For example: a colleague once asked, back in 1972, “Tim, why would you throw away a perfectly good career in medicine to do acupuncture?” His condescending tone made it sound as if I had decided to become a beachcomber. Never mind the deep empiricism and exquisite refinement woven into the fabric of Chinese medicine over its 5000 year history; this doctor saw it as new, and therefore not to be trusted.

This kind of arrogance is unfortunately typical of many (but thankfully not all) physicians. Even though I long ago traded in my acupuncture needles for the full-time study and practice of biological medicine (using molecular biology and natural medicines to cure disease), this kind of narrow-minded drivel still rankles me.

So, naturally, I found myself in a bit of a snit upon reading the following letter from "Vincent Silver," a physician working for a very large HMO the name of which starts with the letter K. As the “gatekeeper” doctor, he had to approve of the tests I had ordered. Here is his response:

Dear Ms. __________,

I regret that I cannot fulfill your request. These tests are worthless in your context, and reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of human physiology. I believe you have been duped.

Respectfully,

- Vince

Vincent Silver, M.D.

I quickly recovered, however. After all, this wasn’t the first time I’d been attacked by a flat-earther.

But then I got to thinking. Dr. Silver had some choices here. He could have explained where he felt my grasp of “human physiology” had failed. He could have been more specific about how he felt I was “duping” this unsuspecting patient. If he honestly felt these tests were not warranted, he could have stated exactly why. Or he could have called me and asked; I’d have been glad to explain. Instead, he resorted to argumentum ad hominem, i.e., attacking his opponent (that would be me), rather than his ideas. If I weren’t above making derogatory comments, I might call him a chicken.

“Yikes!” I thought. Maybe I need to take a closer look at what I am doing with my life. Am I really “duping” patients with “worthless” tests? I’m not sure exactly what ‘duping’ is, but it must be serious stuff--like a confidence game or a racket or a Ponzi scheme. I figure it must be some kind of crime. But I’ve always seen myself not as one who tricks patients, but as a patient advocate, committed to both treating and preventing illness. The kind of medicine I’ve practiced not only addresses current disease (as naturally as possible, of course), but also scans the metabolic horizon, if you will, for signs of any approaching illness. I get a real kick out of using blood tests to spot biochemical abnormalities that are the warning signs of disease to come. In fact, I love this kind of preventive approach so much that I researched and published a 650 page book (Renewal: The Anti-Aging Revolution on the subject. And my second book, Outsmarting the Number one Killer, addresses the problem of atherosclerosis, another preventable disease, that kills three out of four people. The book explains how to use these same kinds of standard tests (the ones that get conventional doctors all in a dither) to identify the precursors of a heart attack or stroke and reverse the process naturally. God knows I (and my editors at Rodale Press and St. Martin’s Press) take “duping” and “human physiological” ignorance (not to mention biochemistry and molecular biology) very seriously. So I figure old Vince might just be wrong about me.

Anyway, my purpose here is not to “get back” at narrow-minded, shortsighted mainstream doctors who haven’t kept up to date on the latest (and I must say very exciting) developments in cell and molecular biology. They are free to read my books. My purpose here is to heighten your awareness as to what you are dealing with in the current world of health care delivery systems. Which is this: mainstream doctors have great resistance to the idea that we can identify and treat (actually reverse is a better word) a disease before it can be diagnosed. Alternative doctors, on the other hand, like to use tests like the ones I am about to describe because we know we can “see” problems long before symptoms appear. We can identify the biochemical footprints of the developing disease process and prevent permanent damage through early intervention--and we can do this long before the disease would be diagnosed by a mainstream doctor. Early discovery allows us to reverse the imbalances (with diet, exercise, and natural medicines) that will eventually cause the full-blown disease. To me this makes a lot more sense than waiting until the problem has progressed to the point where drugs and surgery are the only options.

