ESU Talk 3-13-09

Recently, Helen gave talk at the English Speaking Union (ESU).  Included below is a full transcript of the presentation.

“President Obama has begun his presidency pressing for action on comprehensive health care reform.  He has stressed the urgency of reining in skyrocketing health care costs straining the budgets of families, businesses, and Federal and state governments.

Mr. Obama has decided to let Congress thrash out the details with the White House providing guidance along the way.  Leaders in Congress, many far more versed in the issues than the president is, will have to step in and fashion an effective bill.  If they falter, Mr. Obama will need to step in with a clear vision and vigorous leadership.

The White House has obviously decided that it is best to let Congress work out the compromises and decide how to allocate the “pain.”  This is the opposite of the Clinton Administration’s approach.  It hatched a highly detailed plan in secret that never won Congressional support and crashed under a barrage of opposition from affected industries.” (NY Times March 8, 2009)

This is a tremendous undertaking both for the Government, both administrative and elected officials, and for the medical community.  I am going to talk about what I think will be most probably be first part and how that will affect you and the NE Ohio medical communities.

Part of the Obama stimulus plan is putting money into “preventive care or preventive medicine. “Preventive care” is the key phrase of the first steps in the national health care focus..

To clear any confusion , let’s define “Preventive care” or “Preventative medicine” as well as “Integrative medicine”

1. Preventative Medicine – Before disease strikes: It is pro-active and health oriented. The goal is to improve our life-styles by eliminating and reducing obesity through diet, by smoking cessation programs, and exercise programs.  .   These simple programs can save lives, promote a good quality of life, and save billions of dollars spent on health care; i.e. preventing disease before it strikes, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and everything else in between.  A healthy life style strengthens the body to fight off diseases.   I heard a number – Pro-active programs if they become successful can save up to  $300 billion a year in health care?
2. Preventative Medicine  is also needed  after disease strikes to prevent it from returning. After Retroactive treatment are used to treat the sporadic disease,  1. Find it 2. Fix it, 3. Go home. You just hope it does not return.  Here’s where Preventative medicine comes into the picture again.   Preventative Medicine is used to treat the “cured” patient to the extend that the disease does not return and any side effects caused by the disease or the treatment are mitigated.

Cancer and the side effects of the disease and treatment – What to do?

Patient Advocate

I will not discuss the pros and cons of current cancer treatments.  Only that I encourage those facing this disease to enlist the aid of a relative or close friend to work with them as a “patient advocate” in meeting with the physicians and in assisting  in making the final decisions regarding treatment.  Supporters are also needed to be with you throughout the treatments.

Integrative Medicine

Uniting Allopathic medical treatments with alternative medical treatments that have been proven effective equals Integrative Medicine or the integration of the two treatments rather than one over the other.

Preventative medicine brings the body back to health so that the body and/r immune systems are strengthened through specific treatments, such as diet, herbs and botanicals, acupuncture, energy medicine, and spirituality.

Our foundation, and the general public, who is spending billions of dollars each year on alternative medicine that they are not sure will work, want our medical professionals to guide us in this area.  That means that the medical community must become open and educated about issues of vitamins, botanicals, energy medicine, spirituality, and acupuncture.  

In other words, the “talk and the walk” now for the public is “Integrative Medicine” that takes the body in a holistic fashion using both allopathic medical treatments (traditional western medicine and its focus on research and drugs)  including or followed by what used to be called “alternative medicine.” This course is being seriously considered by the Government and the medical community as acceptable practice.

On February 25th and 26th, 2009, Jim Moss, my son and board member of our foundation,  attended the Summit On Integrative Medicine And The Health Of The Public at the Institute Of Medicine in Washington D.C. (“Conference”). (The following comments are taken from a report by Jim Moss)

This Conference was the first time the Government had presented this subject and was the largest summit ever attended, 600 medical professionals, with a waiting list of 400 people.

The Conference was an opportunity for us to learn about integrative medicine more from a policy perspective rather than specific details about individual treatment options.  Topics presented and discussed included the preventative benefits of integrative medicine, how integrative health care can affect genetic predisposition, and what research is needed before integrative treatments can be recommended as a course of treatment by physicians.

Although integrative medicine can be effective in the treatment of the immediate disease, it may also prevent the reoccurrence of chronic illness as a result of cancer, diabetes, etc..  An integrative approach to health care is about restoring and maintaining health using both conventional and non-conventional treatments.  A holistic treatment offered by integrative medicine may not only eliminate or reduce the disease and/or its symptoms for which the patient seeks treatment, but may also provide the patient with a plan of health that can have lifelong physical, emotional, and spiritual beneficial effects.

Dr. Snyderman from Duke University, who put together this symposium, summarized a comparison of the different approaches between contemporary conventional treatment and integrative treatment as follows:

Integrative health means bringing back the centrality of the individual rather than treating only the immediate disease.  Preventing future disease is as important as treating the immediate disease for which the patient seeks treatment.  A physician who takes the time to learn the susceptibilities of the patient may be able to empower the patient to live a healthier and perhaps even a happier life.  For example, an integrative approach to health care might empower a young adult patient with a baseline risk of a heart attack to exercise, eat nutritional foods, stop smoking, and reduce stress so that the patient might never suffer a heart attack that might otherwise occur. Where is the doctor going to find the time.

The goal of a combined conventional and alternative approach to health care does not just result in the absence of disease.  A holistic course of treatment offers patients the opportunity to become actively involved in their health so that they can live up to their own personal health potential & therefore “life potential

Summary.  As humans we have the ability to nurture nature.  Patients who have a predisposition to a particular disease, such as heart disease or diabetes, can significantly reduce the likelihood of chronic illness by adopting a healthy lifestyle.  We have the ability to change our genetic destiny.  An integrative approach to health care can be an effective method to treating diseases to which persons may be genetically predisposed.  As a result, it is vital that physicians offer a holistic integrative approach to treatment that can significantly improve the patient’s duration and quality of life.

Testing Models of Integrative Care

Unfortunately, there has been relatively little funding dedicated to testing models of integrative care.  In addition, random control trials that were originally developed for drug development are not very effective measurements of some preventative care treatments.

Undoubtedly, the scientific community will require hard evidence before accepting the effectiveness of integrative care.  But it may be years before scientists are sufficiently persuaded that integrative health care is effective and safe.  There is a belief among many at the Conference that patients with chronic illnesses cannot wait for the scientific community to formally approve some integrative treatments for which there is absolutely no evidence of negative side effects. From my experience, I agree with them.

Patient Advocate

Integrative health care is a holistic approach to treatment that can provide the patient with a plan of health that can have lifelong physical, emotional, and spiritual beneficial effects. As a patient advocate and from my point of view and my experience, I am convinced that it is a tragedy to withhold information about integrative care options and information from patients.

Finally, I believe it is time for the medical community to partner with and empower the patient with information about treatment options associated with integrative health care.  Patients have the right to make informed choices concerning their own care that could affect their physical, emotional, and spiritual life.  It is the obligation of physicians to provide patients with these choices. The Government and its position may accelerate this point of view.