IN THIS ARTICLE: Dr Andrew WI is a health guru for millions through his Internet site, Ask Dr Weil. But his central message revolves around a simple physical fact, and one of the most important is that we must breathe the best possible way we can.

    本文簡(jiǎn)介：安德魯·韋爾博士通過(guò)其互聯(lián)網(wǎng)站----“詢問(wèn)韋爾博士”----成為上百萬(wàn)人尊敬的健康權(quán)威。但是他的核心思想圍繞著一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的物理事實(shí)，而最重要的問(wèn)題之一是，我們必須以盡可能好的方式呼吸。

    [1] In 1999, Time magazine selected l)r Andrew Weil as one of the 25 most influential people in America. His hooks have spent 22 weeks, to date, on the New York Times bestseller list. His Internet web site, from which he dispenses even more advice, attracts 3, 000 questions a week. Among recent questions were: What is the best breast cancer treatment? How can we combat killer mosquitoes? Are apples really good for you? Can popcorn be health food? Should I drink more water?

    [2] But the message health gum Andrew Weil has is simple.

    * "Breathe," he says. Long, slow, full breaths with exhales at least as long as the inhales.

    * "Walk," he says. Briskly, that is, for 10 minutes a day, five days a week--for a start.

    * "Eat healthily," he says, "taking in more fresh vegetables and fruit and less red meat."

    [3] Weil has been travelling the world to promote his books Health and Healing and Spontaneous Healing. A new volume will be available here in September. In Health and Healing he expands on the importance of breathing, that "most" vital and mysterious function".

    [4] "Breathing is unique as the only function that can be fully voluntary or involuntary. As such it is a bridge between the conscious and unconscious minds as well as between mind and body.

    [5] "Proper breathing nourishes the central nervous system, establishes a harmonious pattern for other bodily rhythms, and regulates moods and emotions."

    1999年，《時(shí)代》雜志選擇安德魯·韋爾博士作為美國(guó)最有影響的25人中的一員。他的書(shū)到目前為止已有22個(gè)星期被列入《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》暢銷書(shū)單中。他的互聯(lián)網(wǎng)站提供更多忠告，每周會(huì)收到3000個(gè)問(wèn)題。最近的問(wèn)題有：什么是乳腺癌的最佳治療方法？我們?cè)鯓尤ジ�蚊蟲(chóng)殺手戰(zhàn)斗？蘋(píng)果對(duì)你具有好處嗎？爆米花能算健康食品嗎？我應(yīng)該喝更多水嗎？

    然而，健康權(quán)威安德魯·韋爾博士說(shuō)的很簡(jiǎn)單。

    “呼吸，”他說(shuō)。深長(zhǎng)、緩慢、充分的呼吸，呼氣至少要同吸氣一樣長(zhǎng)。

    “走路，”他說(shuō)。就是輕快地走，開(kāi)始時(shí)每天10分鐘、每周五天。

    “吃得有益健康，”他說(shuō)，“多吃新鮮蔬菜和水果，少吃紅肉。”

    [6] "Learning how to breathe and working consciously with breath is a simple, safe, effective and inexpensive way to promote good health of mind and body."

    [7] The man with a medical degree from Harvard, a magnificent trademark beard and the sort of eyes that twinkle into crescent slivers when he smiles, (which is often) does not hesitate to suggest that you bead for the nearest hospital if you have been in an accident, need a hip replacement or have a severe infection.

    [8] But he has long championed alternative views on health. He emphasises the need for "integrative" medicine, which takes the best from any number of healing methods--if they have been shown to work.

    [9] Weil began his travels around the world at 17, examining the medicines of other cultures. The experience enforced his passionate interest in botanical drugs and fostered in him a great respect for the inherent power of the mind-body connection and its potential importance in medicine.

    [10] He entered Harvard with no intention of practising in the traditional allopathic way, but with "a strong intuition that a medical degree would be useful".

    [11] For 26 years he has spoken about his basic philosophy--that the body has its own elaborate healing system that repairs wounds, renews bones and corrects mistakes in the blueprint that could otherwise result in cancer or other diseases.

    [12] And he has criticised the doctors who ignore it and focus entirely on "the disease model" instead. "But ideological argument means nothing," he says.

    韋爾一直在周游世界促銷他寫(xiě)的書(shū)《健康與痊愈》以及《自然痊愈》。新的一冊(cè)9月即可在此買(mǎi)到。在《健康與痊愈》中，他詳述呼吸的重要性說(shuō)，那是“最性命攸關(guān)和不可思議的機(jī)能”。

    “呼吸作為僅有的能完全自主或不自主的機(jī)能是獨(dú)特的。因而它是一座橋，處于自覺(jué)和不自覺(jué)之間，如同處于腦子和身體之間。 “正常的呼吸滋養(yǎng)中樞神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)，為其他的軀體節(jié)律建立一種和諧的模式，并調(diào)節(jié)心境和情緒。

    “學(xué)習(xí)如何呼吸并自覺(jué)地與呼吸配合動(dòng)作，是可以促進(jìn)身心健康的簡(jiǎn)單、安全、有效而且廉價(jià)的方法。”

    這是一位從哈佛取得醫(yī)學(xué)學(xué)位的人，堂皇的胡子是其特征，微笑時(shí)常眼神閃爍，眼睛瞇得狀如月牙。如果你遭遇了事故、需要置換髖部或得了嚴(yán)重的感染病，他會(huì)毫不遲疑地建議你快去最近的醫(yī)院。

