How to Integrate Medical and Alternative Practices for Extraordinary Well Being and Longevity

Transcription

1 How to Integrate Medical and Alternative Practices for Extraordinary Well Being and Longevity Dr. John Amaral Interviews Dr. Bruce Eisendorf John: Today I'm talking with the Dr. Bruce Eisendorf. Bruce is a very well respected, loved, and I have to say multidimensional medical doctor, who has a solid understanding of both medical and alternative approaches to creating and sustaining well-being and increasing longevity. Bruce I want to thank you for being here. Dr. Eisendorf: Great, thanks John it's a pleasure. John: Bruce you have studied with Dr. John Sarno author of Healing Back Pain and The Mind Body Prescription, and I know you have been a long time student of Yoga, meditation and the martial-arts, you refer your patients out to a network of psychotherapists, acupuncturists, and other healers. Basically, you're quite a bit different than most Western medical practitioners! So, I'm really pleased to have you on the call and I want to start out by asking you, what your perspective on the mind-body connection and its role in health and wellbeing is? Dr. Eisendorf: It's a big topic, and unfortunately in mainstream medicine it s not given a lot of attention, but I think it's integral to practically all health issues and healing, and dealing with them. I guess I think in particular of issues of chronic pain, high blood pressure, heart 1

2 decease the role of the mind, the emotions, the stress. More recently by reading and research it becomes clear that even problems like cancer, diabetes or auto-immune disease; the mind, the emotions play a huge role. The challenge is that many of the effects of the mind and the emotions have not been clearly apparent to people. They may feel like There is not a lot of stress in my life. and so they discount that as a cause of, or contributing factor to their problems. But, I think a lot of the stress and tension -- as Dr. Sarno and others are quick to point out -- stems from earlier experiences, childhood experiences and the tendency for emotions, particularly painful difficult emotions, to be repressed or unexpressed beginning in childhood. John: So when those emotions are suppressed or repressed Bruce, how do you see that showing up in the body? How does that translate to -- in your research and in your practice and what you do -- to physical conditions, chronic pain, symptoms etc? How does pushing down or not expressing, or not even realizing that an emotion is there, or the painful experience that has been blocked out somehow -- how do you see it manifesting? Dr Eisendorf: Well, chronic pain is the classical example, and many studies show that people who have experienced significant abuse, neglect or trauma in childhood have much higher incidents of chronic pain, whether it would be back pain, abdominal pain, pelvic pain, but that's a clear correlation that I have seen. More recent research I have seen shows higher incidence of cancer and other immune-system diseases. 2

3 Recent studies that I have been looking at show certain personality types that have difficulty get in touch with or expressing emotions anger, fear, sadness, love have much higher incidence of cancer. And the flip side of that, people who have type 'A' personality who may be very expressive, maybe they are expressing anger and aggression, they are not getting in touch with other emotions of love, need for connection, need for affection -- they have a higher incidence of high blood pressure and heart disease. John: Now, with some of these chronic conditions the relationship between unexpressed emotions or over-expressed detrimental emotions, like a constant state of anger -- I know that there is a direct link into the immune system; is there anything that you can share about that? Dr. Eisendorf: I certainly believe that there is. I know there are a series of studies and a lot of these studies come out of teaching universities, which look at students. They do tests on their immune systems and their susceptibility to infections before finals, and when they are in final exams and they are much impaired compared to at the end of school, or when they are on summer breaks or something like that. Similar studies I have seen John, looking at care givers and people with Alzheimer s disease show significant impairment in immune function compared to similar controlled populations who are not taking care of a difficult population. The caretakers of people with Alzheimer s are believed to be under a significant stress burden -- the stress significantly impairs their immune system. 3

