Interview with Dr. Alexa Fleckenstein

Recently I spoke with Dr. Alexa Fleckenstein author of Health2O and Healthy to 100. Dr. Fleckenstein also blogs at ownyourhealth.wordpress.com. Dr. Fleckenstein grew up in Germany and received her Bachelors degree in mathematics. She then earned a Masters degree in Social Sciences specializing in philosophy. She wanted to know what is the truth and how can we know what we know. She found that one can always ask a deeper question and so it is impossible to ever know the whole truth. Upon this realization, Dr. Fleckenstein decided to return to school to earn a degree in Medicine. After she moved to the United States, she became board-certified in Internal Medicine. Later, during a sabbatical in Germany she added a degree in Natural Medicine. Her natural medicine training covers many topics such as herbal medicine, exercise, hydrotherapy, Chinese traditional medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, massage, and homeopathy.

I was surprised that Dr. Fleckenstein received a university degree in Medicine and still accepts and uses natural medicine. In the United States conventional scientific medicine constantly attacks and denigrates alternative medicine, but this is not the case in Germany. Dr. Fleckenstein explains this with an interesting twist of history: Because Hitler hated academics, he gave money to folk medicine. This allowed the traditional practice of medicine to survive until the 1960s when interest in herbs and alternative medical theories was renewed. The remaining folk doctors were able to preserve the old knowledge and educate a new generation. Currently in Germany the two types of medicine (scientific and traditional) are used in combination. In the United States the Flexner Report of 1910 was used to squelch the practice of alternative medicine in favor medicine that adhered “fully to the protocols of scientific research”, essentially leaving the American Medical Association with a monopoly over legal medical care.

A major turning point came for Dr. Fleckenstein when she was dissecting cadavers in medical school. She realized that most people who die do not die of exotic, diseases but from every day problems such as heart disease, diabetes, alcoholism, and obesity. Later, in clinic she encountered patients with common chronic diseases like arthritis and felt ill-equipped to help them with only ibuprofen or aspirin for therapy (which gave the patient short term pain relief but made the problem worse in the long run). I know from personal experience that academics and scientists always want to look at new unexplored problems, so it is no surprise to me that scientists have neglected the common man’s needs to research challenging rare diseases.

Dr. Fleckenstein explained that there are many schools of natural medicine. Natural medicine develops wherever people live and uses the herbs and plants which grow in the area and develop ideas about health and sickness. On the surface different schools of natural medicine may seem to be at odds with each other. However, when you delve beneath the surface, it turns out that these philosophies all have the same purpose: to encourage the body’s innate ability to heal by using the natural means at hand. These natural schools of medicine hold many ideas in common. For example, cold water therapy is very important in German natural medicine, but it was actually discovered earlier in England. For me, one of the most interesting ideas gathered from the interview is that ancient Chinese doctors were paid when their patients were healthy not when they were sick. In modern medicine the doctor is enriched through the sickness of his patients.

Dr. Fleckenstein also believes that people are tribal in nature and need to have – besides their bodies – both their minds and spirits fed; we suffer if we live in isolation. We are hard wired for awe and respect which is usually expressed as spirituality and religion. Parmenides, an ancient Greek physician-philosopher still sensed that mind, body, spirit make a hole. The great setback came 2000 years ago when Aristotle put emphasis on empirical, countable science which led to a division between mind and body (because internal processes like thoughts, feelings, and dreams were not as easily quantifiable). Much medical wisdom was lost with that division, to be only rediscovered in the 20th century.

One of my final questions about natural medicine was when should one use traditional medicines and when should one visit a scientific doctor? Dr. Fleckenstein explained that acute illness and trauma are handled better by modern western medicine than by traditional medicine. Chronic diseases, every day problems, and preventative medicine are better solved using natural medicine. A good beginning book about herbs is The Green Pharmacy by James Duke.

Dr. Fleckenstein talks at some length about the benefits of water therapy in her book Health2O. I had been trying some cold water showers before reading the book, but I had only learned a little through trial and error. Water therapy can use either hot or cold water. Water is applied to the body through showers, baths, half baths, and gushes. After reading the book I have taken some warm baths—my first bathes in maybe eight years—and was amazed by their relaxing effects. I also got further clarification about the way to take a cold shower. Keep the water at the normal temperature for most of the shower then turn the water temperature up very high for a couple of seconds. Next get out of the stream of water and turn the temperature as low as possible. Next get back in for a few seconds. Exiting the water while the water is cooling down is important because you then re-enter the water in the right order: feet, hands, face, then body. You will also experience a 1 or 2 second blood pressure spike. This blood pressure spike is very good for healthy people; however, cold showers should not be taken by people with circulation or heart problems.

Baths should be avoided by those with low blood pressure because the bath will further lower the blood pressure. Every person’s use of water therapy will be different. One of the benefits of natural medicine is that it is tailored to individual people instead of being prescribed in a one-size-fits-all manner. Cold gushes where you splash yourself with cold water can be used by those who are unable to take stronger cold water therapy.

