Dr. Richard Carmona Speaks About Spas and Their Vital Role in Global Health: Spas Matter!

by Susie Ellis

Dr. Richard Carmona, the 17th U.S. Surgeon General (2002-2006), was a keynote speaker at the 2008 Global Spa Summit held at the Waldorf Astoria here in New York City last month.

He received a standing ovation!

Here is why I think there was such spontaneous and enthusiastic response to his remarks. Dr. Carmona, who is now Vice Chairman, Canyon Ranch and president, Canyon Ranch Institute, Arizona, said what many of us in the spa industry have been saying for years. The thing is that hearing Dr. Carmona say the words is different than you or me saying them. He spoke with complete conviction, authority, and enthusiasm to 'make good' on his words. We believed him. He 'gets' spas and the value they bring to society. At last. This is what we have been waiting for.

Here are a few quotes from notes taken during his session, Prevention and Global Health: The Vital Role of Spas.

"We are living in a 'sick care' system where we reward providers to wait until we get sick, and then we need to pay more to get better."

"Most things I have treated as a doctor were preventable and due to sedentary lifestyles, negligence in life, poor diets, smoking, and drinking."

"Health should not know any geographical borders."

"Everyone can contribute to change the general health situation. The key is changing people's behavior. Let's embrace health and wellness. How do I stay healthy and how can I prevent myself from diseases? Everyone needs to come together as a team to change the health issues globally."

"Awake the sleeping giant. Combine spa and wellness to prevent the reactive effect to sickness."

And then his final observations which were music to all of our ears: "The spa industry is taking a very key role in changing the global health situation."

After his remarks which included his expressed interest in a working relationship with our entire global spa industry, I responded on behalf of the delegation present that we would be very interested in working together as well.

I am happy to report that there is progress. His office called last week and we have a meeting set up next week to begin the dialogue and conversation. Dr. Carmona and the Global Spa Summit working together should be able to accomplish what neither would be able to do as well alone.

Hurray. Good news indeed.

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Massage Prices at Spas Compared to my Recent Visit to the Medical Eye Doctor.
by Susie Ellis

Wow...already post Christmas. Hope everyone had a good week. I am enjoying some time off here in California and just now getting around to thinking about what I would like to share on the blog. While it isn't directly spa related....I thought this recent visit to the eye doctor was worth a mention in terms of what I learned - especially about getting rid of red eyes. I went to the eye doctor (Dr. Greg Evans in La Quinta, CA) a few days ago as I seem to need glasses to drive at night. I had LASIK in both eyes 9 years ago and had another LASIK procedure in one eye about 6 months ago. With mono-vision now, I am doing pretty well and can read and see distance without glasses. Except for night driving.

It had been quite some time since I went to a regular eye doctor. Two things impressed me. First….the technology. Second…the price. The technology has come a long way. They took pictures of each eye (rather than doing dialation) after which the doctor showed me each of my eyeballs on a computer screen. He moved the eyeball around so we could look at it from the top, the bottom, from the sides – and even go through it. He was able to tell almost everything about my vision just from this first test. Fascinating. During my entire appointment we were interacting with his computer as he entered data gleaned from additional tests. Only using eye charts seemed familiar.

My second surprise was the price and not because it was expensive. In fact I thought the $166 charge for the visit was low (not that I complained) and an extra $39 for the special laser scan was very fair. Perhaps seeing menus at luxury spas with massages close to that price has begun to distort reality for me. Anyway, it was a pleasant surprise.

I also learned something new about red eyes - which I am very familiar with. I have noticed that whenever I drink coffee (about once a week) my eyes seem to get red. Thinking this might have something to do with the caffeine affecting blood vessels, I asked the doctor who explained that it is quite common for people’s eyes to be red after drinking coffee but not for that reason. The reason is because coffee (caffeine) does put you in a state of heightened alert and one result is you keep your eyes open wider and do not blink as often which causes dryness. He explained that the same thing happens when we work at a computer. You do not blink as often – thus the red eyes. Dryness is most often the culprit. Then he went on to give me a prescription for a brand new eye drop. Apparently you use these eye drops for six to eight weeks as they help get the red out from the inside. I’ll keep you posted.

I couldn’t help but thinking….as spas add more and more medical procedures, it sure would be a good fit to have an hour with a good optometrist or ophthalmologist. Clear eyes and good vision are every bit a part of health and beauty as most everything else we do at spas.

