A Message from Dr. Inouye

In this complex, chaotic world that we live in today, we are finding that the "easy" cures are quickly becoming a thing of the past. The day of the penicillin wonder cure or the single spinal manipulation that cures a lifetime of pain are few and far between. We are now faced with subtle problems such as endocrine disorders and environmental toxicities; conditions that may defy our most sophisticated and technologically advanced diagnostic instruments. We have become a society of the "Walking Wounded". The experience of vibrant health has been replaced with the absence of illness as being the norm. Our health goals have been, thus, unwittingly downgraded.

Consider this, although we are the wealthiest country in the world, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity are all still on the rise. Something may be amiss here.

I am firmly entrenched in the belief that we must go back to fundamentals; our diets and our exercise routine as the basis to obtain and maintain optimal levels of health.

We should be paying our health practitioners, not only to minimize the symptoms of a illness or injury, but to keep us feeling vibrant and joyous in our living. It is said that in ancient China, the emperor's doctor would be beheaded if the Emperor fell ill.

In our culture, there are no real incentives for health professionals to keep us healthy. It seems that all the incentives lie in curing of disease rather than the prevention of illness or optimization of our health. Are doctors to blame? I think not. It is up to us to participate and strive for the best in our health's future.

I would like to invite you to consider a new paradigm for optimal health. We must invest in our health in a way that may be new to many of us. Perhaps we would be better off living by the words prevention and not intervention with regards to our health.