I take cold water showers and am extremely open to alternative medical techniques but I know that some people would like to see scientific verification. Dr. Fleckenstein said that several studies have been conducted most of which have been published in German and Russian. The language barrier makes it difficult for Americans to obtain them. One study on orphans found that it took about six weeks for cold showers to take their full effect. Orphans taking cold showers got between 1 and 2 colds year while those not taking them got 5-6 colds per year. [This is one of the few publications in English: It has the same flaws that all the European studies have: small numbers. But who would fund a big study that promotes something that comes for free out of your tap??]

Health2O talks about balancing life for health. I like to think of life as a cycle. The most obvious rhythm is the female menstrual cycle which is related to the cycle of the moon. Dr. Fleckenstein mentioned in Health2O that the moon plays a role on men as well. She explained that the men will be more sexually active during parts of their cycle. You should not berate yourself if you do not always have the same desire. Paying attention to this monthly rhythm is obviously very important for women. Food cravings will vary throughout the month. If you stop eating salt, sugar, bad fats, dairy, chocolate, and tea a week before your period you can avoid or at least greatly minimize PMS. Tuning in to your cycle, eating more vegetables, and taking cold sitzbaths – they all help improve fertility.

Balance needs to be maintained throughout the year. When living in nature our lives are forced to take on a natural rhythm, but this is lost in modern life. How can we return to the natural rhythm of life? For instance, what are winter foods? During the winter it is good to eat root vegetables such as beets, carrots, parsnip, celeriac, rutabaga and turnips. Food should be more solid, stews are a good winter food, and meat should be eaten more often. Dr. Fleckenstein recommends meat about once per week during the summer, but two or three times per week during the winter. During the winter it is natural to gain a couple of pounds which helps withstand the winter cold. This is one reason for the timing of Christmas and Thanksgiving feats. This weight should be shed in the spring.

Dairy is one topic of food that I was glad to ask Dr. Fleckenstein about. She is not in favor of dairy because dairy is a problem for many Americans today. Dairy products are unhealthy because of homogenization, pasteurization, and unnatural husbandry of cows. For dairy products to be healthy they should not be homogenized or pasteurized. But of equal importance is the health of the cow: our US cows are not healthy. Dr. Fleckenstein related one of her experiences in Turkey where she had veal and it tasted delicious; however, back in Germany veal was always an unappetizing meal. She believes dairy would be all right if it came from a cow that you know is treated well, but when this cow doesn’t live in your back yard it becomes increasingly difficult to verify the cow’s health. Therefore, Dr. Fleckenstein recommends staying away from raw milk as well as the processed milk sold in the store. Dairy is overvalued in today’s diet. And calcium comes aplenty in plants sources like greens, roots, legumes, whole grains and nuts.

The American diet is one reason for our poor national health. I had not realized until I spoke with Dr. Fleckenstein that only a few staples – dairy, beef, tomatoes, potatoes, and processed grains – make up most of our common meals: spaghetti, pizza, hamburgers, French fries, etc. Eating these same few foods so often can cause allergies. Food overuse can be reduced by restore balance to your life since you will eat different foods during different seasons. While there is nothing wrong with most foods if eaten as nature intended, processing practices in America leave these foods almost entirely void of nutrition: just empty calories.

One of the errors in my lifestyle is that I often eat shortly before going to bed. I had heard this was unhealthy, but did not know why. The body can repair and digest food, but it can’t do both at the same time. The time when the body naturally repairs is between 11 pm and 1 am, so it is important that your stomach be empty during this time – and that you are asleep. Do not eat anything after dinner except for water or herbal tea. Breakfast is called breakfast because you are supposed to have fasted since dinner.

Everyone agrees that exercise is important, but few people actually exercise. Dr. Fleckenstein developed an exercise program which can fit into anyone’s schedule using whatever equipment is available. The Two Minute Exercise Revolution which is described in Health2O consists of working out two minutes each day. Two minutes will make a big difference and serve as a stepping stone to more ambitious programs. Although it is not mentioned in the book, Dr. Fleckenstein thought the Five Tibetan Rites would be a good exercise program to follow. You can find information about these exercises on YouTube or with an internet search. Another concern of Dr. Fleckenstein was the intense athletic activities of young people. If you work out very strenuously while you are young, you will develop a large heart. If you do not maintain this exercise into adulthood, the heart muscle can degenerate to fat and cause health problems.

Many people do not realize how much is wrong with their bodies; they assume the ailments they suffer are just a normal part of living. Dr. Fleckenstein suggests listening to your body as the first step towards healing. Your body will tell you what is going wrong. Listen for pain; it comes in many forms such as heartburn, fatigue, and headaches. These debilitations should not be a part of your daily life. If something is wrong, don’t just take a pill, figure out what is causing the pain. Pain is your body crying out for help. The discomfort may be from a minor problem now, but it will turn into a major problem, if you do not to address its cause.