3
Private
Healing
Secrets
of the
World’s
Best
Alternative
Doctors
Private Healing Secrets
of the World’s Best
Alternative Doctors
HOW GOOD are alternative doctors at
following their own advice? Do they have
special techniques for fighting off colds
and stopping stress? Are they among the
nearly two out of three adults in the United
States who have used natural treatments
such as acupuncture, herbal supplements,
massage, and meditation? To find out, we
checked in with four authorities in the
field. They shared their personal nutrition,
fitness, health, and relaxation routines—
and their guilty secrets.
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12 REPORTS
Andrew Weil, M.D.
In the ’70s and ’80s, Weil, 62, led the
rebellion to integrate alternative and
complementary therapies with Western
medicine; today, many of the things he has
advocated, such as eating omega-3 fatty
acids and using acupuncture to treat pain,
are mainstream. “Integrative medicine
involves a partnership in which patient
and practitioner together address healing
on all levels: physical, psychological, and
spiritual,” Weil says. The author of such
bestsellers as Spontaneous Healing, Eating
Well for Optimum Health, and The Healthy
Kitchen, Weil is the founder and director of
the Program in Integrative Medicine at the
University of Arizona, in Tucson, and the
founder of Weil Lifestyle (drweil.com), a
company that markets health and lifestyle
products, including customized vitamins
and supplements.
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Best medicine. “For many years,
I’ve used mantram, an age-old practice
of repeating over and over in the mind
certain syllables, words, or phrases that
help unify consciousness and counteract
negative mental states. This helps me
focus my mind and counter the damage
done by thoughts that produce anxiety,
agitation, and unhappiness. I mainly rely
on breathing techniques and meditation
to calm myself.”
››
Diet right. “In general, my diet is
filled with a variety of fresh, unprocessed
foods and an abundance of fruits and
vegetables. I eat fish but am careful about
which kinds—I like wild salmon and
whitefish. I also eat some cheese, nuts,
whole grains, and soy foods.”
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PRIVATE HEALING SECRETS OF THE WORLD’S BEST ALTERNATIVE DOCTORS
Alice Domar, Ph.D.
Natural remedies. “I’ve
tried almost everything! I’m a big
fan of massage therapy; osteopathic
manipulation, hands-on manipulation of
the musculoskeletal system to alleviate
pain and promote health; Chinese and
ayurvedic medicine; herbal medicine;
and guided imagery, relaxation, and
visualization techniques that have been associated with stimulation of the immune system.”
Even a stress-management expert can get
stressed out. “I have a crazy life, working
full-time, writing books, traveling, giving
talks constantly,” says the multitasking
Domar, 46, director of the Mind/Body
Center for Women’s Health at Boston
IVF, assistant professor of obstetrics,
gynecology, and reproductive biology at
Harvard Medical School, and the author
of many books, including Self-Nurture and
Conquering Infertility.
Sanity saver. “Whenever I
experience stress, I try to consider the
following factors, each of which can increase
or prolong my stress: caffeine and other
stimulant drugs, noise, and news. Then I try to eliminate one thing at a time to see
how it affects my stress levels.”
Best medicine. “I seek out people
who make me laugh. Having a sense of
humor is one of the most important health
behaviors. Preliminary studies show it
improves immune function.”
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Cold cure. “When I get a cold, I eat two cloves of raw garlic chopped
fine and mixed with food, and I take
echinacea—this herb is most effective
when used at the first sign of sickness,
but should not be used for more than
10 days—and Kan Jang, a supplement
that contains the herb Andrographis
paniculata, which looks promising as an
immune booster. To prevent colds, I wash
my hands frequently; I don’t touch my
nose or eyes, to keep from transmitting
germs; and when possible, I avoid people
who have a cold until the fifth day of
their illness, when they should be less
infectious.”
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Instant energizer. “If I’m feeling
down or tired, the one thing I know that’s
going to get me going is exercise. I love
to take long power walks with our dog.
I’ve solved most of the world’s problems
during my walks.”
››
Sweet fixer. “Dark chocolate has
more antioxidants than blueberries. I’m
very happy about that. If I’m going to
eat any dessert, it damn well better be
chocolate.”
rice. When you make a salad, be creative:
Throw in dried cranberries, nuts, cheese.
