dr. andrew weil

Never heard of him. Maybe I need to check out that site.

 

he knows about osteopathy, he knows about traditional chinese medicine, he knows about conventioal western medicine, and he knows quite a bit about stress reduction and other therapeutics such as herbology. after reading most of his books, i think he is trying to promote integrated medicine, hence his purpose in starting a post-graduate training for graduating doctors. Integrated medicine takes into consideration all valuable aspects from all possible methodologies. if he were to promote just osteopathy he would be not giving true credit to other therapies which may work. his views on integrated medicine are very balanced and are hopeful for the future. my favorite book by him is called, 'Eating for Optimum Health'.

just b/c someone trains to be an MD does not mean that they are not holistic there are many physicians (MD) out there who recognize the intricate relationship between body and emotion, between mind and body. Dean Ornish is another that comes to mind (great book called Love and Survival). actually, the school i will be attending this upcoming fall recently founded a center known as the Osher Center of Integrative Medicine. medical students will learn about their findings and will also be exposed to a wide variety of methodologies that focus around holistic medicine.

to me andrew weil doesn't seem like an osteopath, he seems like someone who understands that there are many valuable gems in each tradition of medicine.

you may wish to spell his name correctly in your title, perhaps more people would enter and respond.

 

Yeah, I'm a big fan of the guy...he's the type of doc I'd love to have as my personal physician. If you want to 'get to know' Dr. Weil a little better, go out and read his books. I just finished his "Natural Health, Natural Medicine" and was surprised by how much I learned regarding diet and general health maintenance (although a recent article in the New York Times Magazine throws a little doubt into Weil's espousal of the low-fat diet).

Regardless, as a future DO I love the fact that he is so open-minded in regards to alternative medicine...it's kind of a pet-peeve of mine how so often MDs (especially those of Dr. Weil's generation) walk around with blinders on in regards to other forms of medical treatment. I look forward to the day (and I think it's coming real soon) when a general sense of open-mindedness is found throughout the medical community.

 

Dr. Weil's book, Spontaneous Healing is a great account of patient experiences with a variety of different medical modalities and types. It also is an account of his own training and experiences which include some early work with an Osteopath whom he highly respected.

Dr. Weil did graduate from Harvard, but in his own words, was frightened by what he learned and set out to travel the world for a truly rounded view of medicine and healing.

Not sure if he still does, but at one point he was on faculty at the University of Arizona School of Medicine. I actually contemplated applying there at one point, because I find his views so interesting.

His stuff is worth reading and following. If anything, he is willing to consider all possibilities in healing and disease, which, in my opinion, is imperative as a physician, no matter what series of letters you scribble behind your name.

fireblade (aka doctor jay)

 

In one of Dr. Weil's books (I think it's Spontaneous Healing) he mentions how he was searching the world over to find a specific kind of body healer. He found Dr. Fulford "right in his own backyard". Robert Fulford, D.O. has been called one of the best DO's ever when it comes to OMT and Dr. Weil sings his praises for Fulford and for osteopathic medicine. For those of you osteopathic students who haven't read Fulford's book, "Dr. Fulford's Touch of Life" shame on you; it's a must read for all osteopaths!!


Amazon.com Dr. Fulford's Touch of Life

 

souljah, you eleqountly put into words what was going to be a rant on my part concerning the non-holistic MD stereotype. Hopefully the government's recent grants to 6 schools for alternative medicine studies and the multiple # of integrative studies being founded at MD schools will change all that (the deciding reason I applied to UCSF even though it was longshot).

As for Weil, he was the first doc I read that I truly admired. Eating Optimum reassured me that it was actually normal to have an MD not want to throw drugs at people for everything

as for the title, I was even MORE intrigued by the possibility of another famous doc with a similar name. So if he never gets around to changing it, it migt be just as well.

 

USeF,

I started off being incredibly interested in holistic medicine and the relationship between diet and disease. That is why I studied Nutritional Science and Toxicology as an undergrad. I began my 'journey' thinking that western medicine is fractured and that all western medicine is good for is treating symptoms but not the cause..I had a lot of generalizations. Luckily, I have been fortunate to meet and work with physicians such as Dean Ornish who have really shown me that you can absolutely live and practice holistically as a MD. I worked at his non-profit preventive medicine research institute and met many other MDs in the Bay Area who were not those close-minded, egocentric, viewpoint-fractured physicians who I used to think all western medical doctors descriptively fit. He was pretty amazing. He made the use of good things, regardless of their origin. He functioned mainly as a cardiologist, but you would also find him lecturing on the importance of proper diet, exercise, stress management (yoga, tai chi, meditation), group therapy, and on the importance of having loving relationships in your life. His commitment to take into consideration all dimensions of healing was inspiring. That is when I started to learn about Dr. Weil as well. I actually think Dr. Weil's dietary advice is more balanced and less extreme (but Ornish was attempting to reverse coranary artery disease). Anyway, enough rambling. Who would have thought that some of the biggest proponents of integrative medicine would be graduates of Harvard and Baylor?


Now, I realize that open-mindedness can be found in all forms and philosophies of medicine. For me, I felt that the best approach for me to take (one that would open the most doors) was to attend a medical school that would provide an opportunity to learn about integrated medicine and also the chance to gain tremendous clinical experience in the specialty in which I plan to enter. I think it is silly when MD and DO arguments arise. If you are interested in mechanical manipulation, it would make sense for you to learn as a DO. If you aren't all that interested in that therapy, well..then why would you consider the path of a DO? For me, getting an MD makes more sense if I want to acheive the goals that I have set for myself.


