I ISRAEL ARNOLD mama Alternative Medicine Soars In Israel DOES IT AGAIN! With HELGA ABRAHAM Special to The Jewish News 5 Of The Best Reasons To Buy Now! 1992 mama MIATA 1993 Loaded (iD)eatTiStk. #8 Auto, air, cruise tilt, pwr. moon roof, wind. & locks, alloy wheels, alarm cuss. s tk. # 112 WAS $17,665 NOW $15,500 MSRP $18,705 NOW $16,289 MSRP $32,720 NOW 08,162 1992 mama mama 626LX mx3 1992 YEAR END SAVINGS Red, 5-Speed, air, stereo toss., windows maxim 929 Luxury Sedan Auto, air, cruise, AM/FM cass., p. windows, p. locks, p. roof, p. drive seat, leather int., and pass. air bog . Stk. # 50 & locks, floor mats. Stk. # 070 MSRP $13,425 NOW $12,162 ARNOL 11 . MSRP $30,550 NOW $25,990 "The High Performance Dealer" IT mama 12t:El_s 1\ic;11 -1-. 29187 GRATIOT at 12 Mile Road Directly across the street from Arnold Lincoln-Mercury 445-6080 411111111111111111•1011•111111114 T he word 'shalom,' " re- marked Israeli psycho- therapist Omri Citron, "means 'peace.' But its holistic meaning is the word `shalem', which means `com- plete'; before we can be com- plete, we have to be at peace with ourselves." This holistic approach to medical treat- ment also brought together 300 health practitioners to the First International Con- ference on the Interaction Between Western and Euro- pean Medicines held at the Dead Sea. The high rate of participa- tion from Israel, the U.S., Europe, Italy, India and Romania and the wide varie- ty of topics discussed — from the better known disciplines of homeopathy, acupuncture, shiatsu and yoga to the lesser known ones of psychoneuroimmunology, Feldenkreis, Qi Gong and laughing meditation, "reflects the growing worldwide interest in alter- native health therapies that has mushroomed in recent years," said organizer Av- shalom Mizrahi. "Israelis, like everyone else, resist change," admitted Mr. Mizrahi, who promotes the in- tegration of Eastern and Western medicines through international conferences and local lobbying. "If they were asked to choose between painkillers and homeopathy, they would most likely choose painkillers." At the same time, the Israeli medical system has witnessed enor- mous change in the last 10 years and can now offer prac- tically every form of alter- native health treatment. A biotechnologist by profes- sion, Mr. Mizrahi — like many of his colleagues — came to appreciate the power of tradi- tional Eastern therapies by visiting the Far East: "Tibetan doctors can diagnose a patient in less than 10 minutes," he said. "And the Chinese," added Mr. Citron, "have taught us that people need to be in touch with themselves before they can be healed, just as a kite needs a strong string at- taching it to the ground before it can take off into the sky." But why choose Israel for this meeting of East and West? "The great Jewish sage Maimonides was among the first to adapt a holistic ap- proach to health," said Mr. Mizrachi. "The soul makes the body," Maimonides wrote. Major progress was made when the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Tzrifin opened a Department of In- tegrated Medicine offering conventional medical treat- ment in conjunction with Chinese medicine, homeopathy, manipulation, herbology and postural therapy. "People feel more secure when alternative medicine is practiced under a responsible roof," explained co-founder Dr. Shai Pintov. For many of its patients, Assaf Harofeh's new clinic is a last resort; a place to turn when conventional methods have failed. Such was the case with longtime migraine suf- ferer Mimi Truman. "My migraines were so bad that I couldn't concentrate when talking to people or tolerate bright light," she recalls. "No medication could bring The Israeli medical system has witnessed enormous change in the last 10 years. relief." Ms. Truman was given natural vitamins, a drastical- ly altered diet and recom- mended shiatsu (massage). Her headaches disappeared. Another patient, unable to straighten her back after surgery, was cured through Chinese medicine. "It was amazing," remarks Itzhak Vinograd, the resident physi- cian. "After one treatment she was fine." In addition to those pa- tients being referred to the clinic from outside, referrals are now beginning to come from within the hospital itself. I don't believe in separating conventional and alternative medicine," says Dr. Pintov. "It doesn't matter which methods are used .. . as long as they help." Many doctors object to alter- native medicine because they fear that a delay in conven- tional treatment for serious illnesses may result in severe complications and even death. Others, according to Dr. Micha Altman, an M.D. and homeopath practicing in Jerusalem, because they "don't know anything about it." Researchers at Bar-Ilan University, who have