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Continuing on with our theme regarding health care...

You might want to check out this morning's article in the New York Times entitled, "Surgeon General Sees 4-Year Term as Compromised". Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona spoke to a Congressional panel, stating that during his four year term he had felt pressure to suppress public health report information for political reasons. Wow - more fuel for the consumer fire of outrage.

Don't miss reading further down in the article where it describes what Dr. Carmona is doing these days. He is now vice chairman of Canyon Ranch! How cool is that?

Although he has been affiliated with Canyon Ranch for some time now, his newfound notoriety will no doubt bring more awareness to his new surroundings. Not to mention it’s great for our industry to have someone of his background and character associated with a leading spa and wellness resort. Mel Zuckerman, owner of Canyon Ranch said in a 2006 press release, “Dr. Carmona has committed his life and career to saving and improving lives. His commitment to safety and preparedness, and his unwavering dedication to better health through prevention have changed the way that millions of people view health and well-being.”

As Vice Chairman, Dr. Carmona works with other Canyon Ranch executives, Medical Director Mark Liponis, M.D. (who I met during my stay at Canyon Ranch, Lenox) as well as the integrative medicine team on major projects like the Cleveland Clinic, which is recognized as one of the top medical research institutions in the United States. I believe Dr. Carmona will find enthusiastic support at Canyon Ranch for his commitment to scientific (instead of political) health care considerations.

I spoke with my doctor over the weekend who very generously gave me plenty of time to go over the results of my annual physical. Other than higher-than-I-would-like cholesterol, I seem to be humming along pretty well.

At the end of our phone conversation I decided to ask him if he has seen the movie Sicko. Wow - did I get an earful! Ranting about how Michael Moore is crazy, that he is spreading lies, that he is almost a Communist, etc. After listening to the tirade I asked again if he had actually seen the movie to which he said "no" - he wouldn't dream of giving Michael Moore any of his money. So I offered to buy him a movie ticket because I would rather talk with my doctor about Sicko after he has seen it than before. I have some questions.

One valid point my doctor made (without having seen the movie) was that there may be a better solution than what Michael Moore proposes in Sicko. Just adopting a health care system from another country - such as Canada or France - may not be the best answer. There might be a third way, by taking some aspects of both systems and even adding a part that doesn't seem to exist anywhere. He suggested more free market aspects.

Anyway, my thought today is that I do hope that the conversation continues and shifts from whether or not we like Michael Moore to some smart solutions for health care woes. At least the movie gives us some concrete things to talk about.

Saw Michael Moore's documentary, Sicko, yesterday. From the full capacity crowd at the theater and the occasional spontaneous applause during the movie, I can see it will be a huge hit - and likely a topic of conversation for some time to come. In addition, I think it will do more than ignite conversation. I think it will accelerate change.

Although I haven't exactly appreciated some of Michael Moore's behavior in the past, I must say that this film is very effective, entertaining (if you can even say that about a movie which showcases people's misery) and above all, for most of us, it rings true. Almost everyone in the US has had (or knows someone who has had) a nightmare experience with our medical health care system. I am reminded of Steve Case's experience maneuvering through the system when his brother Daniel was diagnosed with what turned out to be fatal brain cancer.

Clearly our system is broken for both the rich and the poor.

As Sicko suggests, there might be good reason for us to learn from other country's health care systems. I was particularly impressed with the ways in which other systems are paying attention to prevention than we do in the US. I have been thinking about the spa industry worldwide for many years now and how spas (which are increasingly moving toward places to pursue wellness) fit into a country's health care options. The answer may be that it really depends on the health care system, on the country, on its political system, on the culture and traditions of the people, etc. It is as complex of an issue as is figuring out how to improve health care in the US.

Increasingly, I find that one of the spa industry's greatest contributions might actually be fostering an understanding between people and countries which might help open all of us up to change. It is in the spa world where one learns about Ayurveda from India, traditional Chinese medicine from China or naturopathy often used in the UK and Australia. In many cases when we visit a spa we are doing more than just having a wellness experience, we are learning about how other people in the world stay well or get well. This results in a greater appreciation for various cultures.

And like in the movie Sicko, I think it gets us Americans off of our high horse.

Swedish massage and Thai massage have been around for a long time. Philippine Hilot Massage has only recently been introduced outside of the Philippines but has been practiced here for thousands of years. I was excited to finally experience it.

