Bob Reeder is an Irish entertainer in Kansas City. He's been a musician for most of his life, and his talent becomes obvious if you ever see his hands dance across a guitar. He has the uncanny ability to grab your attention and help you leave your life for a while. And, he just so happens to be my Pappy.

Not so long ago, he had a scary situation with his health. It seemed his gallbladder didn't like the lifestyle he'd been living and told him about it with blunt, painful episodes that resulted in trips to the emergency room. A surgeon told him he'd have to have his gallbladder removed.

For most, the thought of going through surgery to alleviate pain is somewhat reasonable. But since this Irish lad's whole universe centers on his voice, he wasn't about to risk an injury to his vocal cords with breathing machines and such. So, he visited someone that knew holistic medicine.

I have to admit, when my Dad told me his prescribed diet was drinking cranberry juice - spiked with lemon juice and vinegar - along with one apple a day, I was not a believer. I figured the old man had lost it. But, I was proved wrong. The concoction cleaned him out; he changed his diet and increased exercise, and the Irish balladeer was cured. No surgery, no medications, no big hospital bill.

Holistic medicine not a new concept

Natural healing and healthy diets are not a new concept. At the turn of the century, Emma Todd Anderson published a book in 1899 titled, "Health Foods and How to Prepare Them."

In it she stated: "We are not a healthy people. Doctors, dentists and quacks thrive and flourish in our midst: The newspapers are filled with advertisements of medicines for the cure of diseases which can be so easily prevented. Our bilious, dyspeptic conditions are due to ourselves alone. If we begin today to eat and to drink as common sense dictates, we should soon be rid of half of our disease[s]..."

In 1903, the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan became a temporary healing home to many. Run by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, diet and exercise was greatly emphasized in bringing back people to a state of vigor and vitality.

Many a testimony during that era touted the admission of pale, weak or sick individuals that were healed after a regimen of exercise and special diets. Dr. Kellogg created several different healthy food alternatives - among them, popular Kellogg's Corn Flakes, simply created and marketed as a breakfast alternative to bacon and eggs.

And no one can forget the energetic Jack Lalanne, who inspired millions with his television shows during the 1950s on physical fitness, nutrition and well-being - and he's still going strong! My mother told me that she remembered seeing him on TV when she was little, and everyone thought he was a nut. We are a stubborn nation, aren't we?

Decades later, wellness currently is all the boom, as we've finally figured out that healthy employees equals savings. If you couple natural healing or holistic medicine with wellness, you're bound to have a fantastic result.

If you search the terms "integrated health" or "holistic medicine" on the Internet, you'll find a multitude of providers and networks.

The American Holistic Medical Association Web site reads: "Holistic health care practitioners embrace a lifetime of learning about all safe and effective options in diagnosis and treatment. These options come from a variety of traditions, and are selected in order to best meet the unique needs of the patient. The realm of choices may include lifestyle modification and complementary approaches as well as conventional drugs and surgery."

Further, they state that the primary goal is pursuit of the highest level of physical, environmental, mental, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of well-being.

Can you imagine what your workforce would look like if all your employees had this lifestyle balance?

Integrated heatlh plans

In a time of urgent economic needs, employers are pouncing on every cost-reduction idea, and the concept of integrated health is gaining popularity with employer health care plans.

I recently had an enlightening discussion with Eric Cawley, health services coordinator with My Health Roadmap in Idaho. He explained to me that their approaches don't avoid conventional or traditional medicine, but find ways to complement it.

For examle, an employer group not only has access to wellness, biometrics, advanced laboratory testing and counseling services for employees, but also receives an actual M.D. assigned to the group that has knowledge of holistic medicine. Upon diagnosis, the physician discusses with an employee all options -holistic and traditional - thus crafting an integrated approach.

If a blood test reveals high cholesterol, the physician might first prescribe krill oil, a proven natural alternative for lowering cholesterol, rather than the traditional Lipitor. Or if someone tears a rotator cuff in their shoulder, they will explore nonsurgical options.

Integrated health plans sometimes cover tests that others don't. For example, there's an advanced breast cancer screening that detects the earliest hint of cancer, yet everyone still reverts to the traditional mammogram for cost. Yet, by the time a mammogram detects an abnormality, cancer likely already has been growing. Catching cancer before it blossoms saves money and heartache.

If you manage any type of health plan, don't overlook the possibility of integrated health for your group.

Once you start researching, you'll find tons of successful testimonies. Put that directly into the equation of cost avoidance, and you'll have a real story to tell of your own. Irish eyes are certainly smiling here in Kansas City, and they might smile for you, too.