The Green Doctor is In I


by Traci Moore


n the 1970s, when butter, beef, and bacon fi lled the shelves of American refrigerators, Michael Uzick might have been the only kid on his block eating whole wheat bread. Family trips to health food stores were commonplace. Soda pop was vetoed by his par-


ents. While some children visited pediatricians for aches and pains, Michael saw alternative doctors. For over a decade, Michael and his parents listened to health-oriented programs on the radio on their daily commutes to the family-owned print shop in New York City. All the buzz fascinated young Uzick. Well-respected cancer specialists, alternative doctors and natural health pioneers like Linus Pauling, Robert Adkins and Charlotte Gerson offered their philosophies, natural therapies, and herbal cures for cancer and other diseases. Patients phoned in with questions and discoveries. Inspired by the informa- tion he absorbed from the radio and his family’s passion for wellness, Michael decided to make health his career. A strict vegetarian in early adulthood, Uzick planned to become a nutritionist. But shortly after learning about the naturopathic medicine degree program offered by Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington, Michael knew naturopathic medicine was exactly what he wanted to practice. Not only did the program look impressive, but Dr. Joseph Pizzorno, Jr., the naturopathic doctor who founded Bastyr, had also been one of Uzick’s favorite radio guests. Uzick had long-admired Pizzorno’s evidence-based approach to treating disease naturally. After years of education and dedicated training,


Uzick became one of only 38 board-certifi ed naturopathic oncologists in the United States. He is also the only board- certifi ed naturopathic oncologist in Tucson, Arizona. While naturopathic oncology is his specialty, Dr. Uzick works with all patients. He offers specialized treatments for dia- betes, hepatitis C, and environmental toxicity, as well as vascular rejuvenation therapy and hormone replacement therapy for men and women. Dr. Uzick’s passion for natural medicine is deeply-


rooted. “I love nature,” Uzick states. “It’s something I’m profoundly affected by. Using natural medicines – food and herbs— to treat disease resonates with me.” Uzick is always thrilled by studies demonstrating the profound im- pact simple foods can have on health and disease. “I think that’s so amazing!” he says. For Dr. Uzick, the benefi ts of working in his profession are numerous. “Helping people regain their health inspires me,” he says. “Cancer is literally a struggle between life and death.” Uzick believes that witnessing the ways natural therapies improve patients’ lives is his greatest professional reward.


18 Tucson


He has many inspiring success stories. A recent patient with heart disease, high blood pressure and blood sugar abnormalities made dietary changes, took supplements, and was treated with intravenous vascular rejuvenation protocol for ten weeks. As a result, the patient reduced the plaque in the arteries of his heart by 50%.


Another patient diagnosed with stage IIIb lung cancer


was sent to Uzick by two naturopaths. Uzick referred the man to an oncologist who recommended the patient avoid chemotherapy due to his age and the advanced nature of his disease. Uzick created a treatment plan including medi- cation, intravenous vitamin C, iscadore (mistletoe), supple- ments and sauna therapy. A year later, Uzick gladly reports a signifi cant reduction in the size of the patient’s tumors, and no growth activity on the PET scan. “The patient has experienced no side effects from his cancer or treatments, and his oncologist is pretty impressed.” Working in the fi eld of naturopathic medicine pres- ents occasional challenges for Dr. Uzick. He admits that diagnosing some patients’ conditions can sometimes be complex. Patients who don’t feel well may have diffi culty describing their symptoms. Uzick explains that, “A good doctor must be a great detective. He or she must have


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