June 24, 2002

Healing through an Integrated Medical Model

The meeting was attended by 19 members and 17 guests

Business

Stewardship and Environment Committee: Jim Haliburton , Chair
All projects are progressing well. Since the last meeting the environmental audit of BC Hydro was conducted by University students, which has the potential for becoming a model to conduct such audits throughout business and industry.

Spirituality and Personal Development: Diane Jennings, Chair.
The committee is working on plans to hold a retreat in the fall around the theme
of Caring for Leaders.

Youth and Education: Gerry Schwartz, Acting Chair.
Plans are underway to hold a meeting of key people in the fall to establish a pilot
project in values-based education.

Business and Sustainability: Desmond Berghofer, Chair.
We have received a positive response from Hon Stephen Owen in support of the
Canada Well-Being Measurement Act. We are working to get support from other
politicians and from municipalities in the Lower Mainland.

Program

Healing through an Integrated Medical Model

Maggie Gold chaired the meeting as Chair of the Health and Wellness Committee.

Gerri Schwartz introduced the topic by speaking about the need for evidence-based success of complementary medicine in order for the integrated model to achieve credibility in mainstream medicine.

First Guest Speaker. Maggie Gold introduced Randi Stevenson as the first guest speaker to describe her experience as a cancer survivor using an integrated medical approach.

Randi was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 28. She accepted treatment through the medical system undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. However, she also did her own research on what more she could do to help with her recovery. Her doctor recommended a naturopath, who worked with her in collaboration with her oncologist. The BC Cancer Agency was also helpful in introducing her to the Mindfulness Meditation Program. Randi has a strong belief in the power of the mind to assist healing.

She was also introduced to an intuitive healer who "freaked her out a bit" with an ability to know intimate details about her life without being told. From this experience she received help through homeopathic treatment. Again her naturopath and oncologist were supportive of this.

Randi is now a healthy active young woman. She may technically be "in remission" but she knows she is well and appreciates immensely the help she received from both mainstream and complementary medicine.

Second Guest Speaker. The second guest speaker was Jean Robilliard, who told his dramatic story of survival of prostate cancer without formal treatment from mainstream medicine. The surgeon he was referred to was angry with Jean for not agreeing to surgery, but his own doctor was supportive of his decision to take his time. He gave himself six months to cure himself.

He was very ill. At times he could hardly walk. He was so desperate that he wanted to kill himself. But with the words from his stepson, "I love you," Jean found a point of light, which he understood to be God's light and he knew that love is the answer.

He went to a lot of people for help: psychologists, psychics, naturopaths. He phoned all his friends and asked for prayer and love. His spiritual mentor told him he must work creatively with time. He contacted a doctor of homeopathy in New York, who helped him get in touch with the Divine within. He practiced continuous mediation and built up a master desire to be healed in six months. At three and a half months he was in tremendous pain and could hardly walk. He was meditating and praying 14 hours a day.

He began to doubt, but the doctor of homeopathy explained that he was caught in a struggle between his immune system and the cancer and that the battle would be fiercest just before the immune system began to break through in triumph.

Jean referred to his belief in 5 bodies:
1. The intellectual body in which the mind allows one to be positive and understand that you are not alone in the struggle.
2. The emotional body in which a legacy of old emotions feed the cancer. Jean realized he was being consumed by anger and he had to transform his anger to positive emotion.
3. The physical body, which requires good nutrition, exercise, proper breathing. Jean did a lot of work on his physical body. He became a vegan and worked on getting rid of the toxins in his body. He stressed the importance of correct breathing to create ozone in the body. As a coach he now teaches others how to do this.
4. The spiritual body, knowing that the Divine is within. You are one with God (or the spiritual force of the universe) and know that miracles can happen.
5. The ecological body, knowing we are one with the natural world around us. Jean found a tree to which he gave great love and in return the tree helped take away his cancer cells.

