PROLOGUE

“The enemy of the conventional wisdom is
not ideas but the march of events.”

—John Kenneth Galbraith

THE TERM “CONVENTIONAL WISDOM” was coined by the noted economist John Kenneth Galbraith in his book The Affluent Society, in 1958. According to Galbraith, conventional wisdom is established if it is simple, convenient, comfortable, and comforting—though not necessarily true. Galbraith also said, “We associate truth with convenience, with what most closely accords with self-interest or personal well-being.” People want to believe conventional wisdom because it is indeed so simple, convenient, comfortable and comforting, even if it may not be true. And once conventional wisdom on any topic is accepted, it becomes difficult to prove otherwise.

In the United States, the medical establishment has created the conventional wisdom that drug-oriented medicine is the best form of medicine. Yet many of these drugs only make us feel better in the short term, while exposing us to the risk of dependency, producing side effects worse than the condition being treated, or actually causing the condition to worsen. These substantial risks, and the rising costs associated with a drug-oriented medical system, are creating an opportunity for change.

Change is definitely coming; in fact, we are in the midst of it. There has been a subtle revolution in medicine for years, and a new paradigm is emerging. A paradigm is a model used to explain events. As our understanding of the environment and the human body evolves, new paradigms—new explanations—are developed. For example, in physics the cause-and-effect explanations of Descartes and Newton were superseded by quantum mechanics, Einstein’s theory of relativity, and theoretical physics, which takes into consideration the tremendous interconnectedness of the universe.

The new paradigm in medicine also focuses on interconnectedness: in this case, of body, mind, emotions, social factors, and the environment in determining the status of an individual’s health. And whereas the old paradigm viewed the body basically as a machine that can be fixed best with drugs and surgery, in the new, emerging model these measures are secondary to natural, noninvasive, techniques to promote health and healing. The relationship between the physician and the patient is also evolving. The era of the physician as a demigod is over. The era of self-empowerment is beginning.

NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE

By definition and philosophy most conventional medical doctors (M.D.s) practice allopathic medicine—the system of medicine that focuses primarily on treating disease rather than promoting health. In contrast, you may have noticed the N.D. after my name on the cover. This signifies that I am a naturopathic doctor. I graduated from Bastyr University with a doctorate in naturopathic medicine—a system that emphasizes prevention, treatment, and the promotion of optimal health through the use of natural, nontoxic therapies. The scope of practice of an N.D. includes all aspects of family and primary care, from pediatrics to geriatrics, as well as the full range of human health conditions including cancer. Naturopathic medicine is based on seven time-tested principles:

  1. First, do no harm. N.D.s seek to do no harm with medical treatment; therefore, they employ safe and effective natural therapies.
  2. Employ the healing power of nature. N.D.s believe that the body has considerable power to heal itself. The role of the physician is to facilitate and enhance this process with the aid of natural, nontoxic therapies.
  3. Identify and treat the cause. N.D.s are trained to seek the underlying causes of a disease rather than simply suppress the symptoms. Symptoms are viewed as expressions of the body’s attempt to heal, whereas causes can spring from physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual levels.
  4. Treat the whole person. N.D.s are trained to view an individual as a whole, composed of a complex set of physical, mental-emotional, spiritual, social, and other factors.
  5. The physician is a teacher. The word “doctor” comes from the Latin docere, which means “to teach.” N.D.s view our roles as primarily those of teachers: to educate, empower, and inspire our patients to assume more personal responsibility for their health by adopting a positive attitude, lifestyle, and diet.
  6. Prevention is the best cure. N.D.s believe that an ounce of prevention is worth much more than a pound of cure. With regard to cancer, this saying is especially true. We are specialists in preventive medicine. Real prevention of death caused by cancer is achieved not only by early diagnosis, but also through education and encouraging life habits that support health.
  7. Establish health and wellness. Our primary goals for our patients are to establish and maintain optimum health and to promote wellness. “Health” is defined as the state of optimal physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being; “wellness” is defined as a state of health, characterized by a positive emotional state. Naturopathic physicians strive to increase the patient’s level of wellness, regardless of the level of health or disease. Even in cases of severe disease such as cancer, a high level of wellness can often be achieved.

THE NEED FOR RATIONAL MEDICINE

When people refer to me as an expert in alternative medicine, I usually correct them. I am a proponent of what I like to describe as rational medicine, which combines the best of both conventional medicine and alternative methods. In fact, I believe a system is evolving and emerging that incorporates the best of both conventional medicine and what is currently labeled “alternative” medicine. My goal is to speed up this process. Just as we now view the conventional treatments in vogue at the beginning of the nineteenth century (e.g., mercury, bloodletting, and purges) as having been irrational, counterproductive, and in many cases harmful, so too will many of today’s conventional treatments be judged in a similar light by the medical circles of tomorrow. However, there are many conventional medical practices and drugs that are completely rational. In fact, it would be irrational not to take advantage of modern medicine when appropriate. That said, there is no question that the majority of health complaints for which patients see doctors originate with dietary and lifestyle factors. Trying to treat the symptoms with a drug (a biochemical Band-Aid) often fails to address the underlying cause and as a result leads to side effects. Clearly, a more rational and truthful approach to health care is needed.

SOME WORDS OF CAUTION

Although this book discusses numerous natural medicines and approaches, it is not intended as a substitute for appropriate medical care. Please keep the following in mind as you read:

MY HOPE

It is my sincere hope that you—and those you care about—will use the information provided in the following pages to achieve greater health and happiness. I also hope that you can all become advocates of change. The nineteenth-century philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer observed that truth passes through three phases: first, it is ridiculed; second, it is fiercely and violently opposed; and third, it becomes self-evident. However, this three-part progression does not happen automatically or magically. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, duration is not enough: the mere passage of time does not create change. It requires ordinary people envisioning, acting and constructing the future. Each of us can help bring this progression into being—in part, by being “phase three” people currently living in a “phase one” and “phase two” world.

Live in good health with passion and joy!

Michael T. Murray, N.D.