Dana Reeve's Controversial PBS Documentary, "The New Medicine" Airs Tonight

One of America's most inspiring women, Dana Reeve died of lung cancer on March 6, 2005 just three months after completing her last project: a powerful 2 hour documentary called "The New Medicine" which can be seen on PBS beginning tonight. (Check your local PBS schedule for here for details. )

In her introduction segment of "The New Medicine," Reeve shares this inspiring wisdom as a message to viewers: "Your emotional state has a tremendous amount to do with sickness, health and well-being. For years, my husband and I lived on — and because of — hope. Hope continues to give me the mental strength to carry on."

Host Dana Reeve, who was diagnosed with lung cancer following the death of her husband, Christopher Reeve, THE NEW MEDICINE goes inside medical schools, health care clinics, research institutions and private practices to show physicians on the cutting edge of health care. By paying attention to a person's cultural values and lifestyle, stresses and supports, these doctors acknowledge the important role that patients can and should play in their own healing and health care.

Until recently, scientists viewed the connection between the mind and the body's response to disease with skepticism. Today, thanks to sophisticated new research, the complex biology of mind-body interaction is becoming clearer, and physicians are discovering how something as intangible as hope can help people heal and something as pervasive as stress can sabotage the body's ability to fight infection.

The show is not without its controversy.  From an "Action Alert" being distributed by the Natural Solutions Foundation and making its way around the Internet:

"Deep entanglements of media and business are evidenced in tonight's "The New Medicine" documentary, to air at 9 p.m. EST on PBS. While corporate sponsor Wyeth (NYSE:WYE) benefits through association with the values at the heart of this extraordinary production, behind the scenes the company is attempting to severely undermine natural health through an FDA Citizen's Petition to eliminate natural health options for women, specifically bioidentical hormones. The duplicity has been noted by physicians and women's groups around the nation who are actively organizing to derail this attempt to limit competition at the expense of women's health.

Visit  www.citizens.org and www.HealthFreedomUSA.org for more information and to quickly offer a comment on the subject ot the FDA.