Jean realizes that to do what he did requires great discipline and may not be the correct path for others, but his success gives testament to the power of a complementary approach to healing. He still keeps in touch with his mainstream doctor, who checks him regularly, but Jean knows that the key to his well-being is keeping in touch with the Divine within.

Other Speakers. Two other guests are patients of Dr. Wang (a naturopath) and Maggie Gold invited them to speak about the benefits they have received from complementary medicine. One spoke of her new understanding of toxins and allergies and how prescription drugs can cause illness as well as cure it. She is now firmly committed to prevention as the key to good health. The second patient confirmed how Dr. Wang's complementary care has reversed the downward spiral into which she was slipping after a stroke in 1990.

Discussion

Maggie introduced the subject of creating an Integrated Medicine Association (IMA) in BC and invited the audience to consider in discussion groups what the role of the IMA might be and what would be the next steps in creating it.

Reports from the discussion groups made the following points on the role of the IMA:
1. The IMA should be a bridge between mainstream and complementary medicine to create a level playing field.
2. The goal is to create a level of optimum well-being.
3. It is important to eliminate negativity towards complementary medicine.
4. Prevention must be the focus.
5. The IMA will give a voice to the grass roots to pressure and lobby government.
6. It is important to get the success stories out there.
7. The IMA should be a place for consumers to get information on the full range of medical and healing options.
8. It should be a place for consumers to get support and find others with similar experiences and needs.
9. It should educate the consumer in preventive medicine.
10. It should have a strong advocacy role.
11. It should make the economic case for the integrated approach.
12. It should be proactive in creating a vision for what can be done using an integrated approach.
13. The IMA should be a body of integrity representing all, not just one side.
14. Education will be the key role.
15. It would identify doctors who are willing to cooperate in an integrated model.
16. There should be five main purposes:
17. Collaboration. It could convene a summit for integrated medicine
18. Give Credibility to the integrated approach
19. Provide Resources in the form of a website reporting research, etc in multiple languages.
20. Education
21. Funding
22. Bring in outside MDs who have experience with integrated medicine.
23. Provide an educational program for MDs about integrated medicine
24. Establish standards.

Dr. Rafael Felice, former Medical Director of the Tze Chi Institute, was invited to speak. He stressed the importance of deepening our understanding of each other and knowing the healing power within.

Dr. Wang was also invited to speak. He pointed out that a major obstacle to overcome was the reliance of mainstream medicine on the scientific model when some aspects of medical care (like homeopathy and prayer) cannot be explained or proved by the scientific model. The challenge is to establish in our society the view that integrative medicine is the ideal way of healing our problems.

The following ideas were offered on steps to create the IMA:
1. Create a business plan to establish the workability of the idea.
2. Create the legal entity.
3. Bring together a core of like-minded people to form the Board of Directors.
4. Get the support of others who favour the integrated model.

The following ideas were offered on funding:
1. The IMA should not be dependent on government funding
2. Membership fees from individuals and businesses
3. Publications
4. Summit, trade show, etc.

Conclusion. The important thing is to start sharing our beliefs for we don't know what other people believe about healing, faith, prayer, etc. Gerri reminded everyone that the journey begins with the first step and Maggie committed to work with the ideas presented tonight to create the IMA

Wrap-Up for 2001-2002

This was the last meeting before our summer break. In wrapping up the 2001-2002 season Desmond Berghofer reminded people that the success of the Institute for Ethical Leadership is getting those who have the resources to do what needs to be done (to make a difference, create a new model, etc.) to work together and get it done.

Schedule of Upcoming Meetings for 2002-2003

September 23, 2002: Re-gathering: Establishing the work of the Institute for 2002-2003
October 28, 2002: Youth and Education: Values-Based Education, a joint project of the UBC Faculty of Education and New Westminster School District
November 25, 2002: Spirituality and Personal Development: Caring for Leaders
January 27, 2003: Business and Sustainability
February 24, 2003: Stewardship and the Environment
March, 2003: Health and Wellness

HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER.

WE WILL SEE YOU AGAIN ON SEPTEMBER 23.