4 John: You brought up Alzheimer s here which makes me curious, do you see a lot of Alzheimer s? We hear about the Alzheimer s a lot in the culture and I know a lot of people have had loved ones or someone that they know affected by Alzheimer s. Is there anything that you see, have researched or you could recommend that might make a difference, or in a way keep to someone who may be susceptible to Alzheimer s in a state where it is not so much issue? What is your opinion on that? Dr. Eisendorf: I have seen some studies which show a correlation between the risk of developing Alzheimer s or dementia and one s emotional state. The theory is some auto-immune process is going on that is triggered or exacerbated when people are not as in touch with their emotions and expressing them. So, for numerous reasons and emotional health, I believe in the value of getting in touch with our emotional state and learning to express it, whether that would be in writing, journaling, talking with someone -- and then other practices and processes to get in touch with emotions. What I really did not touch on is how these emotions manifest in the body. We talk about the pain, but even before the pain there is an obstruction of the flow of energy. In Western medicine, we don't really talk about energy very much but I am as I have mentioned, referring a lot of people to Chinese medicine, Acupuncture, Homeopathic and Chiropractic practices that understand and appreciates the flow of energy in the body and how it's blocked or impaired. 4

5 John: It makes me think of the work of Dr. Candace Pert who was a researcher with The National Institutes of Health credited with discovering the Opiate receptor in the body (Opiates are neuropeptide molecules associated with blissful emotional states). Dr. Eisendorf: Right, right. John: Dr. Pert wrote the book Molecules of Emotion where she talks about neuropeptides, and explains that there is an entire neuropeptide network in the body that relates to how energy and emotion are expressed in the body -- and this is from a hard-core scientist background. She says energy and motion in the body is equivalent to emotion; in a way the emotional system, is kind of like your lap. When you're sitting down you have a lap and when you stand up, there is no lap and it's like where did it go? In a way the emotional system is sort of like your lap in that it isn t located in a specific location, it is more functional, meaning that it isn t a thing but it is everywhere. She says your whole entire body is processing emotions -- from within your gut to within you heart -- virtually everywhere. Dr. Eisendorf: You're right, absolutely right. John: Emotion is not something happening in your head, and I think it's great to hear you validate that. It's great to hear that perspective from a medical doctor. It gives me a lot of hope for the integration of these alternative and energetic-based approaches with traditional biomedical approaches. 5

6 This actually brings me to the question, How does medicine in the more allopathic or traditional way fit into this new paradigm? which in a way isn't totally new because it's based on thousands of years of wisdomtradition. But, how does medicine fit into a perspective of energy? Can they be bridged or how can they be worked into one other? Dr. Eisendorf: Well, Candace Pert is a kind of recognized, appreciated scientist who comes out of the mainstream, who continues to extensively study the effects of emotion on ourselves and our bodies. So I think it's kind of drawing up on some really hard research, which hasn't fully been integrated into mainstream medicine. But, it has been my commitment from the beginning of going into medicine over 20 years ago to stay in the mainstream, because I feel like everyone deserves access to this information, even though things like the pharmaceutical industry and big business have a big hand in what doctors and medical students are taught. What I'm talking about is also validated and proven by mainstream medicine or the leading edge science, it's just that most doctors are not being exposed to it and learning about that. So, my goal is to bring this into mainstream medicine. I don't want people to just feel like the only way that they could get this information is to see a Chinese medical doctor or someone else who has this as a part of their training. John: Well, I think that you have been so successful certainly in this community, with this mission, so this brings me to the question, What would you say to someone who is thinking right now Hey, I really want to live a long time; I want to know what I can do right now to give myself the best chance to be healthy, to be vital. I want to be active into my 90 s or maybe even 100 s. What are the top things, maybe 3-5 things that are absolute musts that based on your experience and the 6

