Okinawa seems to have the highest percentage of centenarians. As a culture, they eat a TON of veggies, a ton whole grains and lots of fruit. Veggies, fruits and grains make up something like 70% of their diet. They don't eat anywhere near the amount of animal fat that we do here. In addition to the types of food they eat, they also eat a lot fewer calories and fats than people in Europe and North America. Exercise is also a big deal over there, as is spirituality (something that is known to improve health).
As far as health care goes, they incorporate BOTH eastern and western medicine. I'm not saying that there is no value in eastern medicine, but when many of those who practice it also traditionally have diet and exercise habits that we know equal better health it's hard to point to that practice as the only reason the people there are living so long. It's a combination of things.
I think it is always a good idea to have an open mind when it comes to health care. However, alternative medicine in the US is a very "buyer beware" situation. You have alternative health practitioners that are good people and good at what they do, but you also have a good deal of them who disreputable, greedy, and taking advantage of people.
People can do what they wish, but personally I don't automatically put more faith in a practitioner of alternative medicine just because they are not a western doctor. I am just as suspicious with either, and it seems that a frightening number of people will blindly trust alternative practitioners.
There is a village in central america (can't remember the name) which has a very high proportion of centenarians as well. They do have a similar eating style to the Okinawans. They also works into their 90s and hundreds every day. Not super intense labor, just getting up early and tending animals and vegetable fields kinds of activities.
I never said that western medicine is a bunch of crackpots and ineffective for treating disease. The opposite:
I acknowledged that western medicine reduces infant/child mortality rates with simple treatments that traditional medicine does not have.
And my cousin whose intestines burst was saved by a western doctor who took the risk to his patient survival score and operated anyway. No eastern doctor could have fixed what was wrong with him using herbs. Now, maybe it could have been prevented using alternative treatments, maybe not, but he was saved using western medicine.
And if I ever had a compound fracture in my arm, I'd be going to the emergency room of a hospital to have it fixed.
All of our horrible experiences I have had with DOCTORS makes me distrust DOCTORS, which was the topic of this thread. Not whether eastern medicine is better than western. The malpractice that many of my family members has been subject to has led to us looking at alternative treatments for the resulting chronic conditions. If we had been correctly diagnosed to begin with, we probably could have received timely treatment and not needed to make legal threats and throw tantrums in order to keep from having family members die. If DOCTORS had used readily available diagnostic equipment (X-rays) instead of sending me out of their office with a broken hip, spine, and later on neck, I would probably not being having the chronic problems I struggle with now. When my mom's ovary twisted, the surgeon said that if another 20 minutes had gone by without surgery she might not have made it.
My chiropractor is my cousin, and he and his associates do not charge me so I know that they do not have money as a motivation for what they do.
My chinese doctor, and I had to search a
long time before finding one that was trained in the best way to help me with my chronic problems, is a great guy. He actually had identical hip and back fractures to mine when he was 3 years old and so that has given him a lot of insight into how to rehabilitate me after my injuries, more so than other alternative practitioners and western doctors. Not all branches of eastern medicine are the same, and different approaches are more effective for different issues, and different people's bodies.
The main issue I have with western medicine is that our mainstream medical system is set up in such a way as to be focused around money. Drug companies, insurance companies, etc. all have high motivations for making money, and promoting certain treatments over others not because they are better or more effective, but for money. Naturopathy definitely has it's share of scammers among their ranks, but you have to be aware of that every where you go. I have found that alternative practitioners are
generally more interested in serving me, and helping me get well, which is the job they are getting paid to do. And in order to become certified they also spend upwards of a decade taking intense medical classes, the good ones traveling far and wide, sometimes internationally to attend training seminars and courses to stay up to date with current research and techniques.
Right now I am on a waiting list for an integrated medicine practitioner. They are regular western MDs who also use naturopathy, nutrition, eastern medicine, etc. taking the best of each and using what is most effective in diagnosing and treating the individual patients. That, IMO, is ideal.
I am glad we live in a country where we have so many health care options available however, as everyone has different things that work for them and that they are comfortable with.