So, for you (and for Dr. Silver, if he is out there listening), here are the tests I ordered for our mutual patient, along with the reasons for each. Because they scan that biochemical horizon for early signs of preventable disease, these are pretty much the same tests I would recommend for just about any new patient. As you read this list, ask yourself the following questions: “Would I like to know my number for this marker? And, “Am I being ‘duped’ here by an misguided doc with a frighteningly ‘fundamental misunderstanding of human physiology’?”

• Complete Blood Count (CBC) to detect anemia, infection, vitamin B12 and iron deficiency, immune dysfunction, and a host of other diseases.

• Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (formerly known as a blood chemistry panel) scans blood for several biochemicals, each of which gives information about possible undesirable changes in metabolism. Serum glucose (an important heart marker), electrolytes, liver function, and kidney function are among the many tests on this panel.

• Thyroid panel (TSH), including free and total T3, free and total T4). Undiagnosed “subclinical” hypothyroidism is at epidemic levels in the U.S. Most adults over fifty have an underactive thyroid (we call it “subclinical hypothyroidism”). Untreated, this disease causes fatigue and depression, promotes mental sluggishness and memory problems, weakens immune function, predisposes to degenerative disease, weakens function (and thus lowers stress tolerance), causes osteoporosis, accelerates the atherosclerotic process that ends up killing 75% of all Americans, and accelerates aging.

• A Lipid Panel. Three of four people die of atherosclerosis (hardening and thickening of arteries). An abnormal result tests tell us whether you are at risk of a heart attack or stroke.

• Homocysteine, C-reactive protein, and Fibrinogen. Like the lipid panel, these are “independent markers” for heart and cardiovascular disease. Each of these markers is an early warning sign of heart attack risk, and when caught early, each is easily reversible. For more information, click here.

• CA-125 and PSA are screening tests for ovarian and prostate cancer. Both should be performed annually on everyone over forty. These inexpensive tests could save your life.

• 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D - There is a public health crisis of vitamin D deficiency disease. Reports have cited “an alarming prevalence of low circulating levels of Vitamin D in the US population.“ More than 80% of Americans don’t get enough. Recent headlines have called attention to the “emerging public health crisis” of vitamin D deficiency which is now believed to cause a “life-threatening impact.” The price of a D deficiency is now known to be huge: double the risk for all the major cancers, osteoporosis, immune deficiency, and accelerated aging.

  Vitamin D is necessary for nerve impulse transmission, the beating of the heart, and blood clotting, regulation of blood sugar (important for insulin resistance and diabetes), muscle and connective tissue health, and a strong immune system. And it also is essential to the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal, immune, circulatory, and respiratory systems. People with higher levels of D are less likely to suffer heart disease, hypertension, inflammatory bowel disease, and autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. But the biggest news of all is D’s cancer protective effect: it helps keep cells from becoming malignant--and when cells do become cancerous, it actually encourages them to self-destruct.

• DHEA-S, the most prevalent hormone in the human body, is an important marker for adrenal gland functioning, stress tolerance, and accelerated rate of aging. As we age, DHEA production declines. DHEA replacement therapy is one of the most powerful anti-aging strategies.

• A bone mineral density scan (or DEXA which stands for dual photon absorptimetry). This test spots bone loss that could lead to osteoporosis and fractures. Again, these are preventable if we test early and spot a trend. Twenty five million Americans have osteoporosis, but most of them do not know it. All women over forty should do this test once, for a baseline, and then repeat every two years (or less if these is a problem). If you’re headed toward osteoporosis, you can spot it before it becomes a problem, and reverse it with natural medicines like strontium, vitamin K, calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and natural hormones, coupled with exercise.

Know your numbers for the above tests. Use natural medicine to fix any abnormal results. You can use the “Health Concerns” menu on our website to get your metabolic profile back into the normal range.

For example if your homocysteine is elevated (which means you are at higher than normal risk of heart disease and osteoporosis), go to the “Homocysteine” page, and learn what supplements will lower it.

If your cholesterol is elevated, your thyroid is low, your bone scan abnormal, or your vitamin D is low, you can learn how to easily set things straight before problems arise.

I hope you find the kind of health care provider that will assist you in getting these tests done, and will help you to “fix” the irregularities on your “metabolic horizon.”