Dr. Andrew Weil (Photo courtesy of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine)
Dr. Andrew Weil, a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine, will give a free talk this week.
Weil's Nov. 20 talk on the future of health care in the United States, which will be held at The University of Arizona at noon, is part of the Well U Provost Lecture Series.
The event is free and will be held in Gallagher Theater, located in the Student Union Memorial Center, 1303 E. University Blvd.
Modern scientific medicine has advanced rapidly but those advances have not resulted in overall better health or health care.
The United States is on the brink of a major health care collapse due to a number of serious issues.
The nation is spending more per capita on health care than any other country in the world, but is seeing more serious illness with poorer treatment outcomes.
At the same time, the country is facing an economic downturn and exponentially-increased Medicare spending on the "baby boom" generation.
Weil says the future of American health care will need to include educating health care professionals and providing the public with access to information on integrative therapies.
"Many common diseases could be avoided if we were better able to address the lifestyle factors that underlie them," Weil said. "The future of medicine is integrative."
Weil defines integrative medicine as the prudent application of both conventional and alternative ideas and practices, taking advantage of natural healing and considering all aspects of lifestyle in matters of health and illness.
He also said this approach is more cost-effective, less invasive, easy to adopt and that it yields better long-term results.
Harvard-educated Weil is an expert on medicinal plants, integrative medicine and the reform of medical education. He is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the UA Health Sciences Center.
Weil also holds the Jones/Lovell Endowed Chair in Integrative Rheumatology and is a UA clinical professor of medicine and a public health professor.
He authored numerous books and articles and writes monthly column for Prevention magazine.
Weil added: "Tucson residents have unique access to a wealth of resources in integrative medicine and are in close proximity to a major academic institution leading the field, and I am proud to contribute to the health and wellness of my community."
Dr. Andrew Weil maintains a Web site. Also, to learn more about the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine visit its Web site.
The mission of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine is to lead the transformation of healthcare by creating, educating and actively supporting a community of professionals who embody the philosophy and practice of integrative medicine.
Integrative medicine is healing-oriented and takes account of body, mind, spirit and lifestyle, making use of conventional and alternative therapies as appropriate. Since its inception, the Arizona Center in Integrative Medicine has focused its efforts on three domains: education, clinical care, and research - with the primary emphasis on education.
Genevieve H. Gutierrez
520-626-6417
Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine