Fun & Fit Interview Airs Starting Today

My latest interview was on the Fun & Fit show on WomensRadio which started airing today. It really was a lot of fun to talk with identical twins Kymberly and Alexandra, they really do enjoy being radio stars!

When you check out their website be sure to click on their Facebook fan page to enter the contest to win a free autographed copy of my book.

Philippine Traditional and Alternative Health Care Month

Did you know that by Presidential Proclamation #698 in 1997 the Philippines celebrate the month of November as Traditional and Alternative Health Care Month? They've already figured out prevention is more affordable than treatment so primary health care is a priority. They've also discovered that healthy lifestyles promoted in many types of complementary and alternative medicine prevent many health problems. It (CAM) can also offer effective and affordable treatments for a variety of health problems.

It reminds me of the vote in Switzerland this year that placed many forms of CAM into the nation's constitution to protect every citizen's right to them. For those of you thinking that only the primitive or unintelligent would be involved with complementary and alternative medicine I hope you don't consider the Swiss to have either of those qualities!

The rest of the world never forgot their native health systems but simply added Western medicine to their list of options. Only America has tried to make CAM illegal in order to support the profits of drug manufacturers and the medical industry. Today the tide is turning as more and more Americans turn to more natural forms of healing.

Newest CAM is Most Researched

One of the newest forms of complementary and alternative therapies is also one of the most researched. IBMT or Integrative Body-Mind Training was developed from Traditional Chinese Medicine by Dr. Yu-Yuan Tang in 1990 in China. Since then he's published more than 170 nationally and internationally peer-reviewed articles about this amazing innovation. Currently he's a visiting professor at the University of Oregon.

IBMT is the latest podcast to be added to the growing library of programs about complementary and alternative therapies at UnBreak Your Health. The interview with Dr. Tang was very informative about this amazing and very fast form of meditation or mindfulness. "The path is the goal" with IBMT.

This is also an exception in the second edition of How To UnBreak Your Health because the therapy isn't even available in the United States yet. Because of the source of IBMT and its fast-growing scientific reputation I felt it needed to be included in the book. IBMT may be very popular before the next edition comes out.

Antibiotics Increase Breast Cancer Risk

It may sound strange but there is a new mega-study showing that antibiotics may cause an increased risk of breast cancer. This wasn't a small, isolated situation either, it involved studies with over 13,000 cases from several major medical databases. The bottom line: those who used antibiotics had a 17%+ greater chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer.

The research was published in last month's Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety. One of the possible explanations for the effect is that antibiotics reduce the body's immune system and compromise its ability to fight off cancer.

It's probably no surprise that the medical industry is telling everyone not to overreact to this study, even after cautioning against the overuse of antibiotics for many years.

If anyone needed another reason to begin using complementary and alternative medicine, here it is.

Winds of Medical Change

It appears that the winds of change are blowing through the halls of medical schools across the country. In a recent survey of medical school students at 126 schools they found a growing interest and acceptance of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

The results showed 77% thought that patients would benefit more if their doctors knew about CAM along with Western medicine. In a show of support for Integrative Medicine 74% of the doctors-to-be thought that a blend of Western medicine and CAM is better than either by itself.

Looks like the CAM genie is out of the bottle and the AMA isn't going to be able to put it back any time soon. That's great news for all of us as patients and medical consumers and also for doctors who want to do a better job.

NCCAM 10th Anniversary Symposium

Today, Dec. 8th, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine will hold its 10th anniversary symposium at Washington, D.C. Those unable to attend can catch the webcast of the activities at videocast.nih.gov

Did you know that over 11% of all out-of-pocket expenditures for health care were for complementary and alternative medicine? The field continues to grow in popularity today as more information becomes available.

CAMbrella Investment of 1.5 Million Euros

The European Union is funding a 3-year project called CAMbrella with 1.5 million euros to create a research network to study complementary and alternative medicine. The group that won the grant includes 16 scientific organizations from 12 European countries. Their goal is to develop a comprehensive view of the present CAM situation in Europe that will serve as a benchmark and starting point for future research.

CAM is much more accepted in Europe, it was just this past spring that Switzerland voted to add it to their constitution to protect it. However there hasn't been as much investment in research compared with the NCCAM in America. Germany, for example, has not invested any government funding since 1996.

In an era of health care reform this investment by Europe may pay dividends to America.

If anyone wonders why so so many Americans are in favor of some type of public option for health care, the answer can be found in the Journal of the American Medical Association. According to the August issue health debts caused over 62% of bankruptcies in 2007, up dramatically from the 46% rate just six years earlier.

One answer to this problem is a radical change in our health care system, beginning with each one of us, right now. The current model is treatment-based and we need to shift to a focus on prevention. We don't wait until the engines fall out of our cars before getting them serviced do we? No! We take them in for regular service so expensive problems can be avoided. We need to do the same for our health.

