For most, it’s some kind of “kooky” avoidance of “real” medicine…
“Conventional” doctors treat symptoms, have not been trained to promote health and really don’t want to hear about your success stories with “alternative medicine”
Until they get their own tragic diagnosis of disease—like Sharlene in the video below. For most, it’s something that you seek out after you’ve been diagnosed with a serious disease. Then, when thousands of people return to their cardiologist after reversing their heart disease by following the advice of Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. Campbell, their doctor usually utters something like:
“Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it.”
But the cardiologist doesn’t really want to know any of the details—and deep down inside is probably thinking that she’s lost a patient.
We know that 95% of the cases of heart disease and type 2 diabetes are easily reversible with a whole foods, plant-based diet. But for cancer, the reversal chances vary greatly as to whether the disease is slowed, stopped or reversed. Further, in terms of reversal of any disease—most of the evidence is anecdotal. Here is a video of Sharlene, who had her cancer reversed by following the Gerson Therapy guidelines. It is a 2009 video that has been seen almost 50,000 times.
Although her story is compelling, she makes a disturbing comment late in the video about “finishing the Gerson Program.” It sounded like she was seeing the plant-based Gerson approach as being something you resort to temporarily after getting your death sentence. Eventually, people everywhere need to know about the health-promoting power of whole plants to prevent the vast majority of ALL of our chronic diseases.
Meet Sharlene
More on “alternative medicine.” Wikipedia says it’s any practice claiming to heal that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine. Claims about the efficacy of alternative medicine tend to lack evidence, and have been shown to repeatedly fail during testing.
But the main problem with “conventional medicine” is that most of the medical practice has become one of treating diseases that never need exist. Like Dr. Esselstyn says, “Heart disease a toothless paper tiger that need never exist.”
Alternative Medicine can mean different things to different people. For me, it’s not a temporary treatment for a problem—it’s a lifelong process of promoting and maintaining vibrant health.
Confusion over clarity. An internet search of “alternative medicine” yielded 88 million results with treatments, therapies and potions that boggle the mind. No doubt there are some very effective treatments—but how is one supposed to know the difference between a scam and a reliable and effective treatment?
Our entire medical system took the wrong road long ago when it began promoting “allopathic” medicine over health promotion. As the root words imply, allopathic means treating symptoms—mostly with drugs. But there is a better way; in fact, Hippocrates spoke of it thousands of years ago when he said, “Your food will be your medicine and your medicine will be your food.”
He was speaking of the need for all species (including humans) to eat the food that nature intended. In the case of humans, that is whole, plant-based foods. Unfortunately, even our most recognized convert to plant-based eating (Bill Clinton) often speaks of his diet-style in a manner that makes it sound like an “alternative” approach that is only needed when you’re been diagnosed with heart disease, cancer or other chronic diseases.
Bill Clinton making a point about his “plant-based” diet to Wolf Blitzer on CNN. You can see this video on the Video tab of this website.
The Bottom Line. Until this superior diet-style becomes widely accepted by the majority of the people, Bill Clinton’s health promoting diet will always be considered just some kind of “kooky” therapy to consider only when you’re sick.
But because of the work of heroes like Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, future generations may enjoy a life of vibrant health—mostly free of the need for what we now know as conventional medicine. Exactly what Hippocrates had in mind.
The good news is that you don’t have to wait for those future generations. You can embrace the health promoting powers of whole plants for you and your family—NOW!
Handy 4-piece take-charge-of-your-health kit—from Amazon.com
- The movie that’s changing the lives of millions: Forks Over Knives DVD
- Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (our book)
- An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell
- Dr. McDougall’s new book, The Starch Solution, with lots of great recipes.
Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Diagnostic Survey. It takes less than five minutes and you can score it yourself. After taking the survey, please give me your feedback as it will be helpful in the development of our future 4Leaf app for smartphones. Send feedback to jmorrishicks@me.com
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J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.
For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4Leaf page or some great recipes at Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen.
Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.
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Blogging daily at hpjmh.com…from the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.
—J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation
J. Morris Hicks, engineer. writer. big picture guy. 