Again, I find myself rambling.

Note: Dr. Weil was at Harvard the same time that Timothy Leary and Baba Ram Dass were. Hmmm. I wonder if part of the reason why he went to South America to learn from a Shaman was b/c of his fascination with hallucinogenics?

 

Toxicology was my favorite science class! Having 3 attractive pakistani girls w/ Brit accents as my study partners while being on exchange in the UK might've helped, but I think it was all the cool mechanisms of P-450

My jaw dropped when I read that. I'm not usually impressed with name-dropping of celebrities, politcians or the like, but tell me you've worked with Ornish or Weil and I became a 13 yr old girl @ an Nsync concert... That is awesome!! Hearing things like that makes me very optimistic about my future as an MD.

I did. Students that go to places like that don't plan to simply absorb knowledge and the ways of their instructors and just be passive 'tools' in any figurative sense. I'd expect them to seek out the most effective way to be a complete physician- not content with treating symptons. But of course I'm not going to either of these places and we should ask what praying or Cdc think?

never knew that. I just thought 'it was the 60's and if he's got a hairdo like that nowadays, I'm SURE he was interested in hallucinogens back then'

 

I must submit to you all that this thread has been a pleasure to read. It is so refreshing to find others who are both capable and willing to discuss a topic with both knowledge and eloquence without descending to a base of obnoxiousness and a condescending demeanor. So often shouting matches are substituted on this site for intelligible discussion due to the vast majority being unable to discuss or disagree with integrity. So many have so very little to say that they feel as though by shouting, name-calling and mockery, a sense of superiority can be acheived. IT HAS BEEN A REAL PLEASURE TO HAVE READ YOUR POSTS AND I WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR THEM FOR BALANCED AND INTELLIGENT DISCUSSION.

Speaking from the standpoint of one who will soon graduate from medical school of the osteopathic flavor, I think one point must be mentioned. Many in my profession (speaking of course as DO students) seem to support a perceived moral crusade to rid the world of non-holistic MD physicians. I am both distressed and ashamed that the attitude in osteopathic medical school is that there is some sort of moral superiority of the DO over the MD for some perceived lack of well-roundedness. It is absurd to suggest that MDs are any less empathetic than anyone else in the same manner that it is absurd to suggest that DOs are any less qualified in medicine. We must stamp out these biases wherever they may lurk. NEITHER VIEW IS HEALTHY FOR THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE. I believe that this point was made earlier in the thread, I simply wanted to reiterate and add my perspective to the board. As I am unaware of the topic being discussed, I cannot comment on the material. I simply wanted to congratulate you all for your discussion.

 

Dr. Weil also appears from time to time on public televison programs where he speaks on many of the things that he writes about in his books.

 

Hello All!
I have known of Dr. Weil since 1995 when I was watching a news show and saw him. I was a recent graduate with a degree in Medical Technology. He was promoting his new book at the time "Spontaneous Healing". The next day I went out and bought it. It since has been autographed by him (something I'm very proud of) and needless to say, his emphasis on the body's natural ability to heal itself has been the foundation for my decision to pursue medicine.

It is even more of an honor to me to be attending UHS, the school attended by Dr. Robert Fulford, who Dr. Weil cites in Spontaneous Healing. "Touch of Life", by Dr. Fulford is a MUST READ.

My dream has come true and the light that Dr. Weil has shed on natural healing is something I plan on continuing throughout my entire practice someday!

Cheers,
M.

 

While I didn't work WITH Dr. Weil, I was at the same university as his Integrative medicine clinic, the University of Arizona. I have 2 friends who have actually been treated in his clinic, and this to me, seems to be the future of medicine. The patient completes a very large questionnaire about diet, exercise, stress, etc. and seen by a Fellow who asks other questions. A few weeks later, after the fellow and the rest of the team has met (includes a dietician and other specialists), the patient is given a sort of "prescription" for better living. I love Weil's philosophy, in that he doesn't say you must do everything he recommends in order to live well, he recommends more of a cafeteria sort of plan - take what you like and can do - leave what you can't do. My friends have had life changing experiences from this medical care, and it is amazing to see it, first hand.

 

I apologize at bringing up the old thread...but I felt I just had to add an interesting tidbit. I have been a follower of Dr. Weil for years. I saw him speak last spring at a conference, and despite my EXTREME nervousness, decided to go get a book signed and talk with him for a bit. I told him that I was going to apply to osteopathic medical school and asked if he had any advice or input. He said that if he could do it all over again, that he definitely would have gotten an osteopathic education because of the OMM aspect of which he is a big fan. I couldn't resist -- I asked him which osteopathic school he thought most highly of. He said AZCOM because of their ephasis on underserved populations (i.e. Native American) and access to integrative/holistic medicine because of its location in AZ. Granted, he is based in Arizona, but I thought its interesting info. I applied, but have now opted to go to PCOM because I feel that program fits me best. Just thought you guys (especially AZCOM students) would want to know

 

I've definitely enjoyed reading this thread. I also believe in looking at all possibilities when treating patients. cool

 

Holy smokes. I never saw that one coming. What a joy to see that, as I am a student at AZCOM. I knew my school rocked. That just made my day. I'm going to email that info to all of our integrative medicine club members.