Book: Staying Healthy with NEW Medicine
Author: Elson Haas, MD
Website: http://elsonhaasmd.com/
Since completing medical school in 1973, Elson Haas, MD has emerged as one of the leaders of the ever-expanding integrative health movement. An awareness about the importance of a holistic approach to health came in an epiphany Dr. Haas had after finishing his formal training as a physician. The realization was that what he had been taught equipped him to focus on illnesses and disease, but not on fundamental health and wellness. In his words: “I had been trained as a ‘symptom fixer’ and ‘disease fighter,’ and not as an educator or healer.” Interestingly, as Dr. Haas points out, the word “doctor” comes from the Latin for “teacher.” This realization led him to seek out training in a variety of alternative healing approaches that were not part of conventional Western medicine at that time, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy, Herbal Medicine, and Mind/Body Healing. The integration of these various modalities forms the foundation of what Dr. Haas calls NEW Medicine, which is an acronym for “Natural, Eastern, and Western.”
In addition to being a practicing physician for more than 40 years, as well as being the founder and director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, CA., Dr. Haas is the author of 10 books on health, nutrition, and detoxification. This latest book, Staying Healthy with NEW Medicine, completes his “Staying Healthy” trilogy, which also includes Staying Healthy With The Seasons and Staying Healthy With Nutrition. Some of his other titles are The Detox Diet, The False Fat Diet, and Ultimate Immunity.
In this latest book, Dr. Haas not only goes into great detail about the various holistic modalities that contribute
to the NEW Medicine approach but shares his valuable insights about the pro’s and con’s of traditional Western Medicine and about the current health care system, which in his view is a “disease care system,” that focuses more on doing tests, performing procedures, prescribing drugs, treating symptoms, and attempting to manage chronic health problems rather than achieving optimal health through education, healthy lifestyles, and natural preventive care. According to Dr. Haas: “Given the significant focus on the profit motive within our health care system and related industries, it is no wonder that previous attempts at reform have been largely unsuccessful.” The book goes into depth on this subject and outlines the institutions and major players in creating the dysfunctional state our health care system is in.
However, the other side of the coin, i.e. what we can do about it, is really more of the main focus of the book. Within the diversity of topics covered, the two key approaches Dr. Haas emphasizes are personal responsibility, and widespread public education. A foundational concept in NEW Medicine is a focus on the various aspects of one’s lifestyle. In this approach, patient awareness and personal responsibility plays an important role in conjunction with the care of the physician or health care provider. While Dr. Haas is quick to point out the many positive aspects of traditional medicine, in regard to 
preventive health care, he advocates: lifestyle first, natural therapies second, and drugs or Western medical intervention last. The book provides a wealth of information about the various components and modalities of NEW Medicine, which enable the reader to make more educated choices about potential sources for their own health and wellbeing.
Dr. Haas goes on to discuss one of the main principles of New Medicine: understanding causes. In his words: “True healing often means going far deeper than treating the physical symptoms of disease or poor health. It involves looking at the underlying causes, and sensing the nature of the changes that a person needs to make to eliminate a health problem, to prevent disease and to optimize wellbeing.” Over the 40 pages of this chapter, Dr. Haas goes into great detail on this topic.
One of the strong points of this book is that in addition to a great deal of conceptual information, a wealth of
real-life practical advice is given. In a chapter called “NEW Medicine in Practice: The Five Keys to Staying Healthy,” much wisdom about nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep, and healthy attitudes is provided, which constitutes a virtual “how-to” guide for moving to increasingly higher levels of the health continuum. Another important element of the NEW Medicine is the doctor-patient relationship, which is the main focus of chapter 4, and the “cornerstone of true healing.” Dr. Haas breaks down the qualities of a healthy doctor-patient relationship and elaborates on each. The book concludes with a preview of Dr. Haas’ next book, NEW Medicine Solutions, which focuses on specific common health issues such as weight management, diabetes, immunity, aging, hormones, cancer, gastrointestinal issues, and much more.
Having been aware of Dr. Haas’ earliest books since the 1990’s, its been interesting to watch the medical profession and general population starting to catch up to many of his innovative concepts and practices that seemed so revolutionary at the time. Although there is obviously still a long way to go, there has truly been a renaissance in awareness about integrative medicine and preventive health care. Pioneers like Dr. Elson Haas have been at the forefront of empowering people to take a more active role in their own wellness, in addition to providing valuable information to doctors and health care providers as well. Staying Healthy with NEW Medicine is a valuable resource and veritable treasure trove of information and practical advice for anyone wanting to improve their health.
Click here to view a video of Dr. Haas introducing the book.
Click here to read more and/or purchase Staying Healthy with NEW Medicine on Amazon.
Other books in the Staying Healthy trilogy:
Music and Media Focus 