Prevention rather than prescriptions should be our healthcare focus
Escaping
the Net of Modern Medicine: Five Steps to Becoming Drug Free
by Paula
Rothstein
It is
estimated that in the United States last year, nearly $2 Trillion
was spent on treating disease with a very small amount being spent
on prevention. Despite this massive expenditure, the United States
is ranked a paltry No. 37 by the World Health Organization, a number
used to convey quality and success. In fact, we are sandwiched
between Slovenia and Costa Rica! We are hopelessly failing because
our approach relies almost exclusively on prescription drugs and not
on prevention. More Americans than ever before are afflicted with
diseases which are largely preventable such as heart disease,
diabetes and cancer.
In alternative
health matters, individuals play a more active and centered role
with regards to their health. These individuals are better informed
via the Internet and various health publications offering
alternative explanations and remedies of which one's physician might
be unaware.
To fully
address and resolve a health condition, five basic questions must
first be answered:
1. Is the
condition caused by deficiency of something - what must be done to
get better (e.g. Vitamin D, magnesium, electrolyte or essential
fatty acid deficiency)?
2. Is the
condition caused by something one needs to avoid - what is making it
worse? (example: wheat or milk allergy, gluten intolerance,
processed carbohydrates, artificial sweeteners, sugar, caffeine,
etc.)
3. Is the
condition caused by something that needs to be eliminated? (example:
heavy metal poisoning, parasites, toxic relationship or destructive
job, etc.)
4. Is there a
past interference that is preventing healing and restoration? (e.g.
trauma, burn, surgery, scar from an infection, emotional event that
has been imprinted into the autonomic nervous system).
5. Is there an
emotional behavior or a core belief that impedes progress and
recovery? (e.g. excessive worry to the point it is detrimental,
eating the wrong foods repetitively).
The following
is information that I believe would be useful at a physical exam: (i)
a reading of one's nutritional status; (ii) analysis of antioxidant
activity in the body; (iii) assessment of one's toxic burden. We
have the ability to obtain this information and it would certainly
prove useful in the prevention of disease. Someone could very
quickly learn what dietary changes are necessary to sustain good
health and assess the strength of one's immune system. The truth is,
100 years have been lost chasing disease rather than approaching
health. The European system of healthcare, as well as eastern
countries like Japan offer an integrative approach to healthcare,
offering natural alternatives in addition to prescription drugs. We
call that "quackery" here in the U.S. and blacklist doctors for such
behavior. Instead, we are limited to the chemical approach and it is
literally killing us.
Often times,
it is merely the act of placing your symptom into the hands of
conventional medicine that can lead to endless tests and eventually
a prescription drug and quite often a series of drugs and additional
health challenges. Many patients enter their doctor's offices with
an annoyance and over time this small thing gets bigger and begins
to multiply because the root cause is never addressed. That is the
nature of chemical dependence and the drug companies are profiting
enormously from society's indifference.
Make no
mistake, the pharmaceutical drug companies want you and you do not
need to be sick for them to want you. They want your inability to
sleep, your anxiety, restlessness, sadness, compulsive behavior,
disorientation. They want your addiction, flu-like symptoms, your
aching muscles. They want your child's mind and body. They most
definitely want to drug the elderly. The pharmaceutical drug
companies will attempt to profit from your every grievance until you
have absolutely nothing left to complain about because you are
either dead or without money or insurance, whichever event occurs
first.
Meanwhile
medical practitioners cower in fear of lawsuits from patients and
rightfully so for these are litigious times. As a result, it has
become increasingly difficult to receive a thoughtful diagnosis for
these doctors cannot practice independent thinking. Both the doctor
and patient would prefer the pill a day approach rather than a
complete overhaul of one's diet and lifestyle. The doctor's
existence is justified as the dispenser of pills but not when he or
she sends you on your way with a grocery list.
We are a toxic
people in love with our chemicals. The love affair should have ended
many years ago as the red flags furiously waved but we remain in
this abusive relationship for it would require a great deal of
discipline to get out. We are both the abusers and the abused -
consuming endlessly the things we should not consume and polluting a
world we should actively protect.
Thankfully, we
now have the Internet and the information moving rapidly through its
wings is responsible for exposing a great deal of deception. We now
find kindred spirits who have learned a lesson and are willing to
share. We now can research health and if you choose to look today,
you will find solutions to your problems. All be it a maze to
carefully navigate through, the answers are there and many truly
heroic health professionals are hard at work providing guidance that
is quite contradictory to that which is being promoted by
conventional medicine and its drug industry counterpart. In fact, I
believe the scrutiny of trans fats today and the impending ban of
this dangerous ingredient is due to the ready access of information.
Many health professionals knew for decades about the dangers of
trans fats but the public did not understand. Now they do and there
is a demand for change.
The five steps
set out in this article are an excellent tool to help you find the
trigger of your symptom. If you are tired of living with the side
effects of drugs, now at the start of the new year would be a great
time to make the necessary life changes to get well. At your next
doctor's visit, arrive with knowledge, research your condition and
research any drug prescribed by your doctor. Understand that a
potential side effect is a POTENTIAL side effect. If the drug
causes, for example, kidney failure in rare instances, you could
indeed damage your kidney. Are the risks as noted on the drug sheet
ones worth taking?
Alternative
health arms the patient with the knowledge and tools necessary to
embark on a healthy, drug free life. Quite a different thing from
modern medicine. It is believed that the two types of patients -
those choosing all things natural and those choosing chemicals - are
becoming more distinct. Of course, this clarity makes choosing one's
path that much easier. Intent is of the utmost importance if you are
to progress beyond symptom suppression and instead develop a life
state which is fulfilling and healthy.
About the
author: Paula Rothstein has been involved in the natural health
industry for over 10 years with a specific emphasis on promoting
products and introducing diet and lifestyle changes which address
chronic diseases relating to high levels of toxicity. For more
information, please visit:
http://www.medicinefreeliving.com
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