Last week I wrote an article where I touched on a few of the common reasons why the medicine of today is not providing us real health care. By chasing symptoms with doctors who are educated only on symptom management and prescription therapies “we” created a very profitable industry called “health care” which has now become infiltrated with Big Government and BigPharma and their various mandates towards public health. Is it working? I think our current health stats and a peek back towards the past might shed some light…

Medicine practiced in the 17-1800s would be considered barbaric and quite possibly “backward” compared to today’s standards. Most medical therapies included providing a patient with heroin, mercury, cocaine, and/or opium! Conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes were almost non-existent – the average person living in that era worried only of tuberculosis (consumption), pneumonia, or the flu!

Today, advances in pathological care have eradicated infectious diseases as the main cause of death only to have them replaced by what was once nonexistent (lifestyle conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes) for which there is no pill to cure. With all the advances we have seen, health care today is far from that. Here are some more reasons why our health care system needs to be critically analyzed, and while it’s not likely to change any time soon – you can take the responsibility yourself and do everything you can not be involved in conventional medicine.

Prescription (and OTC) Medications are Toxic and Kill
When did we become a society where it became acceptable to take a medicine that has more negative side effects than positive benefits? Many common medications carry heavy risks for further complications, not just nausea or headaches, but organ damage, stroke, cancer, and even death. Not to mention that America is one of the only countries (outside of New Zealand) where prescription medicines are allowed to advertise directly to the public. Have you ever wondered why? Because it works! – we are the only country where you can go to your doctor and tell them what pill you want to be prescribed! Sadly, a lot of doctors, who are on a restricted time schedule, will simply comply as it saves them time and increases their positive reviews by their patients – even if there is a safer, less harmful generic or other medicine that doesn’t have a large advertising budget.

America has the highest prescription drug – death rate in the world! Dr. Ray Strand, MD notes in his book “Death by Prescription” that adverse reactions to prescribed medications are now the 3rd leading cause of death in the US and that you are 5 times more likely to die by the medicine you receive for your health condition(s) than you are from an automobile accident (roughly 40,000 Americans annually). Currently, prescription opioids (hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, fentanyl, codeine, etc.) top the chart as the most dangerous medications prescribed.

Any time you put a foreign, synthetic, man-made substance into your body you face the distinct risk of compromising the immune system and jeopardizing your health. Our bodies were not engineered to work with foreign substances (i.e. pills). You should only take man-made pills in dire emergency situations, like extreme trauma situations.

What to do: Always seek the alternative to a prescription – they exist! For example, Curcumin has been shown in research to be able to replace over 80 different prescription medications – offering the same or better results, with NO risk of any side effects. If you are sick or faced with disease, look for natural remedies first – if you need help seeking an integrative practitioner, chiropractor, or functional medicine practitioner as they know and use these alternatives.

The Doctor Will See You Now – But Not for Long
The average patient visit with an MD in the US is 17.4 minutes long. Some practice management groups encourage visits no longer than 10 min! Why so short? We now have computers and databases that an MD can punch your symptoms into and arrive at a prescriptive answer faster than ever. This helps them see more people, prescribe more medications, and bill your insurance more. With decreasing insurance reimbursements it’s really the only way for an MD to survive in today’s medical economy. The problem – there simply isn’t any time for anything outside of “take two of these and text my receptionist if you have any questions.”

This lack of time spent with patients is not good for health care. Doctors know this. Read what USA Today and Kaiser Health News wrote about the problems with15-minute doctor visits. Here’s more on the same problem from Forbes.

What to do: Seek doctors that allow for ample face to face time (30-45min) and are willing to meet with you more than just once! Many of them are doctors of chiropractic, holistic natural medicine doctors or physicians with an integrative/holistic practice. Note, these doctors won’t work with your insurance as you are using too – but will give you the care you need, teach you how to take health into your own hands and often provide you with the forms you need for reimbursement to you by your insurance carrier’s out of network benefits.