7 people that you see, people really need to be doing right now? I'm just curious? Dr. Eisendorf: The simple things are the basics of taking care of the body -- physical activity, being active every day. John: Is there an optimal amount of time someone should be active? Dr. Eisendorf: If I have to say a minimum, it s 30 minutes. It is unfortunate that most of us, myself included, spend most of our day sitting but a minimum of 30 minutes. I try to do more like an hour a day of physical activity. It could be walking or biking or gardening or going to the gym. So, physical activity, I believe is essential. Unfortunately, I see more and more people as they get older become less active either because they're not comfortable, or their back hurts or knee hurts, and that is going to prove detrimental to stay less active. Also, diet is essential -- what we are taking in three times a day more. Unfortunately, there are a lot of processed foods out there and they are not really nourishing people. I m always amazed at how the body seems to function fairly well with a diet that includes a lot of processed or fast food, but just getting back to the basics of fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, good quality animal products, and minimizing a lot of the processed food, a lot of the processed grains makes a big difference. And then you know the social context in which we live, when I see someone who lives alone and their main social contact is coming to see 7

8 me, well that causes a concern, and if these people really don't have a supportive network of people -- whether or not they are living with someone, that's problematic. John: Bruce, you really walk your talk because one of the things that I see you doing is you have support groups so people can come together. Let s talked a little bit about that and then I want to go back to some of the things that people can do. So just take a moment to explain, how you bring people together in some way. Dr. Eisendorf: I have a number of different groups that I call group office visits or shared medical appointments. One is called the cardiac risk reduction group another mind-body medicine. Shared medical appointment are where people are coming together with the intent of looking at these different issues of health, and looking at what we can do for ourselves aside from taking medicines -- which might have its place -- and doing it in a group format so that people can both learn from each other and feel connected. Often people feel alone or isolated, partly because of their problems and partly because they are just living a more solitary life. So many people have benefited from those two aspects of coming together and learning what more they can do for themselves. John: I think it's a beautiful thing, I mean, we are in a community and connection is key. If you don't get touched within a certain period of time in your infancy you die -- basically we need to be connected. So it's wonderful that you re acknowledging and honoring that, and bringing people together. Now, I want to get back to more things that people can do... 8

9 Dr. Eisendorf: Physical activity and the diet, and having connections with people. So, other things, you know, I believe in the value of some kind of daily practice that might enhance or improve the flow of energy in the body like Qi Gong, Yoga, or meditation. These are practices from other cultures that people have been doing for hundreds and thousands of years and I think there is a real value in that. And you know, Yoga is kind of popular and sometimes the focus is just on the movements in the body, but traditional Yoga practice looks at the flow of energy and what can enhance and improve that in the body. John: That's great. So adding some type of practice into your life that is separate in a way from just physical exercise or activity, that is focused somehow on really tuning into the energy within, is that correct? Dr. Eisendorf: Right. You know there are other things like looking at how we are affected by our environment. Are we listening to the TV or the radio all the time, or are we reading the newspaper? What are we are looking at? What are we doing with our energy? Where are we putting it? And you know there is a lot that kind of draws us away from, puts us out of touch with how we are feeling. So I have concerns about too much of that exposure. John: Yeah, environmental conditions certainly have a huge impact. By the way, you didn't mention meditation yet. I'm curious if you keep that in separate category from the energetic practices or if you include that? What is your perspective on meditation? 9

10 Dr. Eisendorf: Well yeah, you know, I think that a practice, whether its meditation where focusing, centering, visualization -- different practices to focus our attention, to center ourselves, to establish some calm and peace are important. Looking at and changing our programming and conditioning, I would say that is part of taking care of myself. John: Now, I know you see a lot of people and you have a really large practice. And you have a lot of people coming and going with a lot of different health conditions going on. Probably I would imagine, if you re anything like me I know you see a big cross-section of people in the community and in the world. There are people coming in oftentimes taking a number of medicines. Sometimes as many as five or six or seven different medications, and let's say that someone listening is maybe taking some medication -- maybe they have high blood pressure, or maybe they are in some chronic pain, and they ve been on a pain med or whatever. And they want to start to take a more natural holistic approach. They want to start reducing their medication, they want to start to getting into more physical activities but right now they're feeling stuck because they're in pain, so it is difficult to move. It's like they re kind of gridlocked. Where do they start? Dr. Eisendorf: So that type of person who is in pain and it's difficult to move, they often need some help maybe that's beyond just what I can do, and these are the people that I might refer to you and others. They need some kind of hands-on assistance in a way, to help them get moving and change the flow of the energy of the body. 10

