MH: I thought you did a great job of describing how materialistic and mechanistic traditional medicine can be at times. Do you see that changing at all?

AW: Yes, see it changing very rapidly. Medicine is in such an economic crisis right now and more and more people are turning elsewhere for help. That combination is forcing medical institutions to open up in ways they never did before.

MH: Do you see older doctors changing their minds as a result of some of the things that are happening or is it mainly the younger generation of physicians?

AW: No, I see doctors of all ages beginning to be more open.

MH: I know that you're a big fan of integrating holistic health with allopathic medicine and osteopathic medicine. That's difficult to do.

AW: It is but it's got to happen and I feel I'm in a special position to be able to do that right now. I was approached by the University of Arizona to start this program in integrative medicine and we've been up and running for three years. Starting in July we are going to get into high gear. This program is supported by the whole institution and other medical schools are starting to call us for information about our model in order to adopt it. I think it's going to happen very fast.

MH: What would happen to a patient who came to you for help? Does one physician decide what kind of treatment a patient should get or is it a panel of doctors?

AW: That's the function I provide. I do diagnosis and evaluation and then send people out for the right kind of treatment.

MH: So not only do you have to be an M.D., you also have to be knowledgeable about holistic health.

AW: Yes, you don't have to be an expert on these other techniques, but you need to know what they're good for, what their strong points are, what their weak point s are and how to match particular patients with them.

MH: If this model were to become popular around the country would you predict a difference in the way hospitals are set up?

AW: Absolutely. I'd like to see a whole new institution come into being that would be a hybrid between a spa and a hospital...something I would call a healing center where every thing except terminal and critical cases could be treated. I have some ideas about how these could be set up. I see them being paid for by insurance and I see them as places where people would come for evaluation of lifestyles and places to get information on how to improve their lifestyles.

MH: Do you have any idea how soon we might see some?

AW: I think all this is going to happen fast...I'd say in the next two to five years. It's really happening.

MH: It seems like insurance is causing big problems for everyone. Do you think insurance companies will cooperate on these models? Is it in their best interest to do so?

AW: I think they have no choice.

MH: Going back to your book, I'm in big trouble because I hate broccoli.

AW: You should try the broccoli recipes because they're surprisingly good. Many people have not tasted really good broccoli.

MH: What if even after trying the recipes I still don't like broccoli? You mention a pill substitute but you don't really say whether that's okay or not.

AW: I would just eat other anti-cancer vegetables like shitake mushrooms.

MH: Now if I read this correctly we would be taking 3,000 to 6,000 milligrams of vitamin C a day. Is that really safe?

AW: Yes, it really is. The worst that will happen is that it will cause diarrhea in some people and they should cut down the dose.

MH: I identified four substances that we receive many questions on and I'd like to know what you think of them. They are echinacea, zinc, melatonin and DHEA. We've heard a lot lately about overdosing on things like ma-huang or about the possible negative effects of goldenseal. Is there anything you can tell us about safe doses of these non- regulated substances?

AW: Echinacea is perfectly safe. I think everyone should know how to use it. I travel with it, I keep it in my home, give it to kids - I think it's great.

MH: You use it to prevent colds.

AW: No, I use it to treat colds or at the first sign of a cold or flu. Sometimes I take it before a long plane flight. It can also be used for people who have chronic or recurrent infections or weakened immune systems.

MH: What about zinc?

AW: Zinc I don't usually recommend as a supplement unless people are vegetarians and for them between 15 and 30 milligrams. It has some specific uses for prostate disease, for people who have lost their sense of smell and then there are zinc lozenges for sore throats and early colds.

MH: Are they okay to take?

AW: There is research supporting this and a lot of people say that it's very useful. The best form might be zinc acetate which is not the commonest form around, but it looks as though that might be the most effective.

MH: Melatonin?

AW: I'm nervous about melatonin. I think it's definitely useful as a treatment for jet lag and for resetting your body's clock, but for that purpose you may only have to take it for one or two nights in a row. I'm nervous about it being used long-term as an immune enhancer or a longevity drug.

MH: How about all us baby boomers with insomnia?

AW: I think there are better things. I would recommend valerian instead. The problem is that melatonin is a brain hormone with very general effects and I'm not sure we know all of the consequences of taking it as a supplement. It makes me nervous to see it sold next to vitamins and minerals in health food stores.

I feel the same way about DHEA. I think it has some good uses. It looks like a very good treatment for lupus and it may block the toxicity of prednisone and enable people who are on prednisone to get off it or reduce their dosage. That would be very valuable. And, it clearly stimulates libido in men, but again I'm nervous about it being taken long-term as a chemical fountain of youth because I don't think we know the full range of it's effects or what the down side might be. It makes me nervous to see it sold the way it's being sold.

