent or reverse many
other chronic diseases as well. Chronic pain is one of the major sources of
worker's compensation claims costs, yet studies show that it is often
susceptible to acupuncture and Qi Gong. Herbs usually have far fewer side
effects than pharmaceuticals.

Joy, pleasure and freedom are sustainable, deprivation and austerity are not.
When you eat a healthier diet, quit smoking, exercise, meditate and have more
love in your life, then your brain receives more blood and oxygen, so you
think more clearly, have more energy, need less sleep. Your brain may grow so
many new neurons that it could get measurably bigger in only a few months.
Your face gets more blood flow, so your skin glows more and wrinkles less.
Your heart gets more blood flow, so you have more stamina and can even begin
to reverse heart disease. Your sexual organs receive more blood flow, so you
may become more potent -- similar to the way that circulation-increasing
drugs like Viagra work. For many people, these are choices worth making --
not just to live longer, but also to live better.

It's time to move past the debate of alternative medicine versus traditional
medicine, and to focus on what works, what doesn't, for whom, and under which
circumstances. It will take serious government funding to find out, but these
findings may help reduce costs and increase health.

Integrative medicine approaches bring together those in red states and blue
states, liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, because these
are human issues. They are both medically effective and, important in our
current economic climate, cost effective. These approaches emphasize both
personal responsibility and the opportunity to make affordable, quality
health care available to those who most need it. Mr. Obama should make them
an integral part of his health plan as soon as possible.

Dr. Chopra, the author of more than 50 books on the mind, body and spirit, is
guest faculty at Beth Israel Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Ornish is
clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San
Francisco. Mr. Roy is professor emeritus of materials science at Pennsylvania
State University. Dr. Weil is director of the University of Arizona Center
for Integrative Medicine.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123146318996466585.html







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