Finding New Tools to Heal the Whole Body
We live in a world that relies heavily on conventional medicine and, especially, pharmaceutical drugs to manage disease conditions. For acute and critical problems these approaches have tremendous value, but they are less useful in cases of chronic illness, many of which result from unhealthy lifestyle choices. I have been researching alternative healing practices for more than 40 years. After completing my training in conventional medicine, I traveled the world, living with and acquiring knowledge from people of many different cultures. Most of the healing systems I have studied emphasize the role of food choices and sleep, along with natural remedies, mind/body techniques, and spiritual practices, to maintain and restore health. Combining some of these ideas and methods with conventional medicine has been the foundation of the integrative medicine that I teach and practice.
Body on Fire is an engaging book that recounts the parallel journeys of two skilled physicians, Dr. Monica Aggarwal and Dr. Jyothi Rao, who were motivated to find new tools that would enable them to heal the whole body, not just treat symptoms. I first met Dr. Aggarwal, an energetic and accomplished cardiologist, in 2005. She had a thriving practice, with a commitment to provide the best care for her patients, but she was already aware of the limitations of pharmaceuticals and curious about alternative therapies. When she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2011, her search for other ways to treat began in earnest. Dr. Aggarwal offers a frank discussion of her debilitating disease and her path to healing. I am impressed by her transformation and evolution as a physician and how she has learned to incorporate her discoveries into caring for her patients. The positive outcome she experienced is an inspiring testament to the power of choice and control we have in matters of health.
Dr. Jyothi Rao is a dedicated internist who has long held the belief that healing the body involves much more than pills. More and more providers are struggling with the same frustration with conventional medicine that she felt. It led her to pursue acupuncture and functional medicine to help her patients. I admire her relentless effort to create an integrative internal medicine practice that is demonstrating how nonpharmacologic modalities can change lives.
The book these two doctors have written is a useful resource for anyone interested in attaining better health. The authors explain how both lifestyle choices and environmental triggers can cause breakdowns in various body systems, and they offer prescriptions with detailed practical tips to correct them. Anyone can make use of this advice to have lasting benefits with only positive side effects. Drs. Aggarwal and Rao draw on available scientific data to support their points and are not afraid to say when data are lacking.
We know that our health is not predetermined by genes alone. It is our day-to-day choices of how we live, environmental influences, stressors, and how we handle them that determine health outcomes. The experience of illness is not the same for everyone with the same diagnosis. Treatment must be individualized—there is no one size that fits all. And the impact of lifestyle changes will also differ from person to person. But I believe the information and tools that Drs. Aggarwal and Rao present in these pages are applicable to all of us and can serve as a guide to achieving optimum health.
ANDREW WEIL, MD