    但是，他在健康問(wèn)題上長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)都堅(jiān)持選擇的觀點(diǎn)。他強(qiáng)調(diào)需要“整合”醫(yī)藥，即從各種各樣的治療方法中擇取其優(yōu)點(diǎn)——只要它們已顯示可發(fā)揮作用。 韋爾17歲就開(kāi)始環(huán)球旅行，考察其他文化的醫(yī)藥。他的游歷加強(qiáng)了他對(duì)植物性藥物的強(qiáng)烈興趣，并使他越來(lái)越注意身心關(guān)聯(lián)的固有力量及其在醫(yī)學(xué)上潛在的重要意義。

    他進(jìn)入哈佛并不是想從事傳統(tǒng)的對(duì)抗療法，而只是帶有“一種強(qiáng)烈的直覺(jué)——一醫(yī)學(xué)學(xué)位將會(huì)有用。”

    26年來(lái)他已經(jīng)講過(guò)的基本思想是：人體自身有精巧的痊愈系統(tǒng)，可以修補(bǔ)創(chuàng)傷、更新骨骼和改正可導(dǎo)致癌癥或其他疾病的型極錯(cuò)誤。

    他批評(píng)那些忽視人體自身痊愈系統(tǒng)而代之以完全著眼于“疾病模型”的醫(yī)生們。他說(shuō)：“思想方法上的爭(zhēng)辯毫無(wú)意義。” 他說(shuō)，目前美國(guó)的醫(yī)療系統(tǒng)正處于嚴(yán)重困難之中。“技術(shù)實(shí)在是過(guò)于昂貴，醫(yī)療經(jīng)濟(jì)體系無(wú)法運(yùn)作。醫(yī)院正走向破產(chǎn)。醫(yī)學(xué)院正不得不合并。”同時(shí)，代用醫(yī)藥的消費(fèi)市場(chǎng)正日趨繁榮，并演變成一個(gè)重要的經(jīng)濟(jì)力量。韋爾已經(jīng)注意到越來(lái)越多的醫(yī)生正傾聽(tīng)他的意見(jiàn)。他說(shuō)：“我在這個(gè)領(lǐng)域有很長(zhǎng)的一段時(shí)間了，因而我有些可信度。”

    [13] Now the medical system in America is in desperate straits, he says. "The technology is simply too expensive and the medical economy is not working. Hospitals are going bankrupt. Medical colleges are having to merge." Meanwhile the consumer market for alternative medicines is booming and becoming a significant economic force. And Weil has noticed more and more physicians lending him an enthusiastic ear. "I have a long history in this field so I have some credibility," he says.

    [14] Among the millions who now attend carefully to what he has to say is the faculty of the University of Arizona College of Medicine where a radical and innovative programme of his design, to "train a new type of physician for the next century" begins next month.

    [15] That is when the first trainees, already qualified doctors with some years' experience in family practice and internal medicine, embark upon a two-year post-graduate course to prepare them to be leaders.

    [16] The curriculum includes, for example, modules on Zen Meditation, medicine and culture, legal issues, "energy medicine" (everything from X-rays to the highest technical aspects of the field) and ancient "energy" treatments like homeopathy, therapeutic touch and chi gong.

    [17] Students will study in detail medical acupuncture, homeopathy. osteopathic manipulation and guided imagery. The centre will run a clinic and conduct research. And in line with Weil's principle that doctors should model healthy a candidate's healthy lifestyle is a criterion for admission--a Chicago doctor who is also a professional chef has been employed to provide "decent food" to the students.

    [18] Interest in alternative medicine is a major phenomenon says Weil, far more than a trend. It is, he says, part of a world wide reaction against technology and an urge to find a better balance with nature.

    現(xiàn)在正謹(jǐn)慎關(guān)注韋爾一定會(huì)說(shuō)的話的上百萬(wàn)人中，包括亞利桑那大學(xué)醫(yī)學(xué)院的全體成員。該學(xué)院下月開(kāi)始實(shí)施他所設(shè)計(jì)的一個(gè)激進(jìn)且創(chuàng)新的項(xiàng)目，以“為下一世紀(jì)訓(xùn)練新型醫(yī)生。”

    首批受訓(xùn)者是有多年家庭服務(wù)和內(nèi)科實(shí)踐經(jīng)驗(yàn)已被確認(rèn)有資格的醫(yī)生。他們將接受兩年的研究生培訓(xùn)，以期成為帶頭人。

    舉例來(lái)說(shuō)，課程包括禪宗入靜、醫(yī)藥與文化、法律問(wèn)題。“能量醫(yī)學(xué)”（從X射線到該領(lǐng)域最高技術(shù)方面）以及古老的“能量”治療法（像順勢(shì)療法、按摩和氣功）等單元。

    學(xué)生們將詳細(xì)學(xué)習(xí)針灸、順勢(shì)療法、骨療手法以及暗示療法。訓(xùn)練中心將開(kāi)辦一個(gè)診所，并進(jìn)行研究工作。而且，為與韋爾主張的“醫(yī)生要做健康表率”之原則相一致，投考者健康的生活方式是決定錄取與否的一項(xiàng)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。一位芝加哥醫(yī)生已被雇用，同時(shí)他還是專業(yè)廚師，來(lái)給學(xué)生們提供“像樣的食品”。 韋爾說(shuō)，對(duì)于代用醫(yī)藥的興趣是個(gè)重大的現(xiàn)象，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)一種趨向。他說(shuō)，這是在世界范圍內(nèi)逆反技術(shù)并力求跟自然更好地保待一種平衡。