I’ve been doing that ever since. Those
changes were so easy!”
››
Supplement savvy. “I take one multivitamin every day, plus a B-complex vitamin. It’s hard to get a
healthy, well-balanced diet when you
travel, so the multivitamin gives me a tiny bit of insurance. And there’s been
enough research now on folate for heart
and immune-system health that I feel one B vitamin a day is not a bad idea.”
››
Life choices. “If I could change
one thing for women, it would be
helping them to believe they have the
inner strength they need to make their
lives better. Most people wait for things
to happen to them rather than trying to
do things that will make them healthier
and happier. You don’t have to suddenly
become a perfect eater or a CEO. You
can take little steps that will add up to
big steps. Change the things that you can
change.”
››
Little change, big impact. “I spoke at a conference last year where
another keynote speaker was a wellknown dietitian. She said something that
changed the way my family eats: Instead
of worrying about everything in your
diet, make a few smart changes. Switch
from white to whole grain bread. Switch
from white rice to whole grain or brown
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12 REPORTS
PRIVATE HEALING SECRETS OF THE WORLD’S BEST ALTERNATIVE DOCTORS
tablespoon of flaxseed oil; and about onefourth teaspoon of vitamin C crystals.
Blend it with ice.”
››
Sanity saver. “Yoga. It allows me
to exercise my body and clear my mind. If
you clutter up your mind with minutiae,
it doesn’t leave any room for the bigger
issues. Some of the best ideas I’ve ever
had came right after I had done yoga.”
››
Supplement savvy. “I don’t like
taking pills, because I have a sensitive
stomach. But the two I take regularly are
B-complex vitamins—because metabolic
processes are hindered by inadequate
B vitamins, which can lead to diseases
like atherosclerosis [hardening of the
arteries]—and omega-3 fatty acids, which
lower the risk of heart disease and seem
to reduce depression.”
››
Sex Rx. “We can correlate sexual
activity with increased longevity; it’s very
healthy. The recommendation I give to
patients is you should have sex four times
a week for half an hour.”
Christiane Northrup, M.D.
“Disease doesn’t just jump out of the
closet,” says Northrup, 55, a Yarmouth,
ME, obstetrician/gynecologist with a
holistic approach to women’s health care.
“It’s something that happens over time,
so it’s important to create a life that’s
healthy in all respects.” Author of Women’s
Bodies, Women’s Wisdom and The Wisdom
of Menopause, Northrup has done just
that by focusing on prevention. “I almost
never go to a conventional health care
provider,” she says.
Mehmet Oz, M.D.
As professor and vice-chair of surgery
at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/
Columbia University Medical Center,
where he cofounded and directs the
integrative medicine program, Oz dishes
out heart-healthy advice on diet and
exercise and encourages nontraditional
therapies, such as yoga and guided
imagery. The author of Healing from
the Heart, Oz is also senior medical
consultant to the Discovery Health
18 Channel and hosts the popular program
Second Opinion.
››
Best medicine. “My family calls
this the ‘magic drink.’ It gives you all the
vitamins you need without taking pills.
The basic recipe: a cup of juice, such
as orange, pineapple, or grapefruit; one
banana; two tablespoons of multivitamin
powder you can buy over the counter;
three tablespoons of soy protein; half a
››
Best medicine. “I get a massage
every week. It decreases insulin levels,
increases immunity, and decreases stress
hormones.”
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Sanity saver. “I make a point of
beginning every day by reading something
positive. We live in a world in which it’s
extremely easy to pick up on negativity. I
consciously use the same mind power that
can create a negative outcome to create a
positive outcome. I’ve got inspiring books
all over my house.”
››
Instant energizer. “I exercise
nearly every single day. I do Pilates twice
a week—and also Bikram yoga, the hot
yoga that makes you sweat. It’s amazing
for flexibility.”
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Cold cure. “The minute I feel that
I have a scratchy throat, I take a product
called Kold Kare. It’s a combination of
Chinese herbs that works as an immunesystem modulator. I take a couple of
tablets before bed and two in the morning
for three or four days. That almost always
nips the cold right in the bud.”
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