CONVERSATIONS WITH DR. EDWARD TAUB
BY MAE MAÑACAP-JOHNSON
Dr. Edward Taub, a pioneer of integrative medicine, is a man ahead
of his time. When he first introduced the idea of meditation, exercise and
good nutrition to his patients in the late 70s, the term “wellness” had not
been invented yet. He later founded the first Integrative Medicine
Department in American hospitals and created the only smoking
cessation program ever endorsed by the American Medical Association.
He also inaugurated the first “Voyages to Wellness” at sea for WindStar,
Holland America and Cunard Cruise lines as well as served as QVC’s onair Wellness Medical Doctor for 15 years.
Here, he shares with Pulse his journey in helping push integrative
medicine into the limelight and his views on the challenges that are
keeping mainstream medical professionals from embracing wellness.
PULSE: You helped pioneer integrative medicine in the
U.S. What first sparked your interest in blending
mainstream medicine with alternative medicine in your
own practice?
Dr. Edward Taub: In 1975, I built one of the largest pediatrics
practices in Southern California, which consisted of
20,000 patients. I did a survey to determine the
patterns of illness that my four medical partners and
I were treating. I discovered that 80 percent of our
office visits were directed to 20 percent of our
patients. I initially assumed these were children with
severe chronic diseases or genetic conditions.
However, by digging deeper into our survey results, I
discovered these were children with mostly minor but
recurring problems like ear and eye infections, tonsillitis, colds, asthma, rashes and tummy aches. The
shocking results led to the beginning of integrative
medicine and determined the course of my career ever
since.
P: Can you share some findings from that survey?
T: I realized that the children who were ill 80 percent of the time
could be part of the legions of the “worried well and walking
wounded.” I began to wonder whether the fact that they actually
expected illness—and if the anticipation—helped create illness
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and problems for them. To find more answers, I initiated a clinical
study participated in by 2,000 children and parents in my medical
practice.
For two years (1976 – 1978), I personally taught the children,
some as young as four or five years old, a therapeutic meditation
technique when they came to our office with an
illness. In addition to healthy nutrition, exercise,
prayer and meditation, me and four of my
medical partners recommended yoga and
periodic massages—which were concepts very,
very “way out” in medical practice at the time.
The results were dramatic. Most of our
“worried well and walking wounded