Monday, September 17, 2007

Do We Really Know What Makes Us Healthy?

A very important article to read. You can access it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/magazine/16epidemiology-t.html?ex=1190606400&en=6f2433873fafc89c&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Sunday, September 9, 2007

The Art of Diagnosis

The art of diagnosis is disappearing and I take this as a very sad occurrence. One of the problems, perhaps, is that western medicine and scientists try so hard to ensure that there is no art to diagnosis; that it is a strict scientific discovery. In prior posts I have demonstrated how the art and the science must co-exist to arrive at a comprehensive and holistic diagnosis using our minds (theory) plus our senses (touch/palpation, listening, smelling, looking, etc.) and our experience and intuition.

Just yesterday, a New York Times Magazine article was brought to my attention. It was about diagnosing a young girl with periodic fevers and abdominal pain that would come and go every so often. The doctors were perplexed and it wasn't until she had a positive test that they had any real idea of what was going on. If only this was a rare occurrence, I would pay it no mind. But the following quote was made by one of the doctors. It struck me how sad it is that a doctor could make this statement; especially as it seemed to be stated out of a pride for the advancement of western diagnostic tests. What about the decline of medical diagnosis? The quote was:
"In medicine, we can only really know a disease once we have a test that can reliably identify it."

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Living Without Reference Points

What would your life be like if you could live each moment in the moment without judging it based upon your past experiences or projecting it into the future? Experiencing things as they truly are with no bias or duality or theoretical constructs......

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Surfing in La Jolla

Back from La Jolla and a week at the beach. The week wouldn't have been complete without a surf lesson. I didn't have my camera, but luckily someone caught a shot of me :)










picture from facs.scripps.edu/surf/surfphotos.html

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Environmental Toxins Killing 13 Million Children per Year

excerpted from organic consumers newsletter:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the most extensive research to date on the impacts of environmental toxins on children's health. The report indicates that over 30% of childhood diseases can be linked to exposure to environmental toxins. According to WHO researchers, 13 million deaths could be prevented annually by improving the environment. The vulnerability of children is increased in degraded and poor environments. The report states that due to environment-related diseases, one in five children in the poorest parts of the world will not live longer than their fifth birthday. The Organic Consumers Association's "Appetite for a Change" campaign is focused on implementing policies and practices that can one day provide a safe environment for our children.
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/afc.cfm

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

The State of our Healthcare System

I urge everyone to see this film (Sicko). While Michael Moore is seen by many as controversial and presenting one-sided arguments, this is a side of the story everyone should be aware of. And while many may think these horror stories cannot happen to them, I was just informed this morning of how my mentor and friend was thrown out of the hospital with severe injuries because his health care insurance (Medicare) would not pay to admit him.