Naturopathic doctor explains why the current health care system is failing people by refusing to focus on prevention. Tips on how you can take control of your own health care.
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A substantial overhaul of our national disease management system is now highly unlikely. What we will get is possibly an alteration in its financing. Perhaps insurance companies will form cooperatives, perhaps the government will pay for the treatment of more currently uninsured individuals, perhaps some costs will be contained with malpractice reform.
And of course, those changes are desperately needed. Medical bills are, by a large margin, the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. It is a strong testament to the fundamental flaws of our system that two-thirds of those filing bankruptcy due to medical billshad health insurance.
Meaningful health care reform may not happen at the national level for many decades to come. However, there's another way to reform health care in this country. It's not reform that starts at the top level of government and trickles down to individuals. It is reform that starts with each individual. And someday, eventually, it might just trickle all the way up to the top.
It is widely acknowledged that our current medical system focuses primarily on disease management. In fact, calling it a "health care system" represents little more than habit, since it has very little to do with either health or care. The vast majority of therapies utilized by our medical system fall into two categories: block symptoms with medications, and/or perform some surgical procedure to cut out or rearrange a part of the body that isn't working correctly.
In order to care for and enhance health, blocking symptoms or cutting out parts isn't enough. In fact, these treatments can very commonly hide one set of symptoms while causing many additional problems. And those additional problems often lead toeven moremedications ormoreprocedures. Health, in this system, doesn't spiral up. It spirals down.
Until profound change in our approach to health changes at the national level, individuals can begin to reform health care on their own. A few guiding principles, followed through by large numbers of people, would force the change we want to see.
First, work with a primary care physician who has extensive knowledge about preventive medicine. Preventing disease before it happens has an enormous financial benefit. It is also the foundation of meaningful health care. If your physician cannot or will not speak with you at length about nutrition and about the latest research on nutrients and lifestyle changes to prevent and treat disease, find another.
Second, if your current health insurance does not fully coveralllicensed care health practitioners - including alternative providers - then it isnothealth insurance. It is simply a plan for pre-paying your medical bills. Write a letter to your insurance carrier expressing your desire to prevent rather than treat disease, and explain that you are shopping around for a plan which supports that goal.
Third, if you already have symptoms or a disease, ask your physicianwhyyou have it. Obviously bodies do not randomly decide to start producing symptoms. There is an underlying cause for the imbalance(s) that lead to symptoms. If your physician brushes off the question, or worse, becomes annoyed by it, find another. Understanding the underlying causes of symptoms should be the primary focus of any physician working toward your optimal health.
Finally, realize that caring for health is not something that can be accomplished byanynational medical system. Physicians can and should provide the education and the roadmap for moving toward optimal health. It's up to each individual, though, to actually travel that road.
Those four changes would initiate a true revolution in health care, reforming it from the bottom up.
Authors Website: www.naturecuresclinic.com
Authors Bio:Dr. Nigh completed his undergraduate work at the University of Notre Dame, then began his study of alternative medicine while doing research for his Master's thesis at Arizona State University. Through studying some of the political aspects of HIV and AIDS, he came into contact with an extensive network of individuals around the country who were successfully managing their own health through use of various natural therapies.
Over the next several years, Dr. Nigh continued his study of alternative therapies. This culminated in his pursuit of the combined naturopathic and Chinese medicine degrees and professional training in Ericksonian hypnotherapy.
Dr. Nigh uses an eclectic combination of naturopathic medicine, Chinese medicine, clinical hypnosis, bodywork, counseling and elements of Thought Field Theray to tap into each individual's full potential for wellness. He is interested in working with individuals who have had little success with past treatments, and especially those who have been told "there is nothing else that can be done."
Special interests and areas of expertise include treatment of anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, depression, and headaches of all types. He has also done extensive research on autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, chronic fatigue, AIDS, allergies and thyroid disease. He has developed a treatment protocol that has been extremely helpful for many individuals suffering from autoimmune disease.
With all patients, combination of therapies are utilized to help re-establish normal functioning, break unhealthy habits and adopt health-promoting habits. With over a decade studying and practicing hypnosis, Dr. Nigh often utilizes both formal and informal trance work during office visits to best optimize each individual's potential for health and vitality.
Dr. Nigh has also done extensive research, writing and public speaking on the topic of immune suppression and AIDS. He can provide any interested individuals with the full range of alternative treatment options for these conditions. He has written and published a number of articles. Some of those can be found on our Publications page.
Dr. Nigh has also researched extensively about Lyme disease and it's potential role as an underlying cause for a large number of chronic illnesses. Chronic infection with Borrelia burgdorferi - the causative agent in Lyme disease - causes an extremely wide range of symptoms. These can include joint pains, neurological symptoms such as headaches, tremors, brain fog, nerve pains and sleep disturbances; digestive problems; depression, anxiety and panic attacks; extreme fatigue, and many others.
While Lyme disease is complicated to treat, there are protocols involving a number of concurrent therapies that can successfully manage or eliminate Borrelia from the body. Dr. Nigh is very knowledgeable about both testing and treatment issues. He can tailor a treatment plan for any individual found to have Lyme disease.
Dr. Nigh also does email and telephone consulting with individuals around the world who are unable to see a naturopathic physician locally. If you would like more information about this, please email him directly at the link below.