This is very timely because it involves someone we all felt we knew, if not personally. And it focuses the harsh light of public scrutiny on Western medicine, or the medical-pharmaceutical complex, as some have dubbed it. In an excellent article in Natural News Western Medicine Fails Tim Russert, Byron Richards (Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist, nationally-renowned nutrition expert, and founder of Wellness Resources) says if Russert were able, he himself would be asking some tough questions about why he died.
So far, his doctor has not shared details of how Russert was being treated. The same doctor was surprised that the autopsy revealed clogged arteries or that his heart was enlarged, despite his having been obese for years. Was Russert, a diabetic for years, on Avandia, a drug known to significantly increase your chances of having a heart attack? Was he being treated with statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) whose chronic use caused a weakening of the heart?
This is a reminder that Western medicine all too often fails to improve one’s chronic health conditions; at best it will slow the rate of decline, postponing what they deem to be the inevitable. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) offers a much better record in many cases and without much of the expense, risks or detrimental side effects. Please read the article for the number of good points it raises but a big point it makes: This should be a real wake-up call to men (and women) who think they can continue to neglect their health, let their weight continue to rise, eat poorly, not get enough exercise and think the good doctors and his pills will save you – from yourself.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Did you notice that with all of the news coverage there wasn’t a single mention of the Ornish Program? Dr. Dean Ornish created the only medically-proven treatment program to reverse heart disease without drugs or surgery. With all of the reporting on Russert’s death and the fact that heart disease is still America’s #1 killer with 300,000 deaths per year, there would seem to be a little media bias against complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
Getting the word out about the world of hope and health called CAM can be very, very challenging today! UnBreak Your Health may be an award-winning book featured recently in Well Being Journal magazine and I’ve done nearly 30 radio interviews but we’re just beginning to get the word out about this guide to the world of CAM.
If Tim Russert had read UnBreak Your Health perhaps he would’ve researched some of the wonderful options available like the Ornish Program and still be alive today.
Thanks for your thoughts, Alan. Excellent points you make. Dr. Ornish’s program has been around for years and has well proven itself. It is indeed a pity it has not been more widely adopted. And I appreciate your bringing two fine resources to the attention of my readers, your book, UnBreak Your Health, and Well Being Journal.