Americans need to take responsibility for their own health. We can prevent bankruptcies in many cases by preventing serious health problems. Don't wait until something goes wrong, take charge of your life right now and do something to maintain better health. For instance, take advantage of the hundreds of complementary and alternative therapies that are available. Most of these are holistic (treat all of you) and are based on preventative medicine.

Swiss Vote for CAM

The Swiss became the first ones in Europe to vote complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) into their constitution recently. Coverage for CAM was removed from their basic health program in 2004 and moved to private health insurance. With more than 67% of the vote the Swiss moved it into their constitution and probably back into basic health care in that country.

This should be a clear indication for Americans on the importance other countries place on CAM. Perhaps there's a reason President Obama recently said he's open to adding CAM to health care reform efforts?

Wall Street Journal Article on Stress

Nice article in today's Wall Street Journal about the health effects of stress. It's sad that mainstream medicine has taken so long to figure it out, but I guess better late than never. Unfortunately there are still too many doctors out there that think "in your head" is synonymous with "psychosomatic" and make believe.

I particularly liked the information on the "gut brain" as they called it. The digestive tract is loaded with its own little nervous system that is incredibly tuned in to our thoughts and emotions. That's why you get butterflies there when you're nervous. Even greater or prolonged anxiety can trigger heartburn, indigestion and irritable-bowel syndrome, in which the normal movement of the colon gets out of rhythm, traps painful gas and alternates between diarrhea and constipation. Been there, done that, it wasn't any fun.

The article didn't really cover the hundreds of different CAM therapies that have been proven to help with stress and the damaging effects on our health. At least it's a start.

Military Progress on CAM

The Air Force runs the military's only acupuncture clinic but beginning in March they'll begin a pilot program to prepare 44 Air Force, Navy and Army doctors to use acupuncture as part of emergency care in frontline hospitals. They will not be using traditional Chinese acupuncture but a modified form called battlefield acupuncture which uses shorter needles to allow personnel to wear helmets. The needles are applied just to the outer ear, not the entire body, so it's a simplified auricular therapy.

The real benefit is that if the military benefits from using this modified acupuncture for pain in war zones like Iraq and Afganistan then its benefits will likely be more accepted back home by civilians.

If found it interesting that the article in today's Dallas Morning News sat next to an article on how the FDA's medical advisors are urging a ban on the prescription drug Darvon that's been used to treat pain for 50 years. It continues to be one of the 25 most commonly prescribed drugs today but in 2007 there were 503 deaths from the drug. It's an interesting contrast to acupuncture which has been used safely for 5,000 years.

2007 CAM Health Study

The 2007 National Health Interview Survey of 23,000 adults suggests overall use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices has remained relatively steady at about 40% but with significant increases in the use of deep breathing, meditation, massage therapy and yoga.

The latest study is consistent with the 2002 research showing CAM use among adults was greater among women than men (42.8 to 33.5 percent), among older people than younger (30-39 years: 39.6 percent, 40-49 years: 40.1 percent, 50-59 years: 44.1 percent), and among people with higher levels of education (55.4 percent).

It's interesting to note that CAM is now being used by 1 in 9 kids but this can include supplements like echinaccea for colds. It would appear their parents' practices played a big role because kids were 5x more likely to use CAM if a parent or other relative did. The top health issues kids used CAM for were head and neck pain, colds, anxiety, body aches and insomnia.

The study was done by the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Saving $700 Million

In these difficult economic times wouldn't you like to save $700 million? That's the figure that experts say we're wasting in health care every year in America. Right now we spend 16.3% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on health care, more than any other nation on earth, yet we rank #48 for life expectancy and 19 out of 19 industrialized countries in preventable deaths.

Recent news reports make it clear. "We're not getting what we pay for," said Dr. Denis Cortese, president and chief executive of the Mayo Clinic. "It's just that simple."

Experts say as much as half of the $2.3 trillion spent each year on health care is wasted. Since he promised every family savings of $2,500 President-Elect Obama faces steep challenges on health care.

One way to reduce costs is to capitalize on the hundreds of CAM therapies that have been proven safe and effective for hundreds, even thousands, of years. Not every health problem needs prescription drugs and high tech.

Common Traits of Healers

There was a recent article in Annals of Internal Medicine based on interviews with 50 practitioners from allopathic and complementary & alternative medicine which found their common skills as "healers" to be: Do the little things; Take time; Be open and listen; Find something to like, to love; Remove barriers; Let the patient explain; Share authority and
Be committed.

Now you know what to look for in your health practitioners.

Cancer and Mind-Body Medicine

A study in the journal Cancer says that reducing stress in breast cancer patients can reduce their risk of dying from the disease by 50%. The study also found that psychological interventions reduced the risk that tumors would come back by 45%.

The researchers focused on stress reduction as a primary reason why patients appeared to benefit from group counseling sessions.

