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[bobf <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>]

>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