A New Initiative

This has been the most incredible week of my life. I suppose I've simply gotten to a point in my life where I want to "address" people, not simply "dress" them. When first my husband Stephan became ill with cancer, and then my best friend Lynn Kohlman, I realized something was terribly wrong with the way they were being treated. I was blessed to see that they both got the best possible medical care, but even with that, even in the best medical facilities in the country, the disease was getting treated, but the "patient," that living, breathing sensitive human being -- whom I knew and cared for so much -- got lost in the process. I knew there were integrative therapies that could greatly increase not only their chances for survival, but their quality of life during their healing.

I got busy. I changed their nutrition, bringing healthy whole foods into the hospital. I brought them yoga teachers who taught them breathing and relaxation. I encouraged them to connect spiritually, so they could become empowered in the healing process.

Stephan responded immediately, (even though up until then he had been more than a little skeptical about my "wu wu" friends) Sadly, we lost him eventually, but he had seven years of living with his disease, benefiting from this integrative approach.

When Lynn was diagnosed, she was only given a few months to live. She had breast and brain cancer. She's still alive four years later, and she too, will tell you it had everything to do with her integrative treatment and her own fierce will and passion to live.

I decided I had to do something to help others. So along with my friend Sonja Nuttal, we launched the Urban Zen Initiative. This week and next week, in New York City, we're bringing together the world's leading doctors, nurses, yoga teachers, integrative health practitioners and others who want to transform the way patients are treated. We're going to work through issues, and come to some conclusions, and even more important, launch specific actions that address patient care. We're going to look at the whole medical process through the lens of the patient, and see what we can do about it.

To find out more, you can read Alison Rose Levy's blog here too. She's a health journalist and writer, who is reporting on the conference.

I hope you'll get involved, make comments, and help us figure out what needs to be done. We need your involvement! Check out our website for more info.