Asia Insider Minute - Re-imagining Health

Could it be that Western medicine got it wrong? I don’t mean wrong in the empirical or scientific sense of the word. Research, advanced diagnostics and a whole lot of trial and error have generated insights to the workings of the human body that place our knowledge light-years ahead of things first revealed by human anatomy pioneers, Leonardo da Vinci and Andreas Vesalius. The inter-relatedness of the human body is well known. Yet, even with this knowledge, somehow we’ve discounted the power of the human imagination to predict and reinforce how effectively we function. 

To help dissect the subject, I welcome Anne Hockett onto the program. In this latest episode of Inside Asia we explore today’s global health trends, debate the effectiveness of the modern healthcare system, and re-discover the body’s own innate healing capacity. It’s a special episode for many reasons. This week’s release marks our 100th episode. That’s one hundred conversations nearly every week for the past two years, and I dare say, that on the subject of Asia in transition, there’s hardly a topic we haven’t touched. Experts from every field have joined us to share their insights on how Asia Pacific is coming into its own, grappling with the big questions of the day, and delivering some surprising results. 

But this week’s episode is special for another reason as well. Anne is more than an accomplished healthcare experts and wellness advisor. She also happens to be my wife. I’ve known many of my Inside Asia guest for decades, but no one – I dare say – more intimately than Anne. My admiration for her as a person of empathy and integrity is boundless, but it’s her professional journey from public policy wonk, to venture capitalist, to healer that sits at the heart of this week’s episode.

The mind-body connection is a much debated aspect of modern medicine. Many skilled and degreed Western practitioners say that if a physical ailment can’t be detected through advanced testing and imaging, then – most probably – it doesn’t exist. It’s psychosomatic, symptomatic of the mind. 

Perhaps not surprisingly, the brain is the least understood of all human organs. Only in the past 7-10 years have we begun to unlock its mysteries and contemplated its potential. Increasingly, there is evidence to suggest that the brain’s sway over the function of the body is no trivial matter. Our psychological traumas, battles with stress, and indeed, our very orientation to the world can interfere with the body’s ability to heal and manage itself. Wellness experts like Anne Hockett, through their own practices, are beginning to unlock the secrets of mind-body patterns, and in so doing, creating new and sometimes uncharted paths to recovery. 

There’s wisdom in this approach and it predates the 19th century discovery of the human cell or the late 20th invention of the X-Ray. Tools and technologies that help us detect illness, and surgical procedures and pharmaceuticals used to treat them are wonderful additions to the world of medicine. But, in their application we seem to have side-lined the power of the human body to heal itself if given the right conditions. 

In our fast-paced, stress-induced, always-on lives, the body is trying to talk to us. Like a close and intimate friends, its sending messages in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Witness the rise of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease – all ailments born of industrialization, shifting diets, higher stress levels and less sleep. 

Contagious disease that once plagued humanity has been displaced by a more contentious, yet insipid form of unwellness that we created. It’s the great trade-off of modern living. Look around, and you’ll see that worldwide we’ve surrendered to the higher forces of pharmacology and modern medical practices. Our innate abilities to self-detect and self-treat the things that ail us have faded away along with grandma’s farm-to-table cooking and her many herbal remedies. 

Healthcare today is all about convenience and there’s nothing more convenient than popping a few pills and running out the door. Are you surprised at the way you feel given the high doses of caffeine and alcohol self-administered day-in and day-out? Is that sleeping pill dependency working for you? How can 10-15 extra pounds leave you feeling so sluggish? Is your mind racing? Do you find it increasingly hard to just relax?

Here’s the question: Have you outsourced your health to the highest bidder. And if so, are you the victim of a system that tells you they know better, when you are – and remain – the one who knows best?

Western medicine has us all under a microscope. If an illness is detected, it will be destroyed. 

Eastern medicine uses a different lens. It asks us to search within ourselves for the answers and where possible introduce natural and earth-born treatments – not with a mind to eradicate an illness, but rather to empower the body to do what it is designed to do best – heal. So what are you waiting for? Maybe it’s time for a change.

I thank you for listening to this episode of Inside Asia and I hope in some small way it offers food for thought as each and everyone of you navigate your hectic lives. To learn more about Anne Hockett and explore the work she does, visit YouHealing at www.youhealing.org.

If my many conversations these past two years have taught me anything, it’s how little I understand about the things I thought I knew. 

This 100th episode is a reminder to keep asking questions and to listen actively. A shout out here to Steve Hayward. He got me started on this great podcast journey. I thank you Steve for the inspiration and the banter. Bill Poorman, thank you as well. You took over the show’s production six months ago and showed me how much more can be done to improve on a good idea. And so the production torch passes once again. This time to Becca Stine, Inside Asia’s new senior producer. To know and love you as my daughter has been a blessing. Your joining me in this podcast venture is a dream. 

If you aren’t a regular Inside Asia listener, I hope this episode has inspired you to do so. Download our program wherever you source and listen to your favourite podcasts. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher or GooglePlay or visit us at www.insideasiapodcast.com. We may be 100 episodes in, but we’ve only scratched the surface when it comes to the stories yet to be told.

Thanks for listening!