11 Some of these things that we have mentioned, taking a closer look at the emotions, journaling, and meditation, these are things that anyone can do and that I believe can really get things started in terms of moving energy. Referring to therapists and other hands-on practitioners to assist you know, it s inertia and really getting in motion. People on medicines for other reasons, high blood pressure or high cholesterol and diabetes, I generally wouldn t recommend that these people immediately stop these medicines. We need to monitor these conditions and make sure that blood pressure, blood sugar are not out of control. You know with my cardiac risk reduction group, it's my belief that it s diet and lifestyle changes that are the way to treat heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Medications are just kind of supplements in addition that some people may need at some point in their life. John: It s so beautiful for me to hear you say that because in a way these medicines can be a bridge when someone is in a really acute situation, and you know it sounds like you're saying that people can be using these medications to get through. But then they can make the lifestyle changes to start to get healthier, so they're getting movement, they are meditating and doing energetic practices, they are starting to eat well. Oh, we didn't talk about hydration. What is your perspective the about intake of water? How much water is a healthy amount? What's not enough? Dr. Eisendorf: Yeah. So as part of you know, talking about water, it also brings up the whole question of toxins, chemicals, pollutants in our 11

12 environment, you know, which really do contribute to health problems. There is tap water, there is city water and that is not ideal. Some kind of filtered water, reverse osmosis water, or pure water is important. I would kind of usually say at a minimum eight glasses that are at least 8 to 10 ounces per day. John: Some people have sort of in some way, an aversion to water. They like to drink juices or sodas and I'm curious if you have found a way for those people who have a difficult time consuming that much water, a way that you have found which makes it easier for them -- some kind of protocol or system for getting that water into their system? Dr. Eisendorf: Well, certainly I urge people to stay away from the soda or even the juices. And good alternatives to water would be green tea, Puer tea, non-caffeinated teas and some people prefer these kind of bubbly waters and if they are really not having artificial flavors or sweeteners, I think of those as being acceptable. John: Okay, great. So, you have got someone reducing the medications as they increase their healthy lifestyle practices. Do you see that happening a lot, do you see people in your practice being able to reduce medications or to get off medications altogether pretty consistently or what are you seeing? Dr. Eisendorf: I would say yes, and at the same time many people are coming to see me because of their interest in not being on medicine. So, I'm seeing people let s say with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high blood sugar and instead of putting them on medicine right away, which might be the more standard approach, I'm working with them in making diet and lifestyle changes, reducing weight and I have a high level of success with these people and managing or curing conditions like diabetes. 12

13 And then, it's true that are others who comes to be on medicines who have the willingness and motivations to make these changes, and we can be highly successful. You know, I saw someone at my group 2 days ago, who in two months lost 30 pounds, and his blood pressure and blood sugar went way down. So you know its decreasing his reliance on medication. John: It s a beautiful thing. What is your perspective on where things are going in the medical industry, in the future let s say in the next maybe 20 years or so, where do you think we ll be? Do you think that this integration of these more kind of alternative and energetic-based approaches is really starting to catch on? Do you find that in the medical field with your colleagues that there is not much attention to it? Where we going and where are we now? Dr. Eisendorf: Yeah, it's hard to me to predict the future of mainstream allopathic medicine. Part of it depends on how successful the pharmaceutical industry is but I'm seeing more and more of my younger colleagues being very open to this and being more knowledgeable of these other approaches. I think the challenge is, its incumbent upon the individual physician to do his own work and research and you know change his own life, because I'm still not seeing this being taught in medical schools. But as you know, the research is there from Candace Pert and others, continuing to show the connection between the mind and body, diet and lifestyle. So at some point their are going to be enough people who understand this and are demanding more attention to this, that I'm optimistic that things will change for the better. 13

