Medicine Men

Identical twin brothers Chris and Xand (Alexander) van Tulleken were born in London on 18th August 1978, Xand entering the world some seven minutes before Chris.

Of mixed Canadian/British descent, the brothers' love of adventure and the great outdoors was developed through childhood summers spent on long canoe trips in the Canadian north. By their early teens both had decided to become doctors, and went on to study medicine together at Oxford University, training at the city's Radcliffe Camera Hospital.

While still at medical school, the brothers travelled to distant corners of the earth. Chris went to Vietnam to work in a surgical hospital in his third year, and in his final year travelled to Vanuatu, a remote island in the Pacific. As for Xand, in his final year he travelled to Guyana in South America and spent time living with a remote tribe in the forest, learning their traditional remedies.

The twins' fascination with travel and adventure continued after qualifying. In 2004, Chris took part in a televised team race to the magnetic north pole. His team of two came a close second, completing 360 miles in 18 days. He then went on to become a doctor on a three-month expedition to Greenland, which was also filmed by the BBC.

Meanwhile, after specialising in tropical medicine, Xand applied for a job working in the conflict in Darfur. By the time Chris was doing his expedition in Greenland, his brother was working in the refugee camps of Sudan with Medecins du Monde.

On Xand's return from Darfur, Chris told him his idea of making a documentary series about the health of people in remote places. The project had instant appeal, and so the brothers began their journey to become Medicine Men.

Chris' idea for the series evolved naturally from his experiences of working as a doctor in remote places and filming with the BBC in Greenland and the arctic. He wanted to discover what happened when people had to live without modern medicine. Would they be healthy? What medicine would they use?

Xand was immediately drawn to the project. Apart from his own love of travel and adventure, he had been intrigued by the traditional healers he had met in the refugee camps and the faith their patients had shown in them, despite less than universally successful results.

The brothers approached KEO Films and Channel Four, and began to develop their embryonic idea. They spent the next year working on a plan, choosing places and communities that would be as interesting as possible and deciding what they wanted to investigate in each location.

Making the series has had a profound impact on both brothers. In the Congo, they were moved by the plight of the Bayaka, whose traditional way of life is, like that of so many indigenous people around the world, under siege from the logging and mining industries.

His experience in Peru, and the biting ants in particular, led Chris to sympathise with the local Shamanic beliefs about disease - although he does not subscribe fully to them. Meanwhile, Xand was struck by the physical beauty of the region, and shocked by its history of violence and terrorism.

In Russia, they were amazed by the effect their animal-rich diet had on their cholesterol ratios. But they were also struck by the tribe's respect for the animals they hunted, and their care not to kill more than they needed - in stark contrast to the western world's approach to farm animals.

But it was their experience in Asia that may have done the most to convince the brothers that western medicine does not have all the answers. In particular, they were struck by their different reactions to pain during the Thaipusam festival.

In the words of Xand: "In a search to be so rational and scientific, Western science has cut itself off completely from a form of healing that falls under the umbrella term of the placebo effect. After what we saw in making the programme, we feel that's a mistake."

And what now for the dynamic duo? Xand is, as ever, incredibly busy. He's currently lecturing in international health at University College London while writing a book. He's also planning to do more work in Africa, and is discussing filming another series with Channel 4.

On the other hand, Chris is uncharacteristically reticent when asked about his future plans - only offering a '?' shrug. Who knows? Perhaps after his North Pole races, Greenland adventures, Himalayan mountaineering expeditions and Medicine Men exploits he's feeling just a little bit tired ...