Dr. James Hansen's vision and insight regarding the nature of the health care crisis evolved from positions of medical staff leadership, teaching, participating in the governance process, and developing a free clinic. These positions, together with his 35 years as a consulting physician, presented him with the opportunity to view physician behavior and its impact both on patients and upon health care in general. These observations crystallized his conclusion that the essence of successful health care springs from the physician-patient relationship. Dr. Hansen received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University. He then attended the University of Southern California School of Medicine where he received his MD in 1965. His post graduate training in internal medicine occupied the next four years at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. After a three year stint in the Army he returned to Wadsworth VA-UCLA for a fellowship in gastroenterology. Dr. Hansen is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Gastroenterology, a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and a Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. He has been in private practice since 1973. He was appointed to the Mercy Healthcare Board of Trust in 1988, serving in that capacity for three years. He served as chief-of-staff for both American River Hospital and Mercy San Juan Hospital from 1990-1993 and was actively engaged in consolidating the medical. staffs of those two hospitals which merged in 1993. He was the chairman of the Physician Leadership Group for the 5-hospital Mercy Healthcare Sacramento system from 1995-1998 during a period of hospital redesign. Dr. Hansen was actively involved in teaching at UC Davis, School of Medicine for nearly 20 years as a voluntary clinical faculty person. In 1994 he helped develop a free clinic in Sacramento and became its medical director until moving to Maui in 2001. Dr. Hansen has been in the private practice of gastroenterology in Maui since 2001. Dr. Hansen's unique perspective as a practicing physician, physician leader, and medical educator provides the perspective and passion for his quest of the root cause and cure of the health care crisis. This book offers a solution for the health care crisis, which focuses on the need for a grass level approach and revolution led by the citizenry.

This book highlights current Cannabis research: its botany, authentication, biotechnology, in vitro propagation, chemistry, cannabinoids biosynthesis, metabolomics, genomics, biomass production, quality control, and pharmacology. Cannabis sativa L. (Family: Cannabaceae) is one of the oldest sources of fiber, food and medicine. This plant has been of interest to researchers, general public and media not only due to its medicinal properties but also the controversy surrounding its illicit use. Cannabis has a long history of medicinal use in the Middle East and Asia, being first introduced as a medicine in Western Europe in the early 19th century. Due to its numerous natural constituents, Cannabis is considered a chemically complex species. It contains a unique class of terpeno-phenolic compounds (cannabinoids or phytocannabinoids), which have been extensively studied since the discovery of the chemical structure of tetrah ydrocannabinol ( 9-THC), commonly known as THC, the main constituent responsible for the plant's psychoactive effects. An additionally important cannabinoid of current interest is Cannabidiol (CBD). There has been a significant interest in CBD and CBD oil (extract of CBD rich Cannabis) over the last few years because of its reported activity as an antiepileptic agent, particularly its potential use in the treatment of intractable epilepsy in children.

This is the first comprehensive guide to the design of behavioral randomized clinical trials (RCT) for chronic diseases. It includes the scientific foundations for behavioral trial methods, problems that have been encountered in past behavioral trials, advances in design that have evolved, and promising trends and opportunities for the future. The value of this book lies in its potential to foster an ability to "speak the language of medicine" through the conduct of high-quality behavioral clinical trials that match the rigor commonly seen in double-blind drug trials. It is relevant for testing any treatment aimed at improving a behavioral, social, psychosocial, environmental, or policy-level risk factor for a chronic disease including, for example, obesity, sedentary behavior, adherence to treatment, psychosocial stress, food deserts, and fragmented care. Outcomes of interest are those that are of clinical significance in the treatment of chronic diseases, including standard risk factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose, and clinical outcomes such as hospitalizations, functional limitations, excess morbidity, quality of life, and mortality. This link between behavior and chronic disease requires innovative clinical trial methods not only from the behavioral sciences but also from medicine, epidemiology, and biostatistics. This integration does not exist in any current book, or in any training program, in either the behavioral sciences or medicine.

Acupuncture has been an important branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 3000 years and is the most popular practice among non-Chinese practitioners outside of China. In 1998, the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) held a consensus conference and endorsed the practice of acupuncture as an effective pain control agent - since then acupuncture has become even more popular. Clinical practice is always an inviting form of research. In the field of acupuncture, research concentrates on the neurological pathways of the meridians and acupoints, the neurological functional changes within the central nervous system, and innovative devices being invented, etc. It appears that there will be a long way before firm explanations can be acquired for the explanation of the physiological effects of acupuncture. The technique of acupuncture is easily acquired although the evidence of efficacy remains subjective. Before the evidence can be sorted out through scientific explorations, confidence on efficacy can rely only on literature search and sharing of expert experiences. This is a user-friendly book for all professionals practicing acupuncture. The contents consist of all the popular areas of clinical application viz. pain control and neuromuscular training. Each chapter is composed of two parts: clinical evidences as previously recorded in literature and personal experiences of the author. Acupuncture practice requires a thorough knowledge of the treatment choices relevant to particular conditions, as well as their modifications. This book offers quick references for this purpose.

