Americans are moving to natural medicine in record numbers, and the goal of this book is to help you in that endeavor. Patients are tired of being sick. They are tired of being told that their symptoms are in their head when a doctor can’t come up with a unifying diagnosis in the few minutes allotted to them. Many patients have seen multiple doctors in an attempt to get well, and after years of frustration and expense, are no better off, and perhaps worse. Patients finally question their doctor’s word, and are slowly becoming advocates for their own care. In this time of fiscal irresponsibility, deception, internet access, and greed, patients are beginning to take matters into their own hands, as well they should.

Although mostly corrupt, our federal government grasps the financial aspects of our ill-health. In an op-ed article written by Senator Tom Harkin during the healthcare debate (as if it has ended) he wrote, “…we currently do not have a healthcare system in the United States, we have a sick care system. We spend twice as much per capita on healthcare as European countries, but we are twice as sick with chronic disease. The problem is that we have systemically neglected wellness and disease prevention.” He went on to cite from Dean Ornish’s testimony before the Senate health committee quoting, “studies have shown that changing lifestyle could prevent at least 90% of all heart disease.”

The question is, “whose advice do you heed?” There are many large companies with money at stake. Some authorities tell you one thing, while others say the opposite. You, the average consumer, with all of the other aspects of life in balance, require an honest broker in the most important aspect of life itself, your health. There are facets of natural medicine unknown to you which may help with the stress, toxins, adultered foods, genetic flaws, and other issues that impact our health.

I wrote this to empower you as the biggest advocate and practitioner in your family’s healthcare. I provide extensive clinical data to support the use of natural medicine, and to help guide you in your endeavors to save you money, time, and frustration. So let’s take a step back and take some bearings.

The type of medicine we are accustomed to here in America is modern/western/conventional/allopathic medicine, which will simply be referred to as modern or conventional medicine. You know it well. Natural medicine is a bit more complex to define. Natural medicine will use conventional and non-conventional diagnostics, nutrition, exercise, and supplements based on the biochemistry of the human genome to better your health. Natural medicine has many uses, but in fairness, modern medicine does as well, and using the best of both worlds together is what’s referred to as integrative medicine. We will not look into yoga, spirituality, biofeedback, hypnosis, bodywork, homeopathy, and chiropractic medicine, all of which fall under the umbrella of alternative medicine. The focus of this book is on hard science known to us in nutrition, biochemistry, and supplements.

Unlike many other books on the shelf trying to sell you some miracle at the expense of your money, I will provide honest and well researched data, and supply both sides of an argument when applicable. I will mention no products or companies by name. I find that adults can’t be told to do something like a child can, but value must be shown, and only then can an independent decision be made. I will try to show you value through data and reason. As you probably already know, researchers can’t agree on anything, which is why you are so confused about what to eat, what to take, and what to do. I will do my best to clarify this confusion for you. There are enormous sums of money at stake here in the “healthcare game”. Companies pushing foods, drugs, insurance, healthcare, supplements, and more have both mutual and conflicting interests. You, the consumer, are left fending for yourself, trying to distill fact from fiction, doing the best you can for your own health.

I am excited to bring to you some amazing information, some of which you may be somewhat familiar, but most you’ve likely never seen before. Many of the topics are highly debatable, but I bring you cutting edge research and opinions not from someone with questionable motives, but with a vested interest in doing the right thing. I am passionate about natural medicine as it has helped to save me, and it can potentially do the same for you or a loved one. I have compiled some of the most interesting topics from 25 years of research. Within each chapter I’ll support controversial statements with data, turning upside-down much of what you’ve heard about health.

There are several central aspects to this book. One of which is inspiring you to become the primary caregiver in your own healthcare. The days of the “doctor knows all” are rapidly disappearing. The way medicine is conducted these days leaves you to fulfill your own needs. Patients cannot walk into the practitioner’s office expecting a crystal ball diagnosis and some Rx  “magic in a bottle”. Nor should we expect to buy a bottle of supplements expecting a miracle either. You are an active participant in this process, and the process may be longer and more challenging than you’d like. Those can be the facts, and I won’t mislead you.

Natural medicine is very tricky business. There is still so much we do not know about the human body. Amazingly, we do know a good bit, but it’s buried in research which doesn’t often see the light of day, and thus practitioners are not working with all the information. Historical perceptions, money, power, and marketing can sway many a mind. This is why many patients, conventional doctors, and even practitioners in natural medicine are looking for answers. Consider the data presented, and with independence of thought, make up your own mind. Don’t be a lemming.

This book will not provide all answers to all conditions, but will show you the power of natural medicine, nutrition, and non-conventional diagnostics through multiple common examples which may pertain to you. As a proponent and critic of natural medicine, I’ll help highlight some of the pitfalls within the profession as well. On the one hand, there are some talented practitioners out there doing wonderful things with natural medicine in autism, gastrointestinal disorders, and much more. However, there are many highly questionable ones as well. How do you get to the right provider, and avoid quackery and greed, so you don’t waste your time and money? Have you been given guarantees when it comes to your health? If so, do they back it up with their wallet? I doubt it. They usually back it up with yours. So, whether you’re considering a first visit to a natural practitioner, or a frustrating one-more-last-chance visit, this book may help. Although practitioners may hang a shingle that says “natural medicine”, it doesn’t mean they know what they’re doing. In your life, you’ve interacted with many people who have a given title or degree, but you’ve found that it doesn’t mean they are any good at what they profess. Healthcare providers are human like the rest of us. Some are better at what they do. Some take their job more seriously than others.

On a different level, there is a love-hate battle going on between conventional and natural medicine. We all read the articles bashing supplements and/or natural medicine, and yet people know there’s “something to it”, and display that with their wallets. Conventional doctors will often dismiss natural medicine, although they know next to nothing about it. What they also don’t know is that big-pharma and big business are very much in bed with natural medicine. For example, have you heard of Lovaza, formerly Omacor? It’s a fish oil. It may be prescription, but it’s still a fish oil. The company that owns Lovaza, Reliant Pharmaceuticals Inc, had the “ability” to get it passed as a prescription item, which is thus conveniently covered by Medicare. Do you want another example? I’m sure you’ve heard of Resveratrol. A Harvard researcher was able to increase the life span of mice using this interesting polyphenol from the skin of red grapes. He co-founded a company named Sirtris, based on a resveratrol proprietary formulation and sold it to GlaxoSmithKline for $720 million. It’s currently in phase 2 trials for diabetes. How about another? Have you heard of Folate? Of course you have. It’s a B vitamin. There is more than one form of folate available in the market. You can buy folic acid, which is less expensive and widely utilized, or you can also buy a product known as 5-MTHF, or “active” folate. There is only one source for 5-MTHF, and it’s pricey. Guess who owns it? Merck of Germany. “Big Pharma” sees the potential healing in natural medicine, and all the money the public spends on supplements doesn’t go unnoticed. If big-pharma is on board, maybe it’s time for those of you who view big pharma as the solution to get on board too.