Alternative Goes Mainstream
Perhaps it all started with Jack LaLanne. Do you remember him, or do you even know who he is? Known as the ‘Godfather of Fitness’ he concentrated on physical fitness, chiropractic medicine and weight lifting back in the 1930’s – when it was virtually unheard of. His health and fitness message became ‘mainstream’ when he entered the American living room as the host of the a nationally syndicated TV exercise show from 1951 until 1985. He was preaching good nutrition and physical fitness long before it was popular.
There have been other experts in the field of ‘alternative’ medicine that have made their way into the American home with messages about health, fitness and good nutrition. Each of them a pioneer that has helped pave the way to what is now over a $125 billion industry. Taking vitamins and seeing your acupuncturist are now part of mainstream living.
Today, one of the most well respected cardiothoracic surgeons is also one of the most outspoken advocates of how you can control your health destiny. As a practicing surgeon, Dr. Oz noted: “It became progressively more frustrating to take people into the operating room when I knew they had created their own problems. If they’d known what to do differently, even a year or two earlier, they wouldn’t have needed the operation.”
On a mission to improve the health of Americans, Dr. Oz, now as host of his own nationally syndicated talk show uses television as a teaching tool. Instead of just talking to one patient at a time, he can reach millions at once. His advice on diet, exercise and healthy lifestyle choices are not only what he teaches, it’s what he lives by. “Alternative medicine is not just another way of lowering your cholesterol,” says Oz. “It’s a different way of thinking about the role of health.” Whereas conventional medicine identifies ailments and attempts to fix them, he says, this alternative mindset seeks to prevent ill health from arising.
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