"The Dr. Weil Show" on AHN!
SkeptInq@aol.com
Fri, 11 Dec 1998 14:48:22 EST
COUNCIL FOR MEDIA INTEGRITY ALERT
<A HREF="http://www.csicop.org/cmi">http://www.csicop.org/cmi</A>
Get ready defenders of science and reason, premiering December 13,
alternative medicine godfather Andrew Weil will be the featured host of
"Integrative Medicine: Body, Mind and Spirit" on America's Health
Network(AHN). Regular guests on the weekly half-hour program will include
Deepak Chopra and Dean Ornish.
According to AHN Vice-President Brian Hansen, "This series will help viewers
understand nontraditional health options -- such as yoga, acupuncture,
hypnosis and natural herbs -- and help them decide whether to integrate
alternative options into their traditional wellness plan."
But it seems a critical scientific perspective is not in the network's plans.
The December 13 episode will include Marcus Laux, N.D., Stephen Sinatra, M.D.,
and James Dillard, MD., D.C. -- who is a medical doctor, chiropractor and
certified acupuncturist -- discussing topics with a live audience. The one-
hour special "will discuss mind-body medicine, acupuncture, meditation and the
latest research that has been done in those fields."
RESPOND NOW. Send comments to AHN at: programming@ahn.com .
Or call 407-224-6800. You can check out their website at
<A HREF="http://www.ahn.com/">http://www.ahn.com/</A>
Weil has been the most visible leader in the retreat from scientific
medicine. The self-described "guru" embraces and promotes an immense range of
alternative therapies that have little or no scientific support. His espoused
philosophy on medicine is squishy, loose, New Age and emphatically
antiscientific.
For more on Weil and his antiscientific philosophy, read a recent review in
the December 4 issue of The New Republic by Arnold S. Relman, editor-in-chief-
emeritus of the New England Journal of Medicine.
<A HREF="http://www.thenewrepublic.com/magazines/tnr/current/relman121498.html
">http://www.thenewrepublic.com/magazines/tnr/current/relman121498.html</A>
What follows is the press release put out by the American Health Network.
_______________________________________________________________
Complementary Medicine Pioneer Andrew Weil, M.D. Will Be Featured Host Of New
Original Series On America's Health Network
Integrative Medicine: Body, Mind & Spirit' Will Uncover the Secrets of
Complementary Medicine Starting in February
ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- America's Health Network is unveiling a
new half-hour series which will help viewers understand nontraditional health
options -- "Integrative Medicine: Body, Mind & Spirit." The leading name in
complementary medicine, Andrew Weil, M.D., will serve as featured host for
this innovative series, which will debut on the network as a one-hour special
on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. ET, and will be added to the regular schedule in
February.
Dr. Weil is widely credited with bringing recognition to complementary
medicine among the mainstream medical community. As a board-certified
physician, he has encouraged the testing of nontraditional medicine by
traditional Western standards.
"A recent JAMA report revealed there is tremendous consumer interest in
alternative medicine therapies -- in fact, the report found that between 1990
and 1997, the total visits to alternative medicine practitioners exceeded the
total visits to all primary care physicians," said Senior Vice President of
Programming Brian Hansen. "It can no longer be ignored by traditional
medicine. This series will help viewers understand nontraditional health
options -- such as yoga, acupuncture, hypnosis and natural herbs -- and help
them decide whether to integrate alternative options into their traditional
wellness plan."
The special airing on Dec. 13 will feature a panel of noted authors and
authorities in complementary medicine, including Marcus Laux, N.D., Stephen
Sinatra, M.D., and James Dillard, MD., D.C. -- who is a medical doctor,
chiropractor and certified acupuncturist -- discussing topics with a live
audience. The one-hour special will discuss mind-body medicine, acupuncture,
meditation and the latest research that has been done in those fields.
The series will have a magazine-style format and will cover all the issues
relating to alternative medicine. Topics will include profiles of various
therapies, including yoga, herbal therapies, meditation, Eastern medicine and
spirituality, to see how and why they work.
The program will also put alternative medicine into context with modern
healthcare, look at what the U.S. government is doing to enlighten the general
public about their options, and discuss the results of therapies that have
been put to the test. Medical authorities will offer their opinions,
alternative medicine practitioners will demonstrate their therapies, and
patients will explain how different therapies have affected their lives and
health.
Featured guests on the show will include such well-known authorities as
Deepak Chopra, M.D., Stephen Sinatra, M.D., Dean Ornish, M.D., and Wayne
Jonas, M.D., from the National Institute of Health's Office of Alternative
Medicine.
America's Health Network is based in Universal Studios Florida, in Orlando.
The network's 24-hour health and medical programming reaches nearly nine
million households in all 50 states through cable television and satellite
distributors. It is also available on the company's Web site, AHN.COM, which
was the leading health site in June with more than three million unique users.
According to Media Metrix, AHN.COM was named the 26th fastest growing site on
the Internet from January to June 1998.
____________________________________
SKEPTICS RESPOND NOW. Send comments to AHN at: programming@ahn.com . Or
call 407-224-6800. You can check out their website at
<A HREF="http://www.ahn.com/">http://www.ahn.com/</A>