First I learned that I had been mispronouncing the name Hilot. The correct pronunciation is like saying "he" and then "lot".

The massage is done with virgin coconut oil, and the pressure is strong. It can be somewhat painful when they find blockages and use their thumbs to work out these blockages. The idea is to get the energy moving by using a banana leaf as a diagnostic tool. The leaf is skimmed over various body parts. It slides easily over parts that are not blocked but begins to drag at certain points. They say that these are the points of blockage.

I don't know about the science, but like many indigenous healing techniques, hundreds of years of experience have resulted in the Hilot massage becoming a very important part of the Philippines' contemporary healthcare culture. Daily Hilot massage was prescribed for people in areas without access to medical care and those unable to afford it.

I was also told that the treatment is very much about the supernatural gift of healing hands. Not just anyone can do Hilot - a person needs to be gifted in order to perform it.

I'm sitting in the cyber cafe of Bumrungrad International here in Bangkok, Thailand. Bumrungrad is the hospital that 60 Minutes called, "The number-one international hospital in the world." NBC's Peter Greenberg recently featured it on the Today show. It is getting a lot of attention because the price (low), access (you can walk in and see a doctor within 20 minutes), and quality (tops) are what everyone wants.

I've been told it is the health care of the future - so naturally I wanted to see for myself.

There are 750 doctors on staff, and they see one million patients a year. The nurses and large support staff (many of whom are concierges) have smiles and serve refreshments. The children's area was filled with little ones having fun on the colorful tubes - the kind you see at some McDonald's playgrounds - playing with toys, and crawling over couches and chairs that look like soccer balls. The doctor's offices for the kids resemble little play houses. I bet parents have no problem taking their kids to the doctor around here!

This large, very clean facility looks like a cross between a mall (with a Starbuck's, shopping, restaurants), hospital, clinic, and high-end hotel. The only thing they are missing is a really forward thinking spa facility which could be integrated for patients, visitors and staff.

People fly in from all over the world for low-cost medical procedures here, such as executive health physicals, heart surgery, plastic surgery, or Lasik eye procedures, to name just a few. Although they don't currently have a spa, there are some spa elements available: A gym, hair salon, and massage therapists who can come to your hospital room. There is also a rooftop garden overlooking the city of Bangkok with beautiful landscaping. As lovely as this outdoor space was, no one was using it. And because it is always hot and humid in Bangkok, I don't imagine it gets much use at all. (Looks like great space for a spa to me!)

Ruben Toral, the hospital's group marketing director who is quite passionate about the work they do there, gave me a full tour, explained the business model, and shared with me that they are expanding this facility and also building a new Bumrungrad in Dubai.

I hope he is right about their model - low cost, high quality and quick accessibility - being the future of health care. And now if they could get the spa element right, it would be a real winner.

I spent today going through medical tests at the WellMax Center for Preventive Medicine in La Quinta, California (near where I am vacationing and, yes, trying to resist the temptation to call my office). We met Dr. Dan Cosgrove (pictured at right), its founder, five years ago at an event here in the desert that Spa Finder hosted at Le Vallauris, a restaurant in Palm Springs. It was shortly after my husband, Peter, and I got involved with Spa Finder and at about the same time Dr. Cosgrove opened WellMax, his new-concept medical-spa, at the La Quinta Hotel and Spa.

Truth be told, we thought Dr. Cosgrove was a bit “full of himself” that first evening we met. He kept going on and on about this new kind of medical practice he was introducing, and let’s just say the conversation seemed uni-directional. Well, a great deal has happened in the five years since that encounter. Having followed WellMax’s growth and progress, we began to suspect that Dr. Cosgrove’s eccentricity stemmed from genius more than self-obsession. Recently we heard it had become almost impossible to get an appointment with him personally anymore. So we decided to invest (and I do mean invest…more about that later) in the WellMax “intensive physical” to see what all the fuss was about.

Suffice it to say that a few months after our initial physical in February, we are now more than impressed with Dr. Cosgrove and his "new medical spa" concept. Dr. Cosgrove discovered a growing mass on Peter’s kidney, which was successfully removed through surgery just weeks later - preventing a potentially serious condition in which he might have lost the kidney. And for me, while nothing of immediate critical concern was found, some interesting discoveries were made - including results from Predictive Genomics that are causing me to make some new choices.

I think we have glimpsed the future of spa medicine. And wow, is it ever exciting!