Ultim ately, you are responsible for your ow n w ell-being, b u t having access to proper h ealth -care practitioners is an essential com ponent in all h e a lth m ain ten an ce, including a program designed to h a lt and reverse aging. A good holistic m edical practitio n er w ho provides ed ucated guidance as well as tre a tm e n t can be invaluable, b o th in tim es of crisis and, for prevention, during tim es of w ellness.
A lternative h e a lth practitioneers can help define any w eak links in your body's structure an d fu n ctio n and th e n direct you tow ard optim al care. There are n u m ero u s approaches, b u t some general guidelines bear m entioning. A good holistic m edical p ractitioner will perform at least three basic types of analysis before recom m ending any tre a tm e n t m odality:
1. Take a com plete m edical history, including h e a lth conditions of your parents an d g ran d p aren ts, as w ell as o th er family m em bers.
2. Perform a physical ex am in atio n th a t goes beyong conven
tional m ethodologies.
3. Carefully analyze th e results of appropriate laboratory tests tak en at th e tim e of the h istory-taking an d physical e x am in a
tion.
28 Gary Null's Ultimate Anti-Aging Program
In addition, you— as th e co n su m er of th ese h ealth -care ser
vices— have th e rig h t to expect th e p ractitio n er to include som e or all of these techniques in his or h er repertory:
• an approach th a t treats th e person as an organic w hole, no t m erely a collection of ailing parts;
• an o rie n tatio n tow ard optim al h e a lth an d sensitivity to dys
functions th a t signal an im balance in th e individual;
• th e d e m o n strated ability to listen carefully an d skillfully clas
sify any relevant sym ptom s in order to arrive at th e best possi
ble diagnosis an d tre a tm e n t plan;
• as m an y noninvasive diagnostic techniques as possible;
• an aw areness of th e p o ten tial diagnostic value of even very m in o r signs an d sym ptom s in th e prevention of m ajor dys
function;
• a preference for noninvasive over invasive tre a tm e n t program s (for exam ple, ad m in isterin g substances orally ra th e r th a n in travenously or by injection, except w h e n a condition m a n dates a m ore direct route);
• recognition of th e im p o rtan ce of stren g th en in g th e body's re sistive capacities an d an in terest, w herever possible, in a t
te m p tin g to repair any m alfu n ctio n in g organ or gland ra th e r th a n to replace its fu n ctio n w ith su p p lem en tary secretions;
• fam iliarity w ith a co m b in atio n of tre a tm e n t m odalities, in cluding n u tritio n a l su p p lem en tatio n , exercise, stress m a n a g e m en t, an d lifestyle changes, to help th e person regain balance;
• a w illingness to refer th e individual, w h e n th e condition w a r
ran ts, to o th er m edical p ractitioners w hose specialized k n o w l
edge in a given area m ay provide th e m ost valuable restorative program ; an d
• an acute aw areness of th e im portance of th e individual's ow n a ttitu d e tow ard h ealth , aging, an d disease, an d a w illingness to co m m u n icate clearly an d openly w ith th a t individual.
The alternative h e a lth p ractitio n er should expect you to be an active, com m itted p articip an t in your h e a lth care, not a passive p a tien t w ho accepts everything th e doctor recom m ends w ith o u t q u e s
tion. Therefore, it is your responsibility to ask all the right questions in order to get the vital in fo rm atio n you need to help you co n tribute to your healing, an d an ti-ag in g process.
• W hat, specifically, is being treated?
• How do you know this is th e problem ?
• W hat are som e realistic goals in m y situation?
• W hat is th e projected tim e fram e for treatm en t?
• Does every p a tien t w ho has th is condition get exactly the sam e tests an d treatm en ts?
• W hat are m y w eak links?
• Are these tests an d tre a tm en ts relevant to m y body an d condi
tion?
TYPES OF PRACTITIONERS
It is n o t m y policy to recom m end a specific practitioner or tre a tm en t m odality to a person. I do, how ever, believe th a t it is vital th a t you have th e in fo rm atio n n eeded to m ake inform ed choices. The quality of a doctor's care depends on b o th th e physician an d th e patien t, an d m u tu a l com patibility. Therefore, I am supplying you w ith g u id e
lines to som e of th e m odalities th a t are viable alternatives to o rth o dox m edical practices. I do n o t discuss chiropractic an d osteopathy, n o r do I profile n u tritio n ists, a lth o u g h an experienced holistic n u tri
tionist m ay be enorm ously helpful in enabling you to m axim ize the n u tritio n a l p o ten tial in your diet. In stead I concentrate on m o d al
ities th a t readers m ay n o t have easy access to.
A cupuncture, chelation therapy, clinical ecology, hom eopathy, natu ro p ath y , an d orthom olecular m edicine m ay be extrem ely useful tre a tm e n t protocols as you reverse aging.
A cu p u n ctu re This school of m edicine comes from China, w here ancient scholars learned to open up blocked energy pathw ays, or m eridians, so th a t healing energy, called chi, flows directly to the particular point in th e body w h ere it is needed to stim u late the body's in n a te healing pow ers. W hile in m any states an a c u p u n c tu r
ist m u st also be a m edical doctor or osteopath, licensing req u ire
m en ts vary from state to state. A cupuncture is especially good for p ain m an ag em en t, m usculo-skeletal problem s, nerve an d circula
tory problem s, and addictive behavior p attern s. Cost of tre a tm en t m ay range from $50 to $100 per visit.
