Journey With Me
“Our prayers are answered not when we are given what we ask
but when we are challenged to be what we can be.” - Morris Adler
I want to take you on a journey with me. This journey is one of inquiry and discovery, of questions asked and answers found. We will cover a lot of ground, you and I, but do not think that it will be a journey to make you weary. Rather, this will be a journey full of the joy of discovery, of puzzle pieces found and joined, of a big picture arrived at slowly, one step at a time. And anyone who loves a good mystery, and its solution, will find lots to ponder.
This is the journey of a freshman college student - who later became a medical student. The medical student went on to become a practicing physician. That idealistic young man wondered why people get sick, and how we can make them well again. This also is the story of a practicing physician who learned over forty years how to better promote health and prevent disease. At last, that physician found practical answers – and he now wants to share those answers to improve healthcare for everyone.
This journey covers many times and places, many cultures and philosophies, and shows the unity among them all. Our journey will find us visiting with many interesting people, in many unexpected locations. We will prowl for wisdom in ancient China with the Taoist sage Lao-Tzu and the military genius Sun Tzu. Together we will examine the India of antiquity with Maharishi Patanjali and bring Vedic knowledge into modern times with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. We will consider the teachings of the Bible’s King David and Jesus and see their application to modern healthcare.
Doctors from the past and present will share their vision of the body, health, and disease with us. We will hear from doctors ancient and modern. We will travel to nineteenth century Midwest America to follow Dr. Andrew Taylor Still as he creates a uniquely American brand of medicine. Moving back to the present, we will survey the latest developments in stress and body-mind research. And – above all – we will seek practical ways for people to improve their health. Together we will seek Self-Referral/Maximum Health.
Most people have an outside interest that they enjoy. Perhaps they play golf, watch television, or read books. My interest blossomed into a consuming passion: the pursuit of a new theory of health and disease to improve medical practice.
Why would a busy physician spend his spare time working on such a theory? Every health professional works to relieve the suffering of sick and injured people. This theory provides one more way to meet that lofty goal. But this theory is more than just empty ideas; we will discover together many ways to create health and prevent disease before it gets started. And this is not just useless theory; practical applications of this knowledge will greatly improve medical practice. These applications will reduce the need for medical care – and thereby radically reduce healthcare costs. This pursuit of knowledge will have theoretical AND practical results. Stay with me to travel this road and we will discover many answers together.