Historical Perspective…
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job description of a physician is to diagnosis illnesses and prescribe treatment.
Additionally, the description mentions counseling patients on such things as diet, hygiene, and preventive health care. When was the last time your conventional physician sat and discussed any of the above with you?
That’s where integrative doctors and wholistic practitioners like myself play an important role. I agree, many of our services are not covered by insurance. That said, it truly is more cost effective to stay healthy rather than get well. If, on the other hand, you are already experiencing symptoms of a disorder, all the drugs in the world won’t get rid of your condition if you are not educated on specific life-style changes to enhance your body’s ability to repair and rejuvenate, naturally.
Facts You Should Know…
The fatal flaw with the conventional medical system is two-fold. First, it assumes physicians will take the time to read all the prescribing information about a drug before they give it to their patients. Second, it presumes that he/she will also keep up with any subsequent information, good or bad, that might come out about the drug later. Aside from wondering how many doctors actually have time to read all the fine print accompanying a drug, the more dangerous issue is that more and more clinical studies validating the drugs your doctor prescribes are tainted by bias and conflicting interests that sway product test results. For example, in one study of 111 final applications for approval:
§ 42 percent lacked adequately randomized trials;
§ 40 percent had flawed testing of dosages;
§ 39 percent lacked evidence of clinical efficacy;
§ 49 percent raised concerns about serious adverse event.
Recent information about Avandia and Avastin highlight how biased and poor trials like this make it to market, according to Science Daily. But they are not isolated incidents. Many drugs that tend to offer less benefit and more harm to patients than the old stand-bys are making their way to your doctors' prescription pads. One of the reasons for this is because sales reps' salaries are tied to how many high-cost, new drugs they can sell, thus making their Big Pharma bosses happy.
According to reports by Dr. Joseph Mercola, a record number of block-buster drugs are going off-patent and very few promising new one are in the pipeline, Big Pharma is relying on an old stand-by to boost the bottom line: fear of disease and hope for a cure with new uses for old drugs.
Nobody wants to be sick. But sickness is what keeps Pharma going. Whether it's a pain medication, a vaccine, or a pill for erectile dysfunction or acne, Pharma not only needs you to want their drugs, but needs you to need them. This is where disease-mongering comes in – in other words, creating new diseases, inciting fear of the new diseases, and then selling you the perfect fix. This is done through Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketing. And it works.
And…if the above isn’t enough, “digest” these facts…
Over 40,000 Medical Mistakes EVERY Day!
A New England Journal of Medicine article was just a reminder of something that the Thirteenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study pointed out earlier this year.
HealthGrades has been studying the quality of care in the nation's hospitals since 1988. This year they analyzed approximately 40 million Medicare patients' records from 2007 through 2009, and found that 1 in 9 patients developed a hospital-acquired infection.
The HealthGrades report said that "the incidence rate of medical harm occurring is estimated to be over 40,000 each and EVERY day according to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement."
Another study, in 2008, by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, also reported grave evidence that something is amiss in the hospital setting in America: One in seven Medicare beneficiaries who is hospitalized will be harmed as a result of the medical care they receive in the hospital, the study said.
Authors of this study found that physician reviewers determined nearly half (44 percent) of the adverse and temporary harm events "were clearly or likely preventable." The cost of these mistakes was estimated at $324 million in October alone – these mistakes equate to 3.5 percent of the Medicare budget.
Health thru Education© Provides You Healthy Options
Generally used to control the outcome of group thinking, a strategy called the Delphi Technique is oftentimes used to discredit people like you and me. One Delphi Technique used to suppress people who don't go along with the program is name-calling.
It's a strategy that can work quite well, although it loses some of its impact once you're aware of why it's done. In her book, Death by Modern Medicine, Dr. Carolyn Dean offers three counter-strategies to dampen those put-downs:
§ Be charming, courteous and pleasant, and always keep smiling as you stand your ground.
§ Stay focused and don't allow name-calling or ridicule to get you off-track. Instead, gently but firmly guide the topic back to your original stance.
§ Be persistent. Instead of getting defensive when your doctor or a drug company tells you you're nuts for wanting to try healthful eating and a better lifestyle instead of pills to cure what ails you, guide the conversation right back to your original plan – healthful living for preventive care.
The key, according to Dr. Dean, is to never, ever become angry as you pursue this goal. They say knowledge is power – I encourage you to take this knowledge and forge your own path toward better health, and to be one less death or sabotaged quality of life caused by drug propaganda.
Stand firm, and vow to fight for your right to live a healthful, natural lifestyle.
If your doctor won't break the mold and help you with this, then maybe it's time to find a new doctor.
The Way I See It…
Consider consulting with me over the telephone to guide you to wellness or visit me at the new integrative medical clinic for Wholistic Rejuvenation, in Gig Harbor, Washington. I have worked with thousands of patients worldwide, 86% of those I’ve guided I’ve never met. If you’re tired of symptom-care that becomes drug-management, take a look at my website and what patients’ say about consulting with me long-distance.
For instance: Let's say you have inflammation (fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, Lupus, arthritis, gout, gum disease, etc.). If you simply take drugs or supplements for the pain and inflammation, without becoming knowledgable about what foods and food ingredients induce inflammation, all you're doing is adding to your body's overall toxic burden. Additionally, the liver is our chemical processing plant; if we don't detox and support this vital organ, no program for wellness will ever be successful. Many people also do not give our G.I. tract the credit it deserves; most of our immune system is now scientifically proven to be housed within this intricate plumbing. If the G.I. tract is not healthy, neither is the rest of the body, including the liver.
When consulting with me, I take all these specifics into consideration as well as what you're exposed to environmentally.
Begin today to take charge of your health! The initial consultation is 1.5 hours because it’s important that I review all your symptoms and case history before making dietary and lifestyle recommendations. The time spent with you is quality time, including on going support until you’ve regained your health.
Your Health Detective:
