Contributing to Integrative Healthcare Research Broadly
Today, in the U.S., one in three people over the age of 45 are affected by chronic non-communicable disease. Up to 70% of these diseases are lifestyle related. Lack of personal time, excessive worry, too little rest, addictions, overeating, destructive mental patterns, overstimulation from media/technology, isolation from community, and nature deprivation all have a role to play in the chronic non-communicable disease epidemic. On healthcare along, we spend 3 trillion dollars per year; yet, the U.S. ranks 37 in the world in terms of longevity of life, a primary measure of healthcare quality.
The simple process of integrating the person into the equation in her/his health plan is vital to prevent and treat chronic non-communicable diseases. When an individual realizes his or her participation affects the biology, this will open up a whole new game-changing paradigm for dealing with disease. Our research furthers this paradigm shift by validating its underlying principles.
In ancient systems of knowledge, such as Ayurveda, an etiology-based approach is taken against disease, aiming at the root cause of a body imbalance–unlike the damage-based model of the current biomedical system which aims at symptom care.