For the first time, science can realistically envision life expectancies of over 100 years. The key to realizing longevity, however, lies with us: we can change the quality and span of our lives by controlling our diet, attitude, and lifestyle, and by using certain biochemical supplements and natural medicines proven by cutting-edge scientific study.
Recent advances in medical research have shown that the "natural" mental and physical decline associated with human aging not only can be significantly delayed, but also, in some cases, actually reversed. This has tremendous implications for our aging population, and for those in middle age who can benefit from early interventions aimed at slowing the aging process and reducing the risk of serious degenerative disease.
New Goals for Health in the 21st Century
In addition, there has been a shift from the long-accepted medical model (emphasizing the treatment and management of disease) to a prevention-oriented health care system (where disease is prevented or detected very early), a shift which has been largely driven by consumer/patient demand and the growing recognition it is a highly effective way to manage the escalating costs of complex medical treatments. And with the growing trend towards managed care, medical school curricula are increasingly focused on preparing a greater number of general physicians for the practice of primary care medicine. Primary care involves common health problems and preventive measures that account for 80-90 percent of visits to a doctor or other health professional. Secondary and tertiary care involve increasingly complex problems that require more specialized or critical-care treatments.
In the US, we are becoming increasingly aware that the needs of our society require an emphasis on primary care and primary prevention. Current United States policy guidelines elaborated in the 1979 publication Healthy People: The Surgeon-General's Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and the 1990 release of Healthy People 2000: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) emphasize preventive health care and three broad goals to be reached by the year 2000:
1. Increase the span of healthy life for Americans
2. Reduce health disparities among Americans
3. Achieve access to preventive services for all Americans
There is also growing recognition that, unlike the "first epidemiological revolution" (which effectively caused the death rate from infectious disease to fall rapidly between 1870 and 1930), the "second epidemiological revolution" after World War II is based on the knowledge that the major illnesses in the United States have behavioral causes and are to a great extent preventable. As a result, there is greater interest in the cause of disease, earlier preventive interventions.
The Role of Alternative Medicine
This heightened focus on health promotion and disease prevention has opened a new window of opportunity for alternative medicine whose paradigm generally addresses a more comprehensive view of disease causation. Complementary methods, involving both self-care and care guided by health professionals, stress cooperating with nature and recognizing the body's enormous resources for healing and regeneration. The National Institutes of Health has organized an Office of Alternative Medicine, and a growing number of highly respected teaching institutions, including Columbia and Harvard, are developing initiatives in alternative/complementary medicine to research the safety and effectiveness of various clinical approaches. Certain managed care organizations are studying the feasibility of including options in alternative medicine for their members.
We will always need the tremendous benefits of modern conventional medicine, especially in addressing the critically ill or injured person, in whom natural processes of healing alone may often be inadequate. Just as conventional physicians would rather utilize medicine than surgery because it carries less risk, our emerging integrated healthcare system will depend heavily, I believe, on what is now referred to as "alternative medicine" for the majority of medical problems and conditions which fall within the domain of primary care.
In addition, as information becomes more widely available through the Internet and the technology revolution, people will have greater access to effective self-help strategies that can help to counter the burdens placed on our bodies' regulatory systems by our environment and ourselves. It is possible, for example, that alternative treatments like colon cleansing programs which rid one's gastrointestinal tract of such toxins as pesticides, parasites, and some food additives may help promote healthy gastrointestinal function and prevent health problems. And the importance of a positive, peaceful state of mind cannot be overemphasized. There is increasing evidence that negative mental-emotional patterns such as resentment, envy, fear and guilt can greatly disrupt and disorder the balance of our minds. Modern science is substantiating that every emotional state has a corresponding biochemistry based on the release of powerful neurotransmitters -- naturally produced chemicals which can exert either beneficial or destructive influence on our body's physiology or function. It has become increasingly clear that regular stress management is vital to help us optimize the capacity of our inherent self-healing and self-regulatory mechanisms.
In this context, implementation of an integrated healthcare system which combines the best of conventional and alternative care creates a special opportunity to be at the leading edge of the most important trends in healthcare delivery taking place in America today. The emphasis on promoting health, disease prevention, self-reliance, community outreach, and integrated disease management will only expand in the years ahead.