14 John: I am as well. We are nearing the close of our conversation here, but I wanted to ask, again for the listener who may be asking how I find someone like this in my area? How do I find a doctor who will bridge these two worlds who has a more natural holistic philosophy? And we are talking about reducing and getting people off medication and promoting a healthy lifestyle, and supporting them in it. Is there a way find medical doctors like you around the country? What would you recommend them? Dr. Eisendorf: I'm not sure if I have a good answer! There is the American Holistic Medical Association that tends to draw these more holistic doctors. There are many osteopaths who tend to have a more open and holistic prospective. But I'm not sure that I have a good answer other than word-of-mouth because I don't do much advertising myself. So many of the people who are coming to see me now, it's word-ofmouth. John: If someone is going to do a Google search for someone like you, what might they type in there? Dr. Eisendorf: You know I'm not even so sure! I do very little Googling myself so I don't know what comes up. John: Okay, maybe we could suggest alternative and holistic medical doctors... Dr. Eisendorf: I don t know. I don't know if I would even pop up! John: Okay. Well I want to wish everyone luck in their searching. I know that you give out some information. You have some work sheets and some information sheets on mind and body health and on healthy 14

15 diet, and it's really actually simple but really concise with some great references. Is there a way that somebody could to get that information? Or I certainly can make it available to people through my website. If that's okay with you? Dr. Eisendorf: Yeah, I think that might be the best way, through your website. John: Why don't I do this, if I have your permission we ll make it available as Dr. Eisendorf's mind, body health and diet tips and make it available through wellbeingcenter.com. Dr. Eisendorf: It's fine, and all I can say is, it's kind of an accurate reflection of my thoughts and recommendations today and the reality is that every couple of months I am kind of shifting and changing and learning and updating it. John: That's one of the things that I love about you, you're evolving and you are changing perspectives. Some people are locked into the same perspective, and it is sad for me when I do see people come in to my office on one particular medication or medications for let s say over a decade without any assessment, and nobody has looked at it really to see what s going on. So, I always ask people when they do meet with a medical doctor, you know if they're not fortunate enough to be able to find someone as open-minded and really knowledgeable as yourself, to really do the research because I think that they can. 15

16 I think there are enough medical practitioners now that are more open and more knowledgeable about these things, that if they ask the right questions, they're going to find the right person. Like some of those questions might be, you know, What is the best outcome you can possibly see for me because I want to get off medications eventually. Do you see that as a possibility? In closing, what are some things that maybe a person might ask their medical doctor if they want to go in the route we are talking about? What are some important questions that they could ask that would help them say, Hey this person is going to be on the same page as me? Dr. Eisendorf: Right, you know, certainly one is Do you see this as a permanent condition? What alternatives are there to medication? Whether it be diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure or heart disease. I don't see any of it as a permanent inevitable condition, and I always see alternatives to the standard medications. Not to say that there isn t a role for medicine, but there are alternatives that I can offer people for every condition. John: Well, Dr. Eisendorf, Bruce, it s such a pleasure talking to you it's an inspiring, enlightening and I really thank you for your time and energy. Dr. Eisendorf: Great, pleasure John and I appreciate you and your work as well. John: And I know you have patients, so have a wonderful day, and to the listeners if you want more information about Dr. Eisendorf and his current approach -- which could be changing -- I ll update it as I get 16

17 information. We'll make that available through wellbeingcenter.com you can do a search on my website under Dr. Eisendorf. John: Just type in Dr. Eisendorf and his health tips will come up, and again that information may be changing as it s an organically evolving thing and he an organically evolving individual! So once again thank you and looking forward to our paths crossing in the near future. Dr. Eisendorf: Great. Thanks John. 17