MH: It's interesting to hear the that distinction. How would a non-medical person know?

AW: Exactly! That's why I write my books and have my website (http//:www.drweil.com). One of the commonest complaints I hear is that people go into health food stores and they are completely bewildered. There's a lot of confusing and contradictory information out there. People need good guidance. There is no substitute for being a well-informed consumer.

MH: I hear there's a move to qualify herbs so we can better determine dosages. Do you think that will happen?

AW: I do. I'd love to see regulation in this area, but I think to do that the FDA has to setup a whole new division of natural therapeutics which would be staffed by knowledgeable people. I've been lobbying to see that happen. I think that would be great. In the meantime, if you're using herbs the best advice I can give you is to look for standardized extracts. Read the label and it make sure it says it's standardized and gives some percentage of the active ingredient.

MH: Let's talk about breathing . Why is it so important to practice?

AW: Because it's your only link to the involuntary nervous system. It has a very direct influence on moods, very powerful influences on the whole nervous system, and it's the most natural object of meditation. There are many functions there and it's something most people never think to use.

MH: Is it especially helpful to smokers?

AW: Absolutely! I've seen that the relaxing breathing I teach can be very useful in helping people quit cigarettes especially in the first few days of dealing with the craving. Cigarettes are the most addictive drug.

MH: You talk about water a lot . How much is enough? Do we really need to drink eight glasses a day?

AW: I don't think you need to put a number on it. You want to generally be drinking more water to the point where your urinary output has increased. It can be mineral water, water with a little fruit juice in it, or herbal tea. A lot of people in this country don't take in adequate water and they're really hurting themselves because one of the main components of the body's healing system is the filtration mechanism in the kidneys and in order for that to work there has to be enough water flowing through the system.

MH: What about parasites?

AW: I have to tell you there are a lot of people walking around thinking they have parasites when they don't, and there are some holistic physicians who are diagnosing parasites on the basis of very shaky evidence.

MH: I've heard there are thousands of parasites, but most hospitals test for only a fraction of them, say twelve or so.

AW: Right. There's a lab called Great Smoky Lab where everybody sends samples to be tested and sometimes they tell people they have are organisms that regular medicine does not consider to be disease-causing. Again this is an area that can be very confusing. What does it really mean for you to have these organisms. That may not be causing any harm to your system, whereas the ones that are known to commonly cause disease are tested by your local hospital. Unless someone has been out of the country in areas where parasites are common, parasites are not the likeliest explanation of illness.

MH: Did you get parasites when you went to the Amazon?

AW: Once. I got giardia and it was very distinctive. I got rid of it by taking a drug for five days.

MH: We have seen a long list of symptoms that are attributable to parasites.

AW: Yes, I'm very, very suspicious of that. I think it's part of our obsession with foreign things getting into our system.

MH : What about the colon cleansers that are so popular now. What do you think of them?

AW: I think the best way to keep your bowels clean is by eating lots of fiber and drinking plenty of water and exercising. There's nothing wrong with colonics, but most people don't really need them.

MH: Why do you recommend a fruit fast?

AW: I think it's great it's a way of resting your digestive system for day. It's a way to change your relationship with food.

MH: You really seem to have a mission. Why do you care so much about all this?

AW: There are two answers. One is that I'm deeply committed to my profession and I'd like to see it get back in balance and start satisfying the needs of patients. I would like to see us be a healthier society and I think that most of the diseases that kill people prematurely are lifestyle diseases that can be avoided. And I just don't see a lot of good, balanced information out there on alternatives that takes the body's own healing powers into account.

MH: Do you feel torn sometimes between of your traditional training at Harvard and the new alternatives?
AW:I really think I'm in the middle. Sometimes, I'm attacking traditional medicine, sometimes I'm defending it; sometimes I'm defending alternative medicine and sometimes attacking it, so I think I'm pretty even handed in my criticism. I 'm unique in that I'm not aligned with any one school of thought. I'm not out there promoting ayurvedic medicine or homeopathy. I look at them all - they all have strong points and weak points and there's no one right way of treating patients.

MH : I like your idea of a news fast, but even after fasting for a day some of the more horrific images stay with you.

AW: They stay with you and they do harm. I'm not asking people to become uninformed. I want them to discover they have a choice as to how much they let in so they don't fall into this unconscious, habitual pattern of letting it in all the time.

MH: There are so many violent images around us. The jacket covers in video stores are a perfect example.

AW: Yes, they're unbelievable - or you go to the movies and you have to sit though all the previews of people being blown away.

MH: Do think when the type of medicine you've described is practiced more regularly some of those images will disappear?

AW: Yes, I think they'll be reduced. This is a move toward a healthier society in general.

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