Welcome to the healthcare revolution. By reading this book, you've joined the revolution, and you won't be as satisfied with "medical science" and present healthcare methods as you may have been in the past. Along the way, you'll also learn a lot about your own (and others) health and how to improve it in many ways that your medical doctor didn't learn in medical school - more's the pity.
Why a revolution? Any revolution starts because the people involved simply get fed up with the status quo, and the only way to change it is to revolt. Healthcare is no different. The people in these United States are fed up with the present healthcare system, and we're slowly changing it. It's not a bloodless revolution because too many people are dying from lack of knowledge on the part of physicians. President Clinton tried to change it dramatically for the better (it couldn't be much worse), and failed because of political lobbies. We, the public, can change it, but it will take time.
Did you know that the original Hippocratic Oath (circa 500 BC), the oath taken by medical doctors, emphasized dietary advice and guidance? “I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment: I will keep them from harm and injustice.” Nowadays the word “dietetic” is usually omitted, leaving a vacuum that is being filled by enlightened MDs and holistic nutritionists like myself. (Jack, from Ancient Medicine, John Hopkins University Press).
My interest in this topic comes from both personal friends and clients who either had or have breast cancer. My 30 years of experience in the natural health field began with an in-depth study of the Macrobiotic diet and lifestyle with the principal teachers, Michio and Aveline Kushi and Herman and Cornellia Aihara. In the early 70s, while working as Associate Editor of East West Journal (now Natural Health magazine), Macrobiotics became known as “The Cancer Prevention Diet.” The East West Foundation, founded by Michio Kushi as a nonprofit organization for the promotion of Macrobiotics, sponsored conferences on diet and cancer as early as 1974.
How should an actuary determine premium rates for insurance policies? Early rating bureau pricing procedures incorporated a fixed underwriting profit margin, such as 2.5% for Workers’ Compensation and 5% for other lines of business. The simplicity of this approach led to its continued use by the actuarial profession.