Though their usage greatly diminished at the dawn of the scientific area, Indian spices were traditional parts of healthcare for thousands of years. However, over the last decade, largely due to the growth in popularity of complementary and alternative medicine, spices have regained attention due to their physiological and functional benefits. By applying modern research methods to traditional remedies, it is possible to discover what made these spices such effective ailment treatments. Ethnopharmacological Investigation of Indian Spices is a collection of innovative research that analyzes the chemical properties and medical benefits of Indian spices in order to design new therapeutic drugs and for possible utility in the food industry. The book specifically examines the phytochemistry and biosynthetic pathway of active constituents of Indian spices. Highlighting a wide range of topics including pharmacology, antioxidant activity, and anti-cancer research, this book is ideally designed for pharmacologists, pharmacists, physicians, nutritionists, botanists, biotechnicians, biochemists, researchers, academicians, and students at the graduate and post-graduate levels interested in alternative healthcare.

Originally published in 1936, this book covers a subject that is just as relevant to people today. This is an invaluable guide for anyone wishing to complement orthodox medicine with natural remedies. The author's tone is passionate about the cause of naturopathy. Contents Include: NATURE CURE IN THEORY AND OUTLINE: What is "Nature Cure?" - The Fundamental Principles of Nature Cure - Nature Cure Versus Medical Science - What Medical Treatment Does - The Difference Between Medical and Natural Treatment - How Nature Cures - The Methods of Nature Cure: Fasting - The Methods of Nature Cure: Diet - Other Forms of Natural Treatment - The Natural Road to Health - DISEASES AND THEIR NATURAL TREATMENT: Ailments of Children - Diseases of the Skin (and Scalp) - Diseases of the Joints and Rheumatic Affections - Diseases of the Blood and Blood-Vessels (Also Circulatory Disorders) - Diseases of the Nerves and Nervous System - Diseases of the Glands and Glandular System - Diseases of the Eyes - Diseases of the Ears, Nose, Mouth and Throat - Diseases of the Stomach and Intestines - Diseases of the Heart, Lungs, Bronchial Tubes and larynx - Diseases of the Liver, Gall-Bladder - Kidneys - Bladder and Pancreas - Diseases of the Male and Female Sex Organs - Fevers, Also Influenza - Miscellaneous - APPENDICES: General Treatments, Diets, Etc - First-Aid Section

A new volume in the Weil Integrative Medicine Library, a groundbreaking series under the general editorship of Dr. Andrew Weil, Integrative Cardiology offers a new and much-needed perspective in cardiac care and prevention, blending conventional medicine with alternative approaches not typically part of the Western medical curriculum. This unique perspective highlights specific gaps in conventional heart care, and examines how alternative approaches may be ideally suited to address these missed opportunities. The book introduces topics not typically addressed in conventional cardiology texts including: nutritional therapies, exercise, botanicals, mind/body approaches, spirituality, aspirin, metabolic cardiology, acupuncture, and energy medicine. The focus of this work is on prevention and it recommends an approach that emphasizes the collaboration of the patient and health care provider--both seeking to obtain the best possible outcome taking into account the intangible, but vital, nuances of the patient's culture, beliefs, and preferences.The contributors, all of whom have a background in academic medicine, share the approaches that they have found most effective in their own practices, basing their work on the best scientific evidence available.

After forty-three years in the sacred space of caring for patients, Dr. Donovan shares his observations and thoughts about illness and healing. He believes illness serves us by acting as life's transformative process. As such, the journey through our illness may be precisely the very experiential journey we need to realize our healing and ourselves more fully. After all, we don't "get" cancer. Cancer, like any illness, is a process. We "are" the cancer we manifest. Our cancer arises out of our own tissues and cellular make up. To rid our self of our cancer is to rid our self of a part of our self. Instead of thinking about illness as something we "get," something separate from ourselves needing to be removed or defeated, Dr. Donovan thinks we might well do better viewing our illness as a transformational journey that must be undertaken and completed for our healing to emerge. We can't get rid of our selves but we can transform ourselves and our illness provides us with that opportunity. It allows us our healing.