The caller on the other end of the line was enthusiastic. That was for certain. I had just finished my last consultation of the day and was beginning to type up my notes when I was called to the phone. One of the last things I wanted to receive at that point in time was a hard-sell telemarketing call.

The gentleman had called to introduce me to the only product I would ever need to help people restore and maintain their health. His company had cornered the market on this exotic tropical miracle cure and he wanted me to have access to it.

This amazing substance was being shown to cure all cancers. Every diabetic who got on the product was soon off his or her insulin. The product spelled the end to infectious diseases; it normalized blood pressure and prevented heart disease. Everyone who made a decision to take the product experienced renewed vitality and a received a new lease on life.

I was a bit confused. According to radio and television infomercials and Internet websites, the cure for all diseases is not a Polynesian juice, but calcium mined off the coast of Okinawa, Japan. This marvelous substance prevents or addresses over 200 diseases including arthritis, heart disease, osteoporosis, eczema, Alzheimer’s Disease, fibromyalgia, high cholesterol, kidney stones, gall stones, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus and many, many more.

That evening I received yet another e-mail asking me if powdered juice and veggie capsules are really all anyone needs to achieve and maintain perfect health. Hmmm. A pattern seems to be developing. Are the fruits and vegetables grown in coral sands on a tropical island? That would tie things together nicely.

The following week I was invited to attend a health seminar. There I learned that the answer to all health challenges is an incredible formulation that supports and detoxifies the body during a two day fast, followed by the use of a liquid meal replacement that provides perfect nutrition and continued detoxification.

Now, as I am working on this article, I receive a call from another well-meaning person. Glyconutrients, she informs me, are the answer to a long and healthy life. As a physician I should be promoting the product to all of my patients. If I truly care about helping people I will get involved with her company and begin offering people the answer to their health challenges.

I have on my bookshelf a volume entitled The Cure for All Diseases, which assures me that a parasitic cleanse will solve all heath challenges. I have another book called The Germ That Causes Cancer, which suggests that a regimen to kill yeast organisms in the body is not only the cure for all cancers, but also the cure for all diseases. Neither book seems to acknowledge the importance of the other, nor do they point me in the direction of the wondrous products people have been telling me about.

In times like these I recall an important principle I learned as a resident physician in Family Medicine many years ago. One of my mentors suggested that I read a book entitled If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him! The book had little substance beyond the title, but it didn’t need any. The title said all that needed saying. If you meet someone along life’s road who claims to have THE answer, the cure for all your problems, do whatever is necessary to move forward without him. As much as we crave simple answers to the challenges we face, they do not exist.

There are a number of excellent health related products on the market today. I know that many of the products that are currently being promoted provide benefits to people using them. I do not, however, believe that any of them alone or in combination are the cure for all diseases.

Many proponents of these and other wonder products are careful to state that their product does not “cure”, but rather “supports the body’s ability to heal” all diseases. I have no desire to play word games. When I say that no potion is the “cure for all diseases” I also mean that no single product is capable of fully supporting the body’s ability to heal itself.

Why are so many formulations being promoted as miracles today? I believe it is because the level of wellness the average individual considers normal is so low any product of value will improve health and bring an enhanced sense of well-being in a significant number of people. An individual whose health improves or who feels significantly better on a product often assumes that he or she has discovered the Holy Grail of health and wellness.

People with similar experiences enjoy interacting, sharing their stories, and supporting each other. Those who do not note a significant benefit quietly stop ordering and taking the product. This commonly results in a skewed perspective wherein the enthusiastic promoter believes that EVERYBODY who takes the product benefits. EVERY PERSON he or she knows who has taken the product has recovered from whatever disease was afflicting them.

I do not wish to give the impression that I, a man educated in medicine, am immune to this phenomenon. I experienced it firsthand many years ago when I discovered a nutritional supplement that brought about a dramatic improvement in many symptoms I was experiencing at the time. I was convinced that I had discovered the fountain of youth, the end of the rainbow, and the philosopher’s stone.

I felt that every man, woman, and child on planet earth needed to hear the good news. Fortunately for me and for those who seek my advice, I soon came to the realization that if one supplement was capable of restoring my health to such a remarkable degree substances capable of supporting the body in other ways also existed.

When approached by evangelists enthusiastically promoting their vision of how their product will eliminate pain and suffering in the world, I attempt to explain that as a wellness physician I do not have the luxury of promoting a “one-size-fits-all” formulation. Rarely am I successful in making my point.

Nearly all of these encounters end with the other person telling me something to the effect that they understand it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a physician to accept the need for their product. Hopefully, they sigh, one day my eyes will be opened and I’ll come to see the truth.

The truth as I see it is that people are individuals, with unique needs and challenges. There are certain basics, yes, but the proper support for a woman who is experiencing mood swings as she goes though menopause is not the correct regimen for a man who is experiencing anxiety and depression resulting from improper nutrition and intense job stress.

Wellness is a journey, not a destination. The health of each of us is constantly improving or declining. It is never static. I am thrilled when someone reports a recovery from a health challenge or enhanced vitality. I am saddened, however, when I discover that they have closed their mind to other possibilities. I know that more can be done to support the body’s ability to repair and sustain itself in any instance. I know that there is more to being well than not being sick.

If you have discovered something that has given you a better quality of life I am excited for you. If you have a desire to share the good news with others, I applaud you. I ask only that you temper your enthusiasm with the knowledge that the something you have found is not the cure for all diseases. I challenge you to explore the wide array of products that support the body’s processes.

Ask what it is about different products that have caused other individuals to enthusiastically endorse their use. If you feel that you have gone as far as you can go nutritionally begin supporting your body energetically. If you feel that you have exhausted bioenergetic resources begin exploring how you can better support yourself emotionally and spiritually.

Enjoy the wonderful things God has provided for your benefit, but beware the cure for all diseases. If you meet the Buddha on the road, keep moving.