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Why Alternative Medicine & Why Now? A Primer on Holistic Medicine

by T. Anthony Kampner M.D.

98 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-0101; ISBN 1-55369-288-8; US$15.00, C$24.00, EUR15.60, £10.90

Suddenly alternative approaches to healing have become very popular and this threatens to transform traditional medical care - This analysis of the foundation of western medicine and renewed interest in eastern practices and

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts or Table of Contents      catalogue info

About the Book     Why Alternative Medicine and Why Now? tells of how our society has progressed through a series of decisions that have resulted in the polarization of all aspects of our perception of reality. We have fragmented our lives and created this chaotic culture; which we have come to love and despise at the same time. Unless we can understand what has happened then we will not be able to find the way to correct our problems. I have tried to illustrate how this process has affected western medicine. In spite of our elaborate technology, physical illness is still rampant. In addition, we have managed to disrupt our spiritual, mental and emotional health as well. We do have diagnostic aids and therapies that seem almost miraculous, yet we do not have optimal health. Many people have material success but are not happy. Frustration, confusion and depression are prevalent. We have not only systematically fragmented our society but have also fragmented ourselves into many sub- specialties. Healing consists of identifying the pieces we have fabricated and putting ourselves and our world back together. Becoming healthy consists of becoming whole again!     If all were well with our system then there would be little interest in alternative therapies; which run the gamut of every healing practice known to mankind since things were recorded. It's as if, intuitively we know that some key fundamentals that were known in the past, are missing and have probably been discarded. If it weren't for the mixing of eastern and western cultures, we would not have been able to see our way back to a more holistic view of health. Unless we openly acknowledge our spiritual side; and insist that we take it into our daily activities, then the reality of spirit will repeatedly be denied because of our scientific process. I humbly offer this theory as a framework to help us restore the missing ingredients so that we will be able to approach the future with optimism and joy.     You might wonder why a book on holistic health would have this symbol for enduring world peace on the cover. A true and lasting peace is dependent on our seeking and attaining this personal optimal health. Without approaching health in this manner there is little chance for a lasting peace. For more information about the book please visit www.BecomingWholeAgain.com

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About the Author     T. Anthony Kampner M.D. graduated from Loyola University and Medical School in Chicago.     He spent his residency in Long Beach and Santa Barbara California.     Dr. Kampner has worked in traditional practice of primary medical care since the 1970s.     He has been interested in the holisitc approach to health care for 33 years.

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Excerpt

    Introduction:

    The key element in the current revival of alternative medicine has been the recent mixing of eastern and western cultures. In a strange sequence of events, it appears that the east and west took opposite approaches to health care. As it turns out, what each culture has discarded the other has chosen to focus upon as of primary importance. Because of advances in transportation and communication plus recent trade policies; the east and west have been able to restore the lost truths of each others cultures. It is a sweet discovery that in addition to products marked "Made in China, Japan or Mexico" we have also imported their ancient wisdom.     Another important factor has brought alternative medicine to the attention of the medical profession. It has been estimated that more people in America consult alternative practitioners than traditional physicians; and this was paid for with cash because these services are not covered by insurance. This has led to some major changes in the field of medicine. Organized medicine has sensed that it may be losing control and it has taken interest in an effort to protect it's dominion. Medical groups have devised systems to integrate alternative medicine with traditional practices. Individual doctors have had to learn about the alternative practices in order to save face with their patients. In a large part, recent interest in alternative medicine is consumer driven.
    We have developed fascinating technology in the West but our people are still getting sick at an alarming rate. We have an abundance of material possessions yet we feel an emptiness and so many people are taking medicine for depression that depression could be considered the norm.. We never ask why so many people are depressed but only strive to invent yet another better pill to treat them.. We have come to expect immediate gratification with little effort on our part and this has resulted in efforts to create so called "Magic Bullets" to solve our problems.
    Recently, new terminology is appearing in the medical field. Traditionally we have practiced medicine and treated ailments. Usually these diseases were considered to be chronic and progressive. The causes were often considered to be a mystery as illustrated by the term essential to describe hypertension and they were considered to be inevitable as might be illustrated by the expression "it's in your genes". More recently we are hearing terms like cure being used more often. Terms like healing are beginning to replace terms like treating diseases. With a little luck, the idea of preventing disease may even become fashionable.     Unfortunately, we demand scientific evidence before we can believe anything in this society. As a result, many old home remedies have been scoffed at and discarded. As we come to understand cellular metabolism better, the science behind old natural remedies has forced us to reconsider ideas we have long ago discarded. Nutrition is becoming a sophisticated science that has begun to show that what we eat is essential to our health or can contribute to our diseases. We are proving that many old wives tales are actually true. In previous times we had relied on common sense. Later we rejected it because there was no proof. Now we are slowly proving that common sense is actually a reliable guide.
    Health care in America and the Western hemisphere has developed along strictly material lines. We seem to have a pill or an operation for every malady. Physicians cannot escape spiritual questions, so we refer patients to religious leaders and we cannot escape mental problems, so we send patients to psychiatrists. If patients have queries in the intuitive realm, they are admonished that these are superstitions that are irrelevant; and these people are left to consult psychics on their own. We want to keep life simple and easy to understand so if it isn't physical then it doesn't exist in our medical world. This has worked for the most part exceedingly well however there is a nagging sense that something is missing. It never occurs to us that these four components (body, soul, mind and emotions) are integrally interrelated and all contribute in part to physical health or diseases. When doctors come to the non-physical areas they either dismiss them or refer their patients to the above sources. This approach however has led to a fragmentation of our sense of being and a feeling that we are being disingenuous with ourselves. This in turn has harmed our ability to interact with each other honestly. As a result most of our interactions are superficial; like how's the weather, what happened in sports, or what happened in the latest movie release or TV sit com. Another outlet is comedy; which allows us to acknowledge our problems, yet remain inactive because we have dealt with them by making fun of them.     We have trouble dealing with deeper issues because we have framed our debate in the physical and relegated the spiritual to a designated time and space; separate from our everyday activity. We consider mental and emotional and spiritual issues to be unfit subjects for everyday conversation. This affects our society adversely in many ways; but primarily by making it almost impossible to resolve many issues that would require us to acknowledge that our body, mind, soul and emotions are interrelated and are all valid concerns.
    We sense a void in our lives and are beginning to search for alternative answers. The exploration of ancient healing practices by the lay people of the west have led to a renewed interest in many healing modalities which have been discarded by organized medicine. An interesting point in this renewed exploration of ancient concepts about health is that they all take a wholistic view of the individual. They all seem to view body, mind, soul and emotional factors as being important in the healing practices. Therefore, we cannot examine Eastern healing arts without getting into their spiritual and philosophical ideas.
    With all of this in mind, I propose that healing consists of becoming whole again. First we must explore the past for an understanding of how we became so fragmented in the first place. Then we need to focus on our goal of achieving optimal health.
    Finally we must see that success will require choosing the right path not only as individuals but also as a society. The most important decision may be wether our approach to problem resolution will be competition or cooperation. We are currently at a crossroad and our choices now will determine the future for many generations to come. The question that remains open is; will we be able to cooperate in order to find just resolution to our differences?

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Catalogue Information

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