As usual modern medicine is looking for a direct cause-and-effect relationship involving some chemical rather than recognizing the power of energy (thought, feelings) and its impact on epigenetics.

WHO Promotes CAM

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued its "Beijing Declaration" at the end of its congress on traditional medicine on Saturday recognizing traditional medicine as "one of the resources of primary health care services to increase availability and affordability." WHO added that "people have the right and duty to participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of their health care, which may include access to traditional medicine." Traditional medicine is another description of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

"The knowledge of traditional medicine, treatments and practices should be respected, preserved, promoted and communicated widely and appropriately based on the circumstances in each country," said the declaration.
This medical resource which goes back to our earliest civilizations should be respected and cherished, not run over in our haste to employ the latest medical fad.

Drug Industry Control of Government

How much fun is the drug industry having with the current administration and climate in Washington? Would you believe they increased their lobbying spending by 32% in 2007? The pharmaceutical industry's spending has skyrocketed since Democrats took control of Congress to $168 million and it comes as no surprise that for the first time they gave more to Democrats than Republicans.

The biggest single spender was the industry's hub group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Board which paid $23 million. Their goal is to block the importation of inexpensive foreign drugs and to protect their patents. They're also doing everything they can to slow the growth of generics.

So next time you're spending $10 Oor more) per pill just remember who to thank!

With this kind of financial power is it any wonder that the field of complementary and alternative medicine is under more legislative attacks than ever before? Remember it was only 20 years ago that the federal courts had to protect chiropractors from the attacks of the American Medical Association. They've got the gold, and they're making the rules in Washington and in state capitals all across America.

Lost Opportunity to Save Lives

The sudden death of journalist Tim Russert was a shock to everyone. He had just passed a heart stress test two weeks prior to collapsing at work. His loss is shared by family, friends and his many media colleagues and my condolences go out to those who knew him.

In reporting on his death the news media has gone into great detail about how heart disease kills 300,000 Americans every year and is still our #1 cause of death. The news stories have gone into great detail on all of the surgical options, diagnostic tests, even prescription medications on this popular topic. In other words they've covered the story from every possible angle ... but one.

I've seen stories in almost every major media and not once has there been any mention of any complementary and alternative therapy for heart disease. I expected to see at least some mention of the Ornish Program which is the only medically-proven treatment to reverse heart disease. Or perhaps Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School or some other proven CAM therapy. Instead all of the media chose to stick to their AMA-approved script. I'm sure all of the drug companies cheered all the reporting on their wonderful medications, they consider it free advertising.

This is just the latest example of how shallow journalism has become. It's sad and ironic that a journalist who always wanted to get behind the photo-op and underneath the press release became the latest example of the surface reporting that passes for journalism today in our country. Tim Russert, of all people, would've scolded his colleagues to do their job and get the WHOLE story, not just the sound bite.

The result of this media failure is another lost opportunity to help hundreds of thousands of people find better health with complementary and alternative medicine.

Complementary & Alternative Medicine Opinion of Former Surgeon General

Ran across an interesting interview with former Surgeon General Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona, M.D. recently where he talked a little bit about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). While admitting that some good comes from CAM, those parts that are scientifically proven and then accepted into mainstream medicine, he feels that billions of dollars are being wasted on dubious devices and products. He added that "But the fact that 50% of Americans are spending discretionary income on alternative medicine shows that the public is dissatisfied with the healthcare system."

I do agree with him on one major point: people don't know enough about their health. Dr. Carmona said "We're a health illiterate nation. Studies show that about one third of our population doesn't understand the connection between their lifestyle and their health outcomes...The real challenge for consumer-directed initiatives is to deliver health literate, culturally competent messages that resonate with diverse populations....Health literacy is the currency of success for everything we need to do to improve the health, safety, and security of our nation."

Hopefully UnBreak Your Health is one of the ways to improve the health of Americans!

CAM Growing in Popularity

People want complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) even when they're using mainstream medicine. The American Hospital Association does a survey every two years on CAM use in hospitals and the latest shows the percentage of hospitals offering one or more CAM services increased from 8% in 1998 to 27% in 2005.

You probably expect them all to be in California but most were in the Midwest and they were actually less common on the West Coast. The least common areas to offer CAM services were in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The top CAM services offered on an outpatient basis among hospitals were massage therapy (71%); tai chi, yoga, or chi gong (47%); relaxation training (43%), acupuncture (39%); guided imagery (32%), and therapeutic touch (30%). The top inpatient services were massage therapy (37%), music/art therapy (26%), therapeutic touch (25%), guided imagery (22%), relaxation training (20%), and acupuncture (11%).

There are literally hundreds of other therapies available (as shown in UnBreak Your Health) but at least we're making a start. Hospitals and doctors are beginning to realize there are thousands of years of healing experience available in therapies outside of prescription drugs. People are finding the courage to ask for what they want.