‘ Alternative’ doctor wants more time spent in B.C.
Celebrity physician decides to build a house on one of the northern Gulf Islands
AGING Dr. Andrew Weil, who has been called “ America’s bestknown doctor” and “the guru of alternative medicine,” is putting down roots in British Columbian soil.
The celebrity doctor told The Vancouver Sun in a recent interview that he is building a house on one of the northern Gulf Islands and is spending increasing amounts of time on our wet coast, rather than in his home state of Arizona.
“I’m just finishing a house on Cortes Island. So when I’m not in Arizona, I’m mostly there,” Weil said via cellphone from Illinois, where he was making an appearance for his latest book tour.
“I’ve been going there for 20 some years. . . . I really like it. It’s the opposite of the desert, where I live. I like the community up there. I really enjoy it.”
Weil is a devoted advocate of alternative medicine and is a respected authority on healthy aging, which happens to be the title of his latest book.
Weil will be promoting his book and his healthy aging methods Friday with a talk at St. Andrews- Wesley Church in Vancouver.
Wrinkle-reducing creams and micro-dermabrasion are not part of Weil’s vocabulary as he is a strong believer that aging is not a reversible process, but that it can be done with grace and in a way that will reduce illness later in life.
Common-sense tips, such as eating well, exercising and thinking well, are at the core of Weil’s model, which is being devoured by millions of baby boomers who are looking for ways to slow the aging process and make the most of their later years.
“I think if you look at our culture it’s completely dominated, not by common sense, but by denial of aging and the belief that you can reverse it,” he said.
“ People can connect to [ my
model]. It makes sense to them. When they try it out it works, so I think it builds up that kind of trust.”
Weil is a firm believer that inflammation leads to many of the ills of aging and he promotes in his book an anti-inflammatory diet, which is remarkably balanced and doesn’t ask you to cut out entire food groups. He recommends simple steps such as taking two baby Aspirin a day, getting enough rest, and embracing sexual urges as ways to age well.
“Self-stimulation is always an option. I consider it a healthy practice throughout life,” Weil writes in a chapter on touch and sex.
In addition to ample amounts of touch and rest, Weil heavily promotes the use of ginger and tumeric as natural means to reduce inflammation.
During a few recent trips to Okinawa, Japan — known as the land of longevity — Weil grew fond of a cold tumeric tea that he said he’s now working to import to North America.
“It did [taste like tumeric] but it was very pleasant, not bitter, not astringent. It was refreshing, especially in hot weather,” he said.
Despite his skepticism about anti-aging creams and serums, Weil has lent his name to a line of “mega-mushroom” face products being sold by Origins. The promotional material for the face serum promises that with daily use, “ you’ll soon see a renewed radiance and clarity. Your skin will look and feel calmer, healthier and less stressed.”
Weil insists it is not an antiaging product and notes that 100 per cent of his share of the profits go to his foundation, which was founded last year and supports integrative medicine.
“They’re not anti-aging. These are anti-inflammatory products and I think they’re innovative and they work and they’ve got novel [components] in them.”
Weil teaches occasional courses at Hollyhock on Cortes Island, and will be speaking and signing books at 7:30 p.m. Friday at St. Andrews- Wesley Church. Tickets are available at Banyen Books or at the door.
aobrian@png.canwest.com