Sunday With Liz

Healing

Gardens, teas, herbs--ways to destress and heal.

BOSTON (WBZ) ― Healing the System
We begin with a look at healing our ailing health care system. Massachusetts of course is in the second year of an ambitious health care reform program, and while there are enormous challenges ahead, including skyrocketing costs, there is some good news. More people are insured in the bay state and the system that cares for them is slowly improving. We feature The Spirit program at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital as an example of the system's attempt to fix what's broken. We also talk to Paul Levy, the President and CEO of Beth Israel Hospital.

Healing Garden
Every year thousands of Massachusetts women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Often the treatment which includes surgery, radiation and chemotherapy can be as challenging as the disease. That's why the work that goes on at the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden in Harvard is so important. Located in ten acres of lush landscape, it offers a comprehensive and holistic approach to cancer education and healing. The Garden Director Betsy Tyson-Smith is herself a cancer survivor.

Beneficial Teas
Did you know that after water, tea is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world? Those who know say the health benefits of tea are enormous. Joining us talk to us about some of those benefits is tea expert, Mark Mooradian, the owner of MEM Tea in Boston.

A Weighty Decision
Dr. Ronda Hamilton, an Instructor at Harvard Medical School doesn't perform bariatric surgeries, but this Tufts-educated doctor has more than general medical insight. She had the surgery herself six years ago, reducing from the size 20 she was then to the size 8 she is now. In the United States alone weight-loss surgeries have risen from 12,700 in 1988 to more than 78,000 in 2005. "Still, fewer than one percent of the patients who fit the requirements for weight-loss surgery are ever referred to such a specialist," says Hamilton. "And in blacks, where the prevalence of obesity is even higher, the referral rates are even lower," she adds. Hamilton makes clear the rewards, and the risks, of surgery that reduces stomach size or removes a piece of the intestine so calories cannot be absorbed. This book includes interviews with previously obese males and females who've had the surgery, as well as descriptions of the procedures, recovery times, costs, and insurance issues.

Just Thinking
I decided to ride my bike to work once a week as my personal contribution to the health of our planet. At first the idea sounded a little lofty and unrealistic. There's the unpredictable weather, challenging traffic, I'm not that great a cyclist. The more I read about global warming, the bigger the problems seem, air pollution, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, threatened polar bears. How can one weekly bicycle ride make any difference? The good news is a lot of people and organizations are working to save our environment. And all of them agree every effort counts. There is no effort too small.  Less driving means fewer fossil fuel emissions. As a matter of fact, every gallon of gas you save keeps nearly 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Not to mention the financial savings and the good impact on your health. So I'm going to ride. The biggest threat to our environment, bigger than all the poisons in the air land and sea, is our complacency, the belief that there is nothing we can do.

Sunday is proud to present Kevin So.

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