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Guided Imagery Receives Major Boost As American Specialty Health Launches New, Nationwide Program

SAN DIEGO, CA (October 8, 2001) -- American Specialty Health, the nation's leader in providing access to complementary health services, has today become the first organization of its kind to offer guided imagery programs and benefits on a national basis. This groundbreaking move puts guided imagery -- a powerful mind-body healing technique -- alongside chiropractic and acupuncture as a valuable and now more easily accessible resource for consumers looking to complement traditional healthcare.

Health plans and hospitals alike have, in recent years, shown an interest in the centuries-old concept behind guided imagery, offering a limited program here or there. In one sweeping move, American Specialty Health's Healthyroads program makes guided imagery available on a broad range of conditions to people looking to manage pain, cope with chronic medical conditions, prepare for medical procedures and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Dozens of programs will be offered including titles such as Preparing for Surgery, Coping with Lower Back Pain, Coping with Hypertension and others.

Through American Specialty Health, millions of Americans may now have this program available as a "covered benefit" through their health plan or through a discount program, depending on a person's benefits package. The general public can also purchase programs over American Specialty Health's Healthyroads web site.

"Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the power of the mind and the important role it plays in healing," says George DeVries, chairman, president and CEO of American Specialty Health. "Guided imagery can have a positive impact on preparing for a medical procedure or coping with pain or a chronic illness. By following suggestions from the audio recordings available through our Healthyroads Guided Imagery Programs, individuals can focus their mind and create imagery that helps them relax and deal with specific medical conditions or other issues."

The Healthyroads Guided Imagery Programs were written by two of the field's leading experts, Martin Rossman, M.D. and David Bresler, PhD. Drs. Rossman and Bresler each bring over 30 years of clinical practice to this project and serve as co-directors of the Academy for Guided Imagery. In cooperation with the Academy, American Specialty Health created 12 titles in 4 categories: Preparing for Medical Procedures; Pain Management; Coping with Chronic Conditions; and Healthy Lifestyles. An additional 24 titles are scheduled for release in 2002.

Each program contains several powerful guided imagery lessons on tape or CD along with a helpful workbook to put these techniques into action. A description of each program is available on the Healthyroads web site at www.healthyroads.com/gi. Audio clips of guided imagery lessons and sample workbook pages are also available.

This guided imagery program is yet another innovative program American Specialty Health brings to the complementary health services market. Most recently, the company announced a Medical Nutrition Therapy Program and Discounted Program for Nutrition Counseling.

Based in San Diego, California, American Specialty Health and its affiliates provide complementary healthcare network access, affinity discount and benefit plan programs nationwide to health plans, insurance carriers, employer groups and trust funds. Currently, American Specialty Health provides full-risk administration of complementary healthcare benefits for 5.6 million health plan members. Through its affinity programs over 60 million individuals have access to one or more of American Specialty Health's services. The American Specialty Health network of over 19,000 providers including acupuncturists, chiropractors, dietitians, naturopaths, massage therapists and others, is the largest such network in the country. The Company has been awarded full accreditation in five major areas by the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission/URAC for the quality of its acupuncture and chiropractic healthcare operations.