C h elation th erap y This is a relatively new m edical science, started only about tw enty-five years ago. At this tim e, m ore th a n
30 Gary Null's Ultimate Anti-Aging Program
one th o u sa n d physicians, including m an y board-certified cardiolo
gists, are using this m odality, w hich involves an in trav en o u s drip of a ch elating agent k n o w n as EDTA. This stim u lates d estru ctio n of free radicals, w h ich are ap p aren tly th e p rim ary causative agent of th e aging process itself. By slow ing d o w n th e destructive poten tial of th e free radicals, th e cells are able to heal them selves. As cells heal, they are m ore able to fight off infection an d disease. Objective d ata supports claim s th a t ch elatio n th erap y can even open u p the arteries. Im proved vascular circulation in people w ith blocked a rte r
ies, especially those to th e b ra in an d the extrem ities, h as b een d e m o n strated follow ing tre a tm e n t w ith this m odality.
C helation th erap y costs ab o u t $100 per visit an d th e course of tre a tm e n t generally includes tw en ty to forty tre a tm en ts, d epending u p o n th e severity of th e condition. People are b eginning to receive this th erap y as prophylactic tre a tm e n t to slow th e aging process.
The therapy, how ever, is n o t w ith o u t its problem s as p atien ts, esp e
cially those w ith kidney disease, m u st be m o n ito red for renal fu n c tion. Physicians m u st be certified chelation th erap ists to perform this procedure.
C linical e c o lo g y Clinical ecologists closely exam ine th e re la tio n sh ip betw een th e elem en ts of a p erso n 's diet an d any sym ptom s they have been experiencing. For exam ple, a p erso n 's irritable bowel m ay be th e resu lt of m ilk co n su m p tio n . The p ractitio n er will be able to identify this causative factor by exam in in g all th e foods, in h a l
an ts, an d liquids th e p a tie n t consum es, testin g th em alone an d in various com binations, to d eterm in e w hich m ay be causing a p h y si
cal or m en tal reaction. This th erap y has proved to be helpful in re lieving sym ptom s of arth ritis. Clinical ecologists generally use a four-day ro ta tin g an d elim in atio n diet, preceded by an initial five- day fast in a controlled en v iro n m en t. This tends to be broader th a n tre a tm e n t by trad itio n al allergists. Cost is com parable to th a t of a clinical physician, ranging from $100 to $150 per visit, d epending on the state. The initial visit m ay cost betw een $125 an d $500, d e p en d in g on w hich tests are perform ed an d th e tim e required.
H o m eo p a th y Based on the principle th a t th e causes of illness m ay follow a law of sim ilars, h o m eo p ath y calls for a h ealth y person to be given a d ilute a m o u n t of a specific causative agent to help the body rebalance itself. If a person has a head cold, the practitioner
w ould ad m in ister a substance th a t w ould cause a head cold in a h ealth y person; in a sick person, this substance helps to cure them . H om eopathy is particularly u seful in treatin g fevers, bacterial infec
tions, toxicity, an d th e cum ulative effects of alcohol, drugs, tobacco, caffeine, or sugar. It is n o t recom m ended in tre a tm e n t of cancer, AIDS, h e a rt disease, an d o th er chronic illnesses. At one tim e the prevailing form of m edicine in this country, h o m eo p ath y is now lim ited in scope, as a resu lt of a n in te n se drive against it spearheaded by th e A m erican M edical A ssociation a n d allopathic m edicine. Re
new ed in terest in this tre a tm e n t m odality has b ro u g h t this practice to th e fore. Licensing req u irem en ts vary; in som e states, th e h o m eo p a th m u st be a m edical doctor in ad d itio n to his h om eopathic spe
cialization. Cost of hom eo p ath ic tre a tm e n t ru n s b etw een $45 and
$125 per tre atm en t.
N atu rop ath y N atu ro p ath s can treat m ost conditions. They are not, how ever, p erm itted to perform m ajor surgery, alth o u g h they m ay perform som e m in o r procedures. This m odality is centered in the botanical sciences, using herbs and tinctures, w ith a w ide variety of n a tu ra l im m u n e-stim u la tin g properties. N atu ro p ath s also utilize m uscular an d skeletal bodily ad ju stm en t. They use a m u ch broader basis for diagnosis th a n do conventional allopathic physicians. Li
censing req u irem en ts vary from state to state. Cost of tre a tm e n t is relatively inexpensive, in th e neighborhood of $100 to $150 per visit.
O rth om olecular m e d icin e The goal of this m edical special
ization is hom eostasis, or balance, of th e chem icals th a t occur n a tu rally w ith in th e body w ith o u t using synthetic drugs th a t m ight interfere w ith n a tu ra l processes. O rthom olecular m edicine praction- ers are conventionally train ed m edical doctors— physicians an d psy
chiatrists—w ho utilize this technology as p art of th eir practices.
F requently th ay use a high-dosage v itam in regim en, far greater th a n th e average physician w ould presum e to prescribe. O rthom olecular psychiatrists have h a d striking success in treatin g schizophrenics w ith m egadoses of n iacin (B3), v itam in B6, an d v itam in C. Cost of
tre a tm en t is com parable to th a t for conventional physicians.