Summary: Here’s the story of a frightening situation that could happen to any of us. When a California attorney, Deb Graceffa , started experiencing strange symptoms an initial diagnosis pointed to a potentially crippling illness. But high-tech testing and conventional medicine failed to arrest her symptoms, which continued to worsen. After trying numerous doctors, she was referred to a respected physician, University of California medical professor Rick McKinney, who is deeply experienced in integrative care. His approach differed from the others’ and led to a fairly rapid diagnosis requiring minor, mostly natural treatments that gave rapid relief. We hear from the physician and grateful patient about the nature of their communication. Also, the story of Dean Ornish, MD, a pioneer in integrative medicine whose program of stress management, plant-based diet and social support has achieved high success with heart patients and is now covered by Medicare. And we learn how this all fits into the health care overhaul from comments by Jeffrey Levi, a public health expert who was appointed to chair President Obama’s prevention advisory group.
