VOICES
Helping Doctors “Teach
Their Patients Well”
The ENRICH Act will give medical students a more thorough
and up-to-date education on the benefits of nutrition and
exercise. Nine out of 10 doctors say, “It’s time!” We in spa
should too.
DAMON CORY-WATSON
is chief correspondent and
director of development at
wellnesswarrior.org, a national
health and wellness nonprofit
education and advocacy organization started by spa pioneer,
Deborah Szekely. The organization shares current wellness
news and issues with spa
professionals and the public.
A long-time advocate,
community organizer and
educator on sustainability,
Cory-Watson has more than 15
years of experience studying
and teaching ways in which we
can lessen our impact on the
natural world and improve our
own health and wellness.
EDITOR’S NOTE: While the ENRICH Act only
affects the U.S. health care and spa industry,
there’s no reason not to think global. ISPA
members outside the U.S. can model their
efforts after the organization’s initiative by
finding ways to partner with a political leader
who can help draft and pass their version of the
ENRICH Act in their own country.
W
e in the ISPA community
understand, celebrate and
share our wisdom
regarding the essential role nature plays in
human health. We are the modern-day
keepers of a healing tradition that dates
back to when plants were medicine,
exercise was a part of daily life and
survival, and nature surrounded us, fueling
the human mind, body and spirit.
The scientific advances in medicine in
the last 150 years are truly remarkable, yet
it seems that with this achievement,
health care has drifted away from some of
the natural forms of healing. While we
now rely on a pill or treatment for many
ailments, the simple curative and preventative properties of the food we eat—and
keeping our bodies fit—are often ignored
or given short shrift when it comes to
receiving medical advice.
A bill to help bring some of the
timeless truths of good diet and
exercise into our health care now waits
in Congress.
Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) introduced it over a year ago, and he calls it
the ENRICH Act (officially known as H.R.
1411: “The Expanding Nutrition’s Role in
Curricula and Healthcare”). ENRICH
would establish grants to accredited
medical schools so they can do a better
job teaching the benefits of integrated
nutrition and physical activity. In short,
doctors-to-be in medical school will learn
more about how to “prescribe” advice
regarding good-for-you foods and exercise!
It’s no surprise that Rep. Ryan
sponsored the bill. First, he has his state’s
interests at heart. Ohio currently has the
8th highest rate of obesity compared to
the rest of the nation, and some of the
highest death rates from cancers. He feels
this bill could help change those statistics
in his home state as well as across the
nation, and research and the opinions of a
majority of doctors back him up.
Secondly, Rep. Ryan is a personal
advocate of the body’s natural ability to
heal and maintain good health through
good diet and activity. He addressed our
spa community in 2012 when he spoke at
the Washington Spa Alliance Annual
Symposium about his book, “A Mindful
Nation.” Since then, he has become a
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July 2016