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Why do we need a new approach to Healthcare?
The United States makes up about 6% of the world’s population. This 6% outspends the rest of the world’s 94% on healthcare. We have more doctors, hospitals, health plans and medical schools than any other country. We consume more medication than the rest of the world combined, and yet the majority of Americans feel as though we are not healthy. In fact, the rest of the world agrees that Americans are not healthy. The World Health Organization, (W.H.O.) of the United Nations gives the U.S. consistently bad grades when it comes to our health. The last time I checked, the United States ranked between Slovakia and Costa Rica! Two third world countries! It is also disturbing to me that one of the leading causes of death in this country is healthcare! According to a report in 1998 in the Journal of the American Medical Assocation, reactions to properly prescribed drugs were the 4th leading cause of death. This does not include the estimated 200,000 to 600,000 people who die from mistakes in medicine. Many doctors now feel that medicine could quite possibly be the leading cause of death in the U.S.! So why do we get it wrong in this country? I believe it is because we are too focused on symptoms and not on the cause of health problems. Although symptoms are not desirable, they are usually the body’s attempt to fix something. Americans are trained to think that when you have a symptom, you must take something to get rid of it. Many feel that if you have a pain, take something to stop the pain. Although there are times when this is necessary, it does not necessarily address the cause of the pain. This would be the same as driving down the road, having your oil light come on and bringing your car in to get the bulb dimmed, removed, or covered up. It would be the same as going out to buy paint so you could cover it up yourself. If we as a country would focus more on the cause of health problems, we would have a lot less symptoms. Causes are not always chemical in nature. Many times, ailments are physical in nature. Posture and structure have a profound influence on the nervous system. Many times problems with headaches, arm problems including shoulder pain, elbow pain and even carpal tunnel syndrome can originate in the neck. It is interesting to note that trauma such as motor vehicle accidents can be the cause. These sometimes seemingly insignificant injuries can set us up for arthritic conditions later that can affect discs as well as nerves. This in turn can cause problems along the nervous system which can cause doctors to even treat the wrong area. The nervous system is the electrical system of the body. If your electrical system of your house malfunctioned in an area, the first place to look would be the circuit box. This is the weak link in the system and the most logical first step to figure out the problem. It is interesting to compare this to the spine because a spinal problem can also affect the nervous system the same way. The spine is the weak link to our nervous system. The American Medical Association says that about 80% (or more) of us will experience a serious spinal condition in our lifetime. Therefore it would be logical to look at structures as a possible cause of health issues instead of just throwing drugs and money at all of our health problems. We need to remember that our bodies have been designed to heal themselves and the job of a doctor is to figure out why it is not doing so. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, said “Know the spine well, for it is the requisite of most disease.” Unfortunately, if your doctor doesn’t understand the dynamics of structure in relation to total wellness, then he or she won’t even know where to begin. I would like to close with a quote I hope is the future for our healthcare system and will bring us better graces. Thomas Edison said, “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and the cause and prevention of disease.” |
Ask yourself these questions, “Do you feel that your body is functioning at top efficiency, providing you everything you need for health? Do you feel as though your energy levels are at their peak levels, providing you with all of the energy you need to do the things you would like to do? Do you fall right to sleep at night, sleep for 6 +/- hours per night and wake feeling refreshed the next day? Is your health such that you rarely get sick, and when you do, your natural defenses kick in and quickly return you to a healthy state? Do you ever get symptoms that come and go for no apparent reason or do you find yourself modifying your activities to avoid symptoms?” In short: “Are you Really Healthy? Are you getting every bit of health you deserve?