"Mary" came in to our offices last week with multiple complaints. She had already been the normal route of going from specialist to specialist. She had tried just about every drug known to mankind... antidepressants, pain pills, acid reflux meds, synthetic hormones (birth control at the age of 51!) and STILL had so many complaints. Every time she told her doctor of a new or old complaint... she was prescribed yet another pill to "do away with the symptom". Not one doctor had ever asked her about her diet. Not one doctor ever did a test to determine "WHY" she had the symptoms she had. In many cases they listened only to the symptoms and then prescribed pain meds or psychiatric drugs to basically shut her up.
Ok... so this sounds like I'm getting ready to take off on doctors... and I'll really try to refrain from doing so. But the fact of the matter is this... some doctors simply must not even look at test results... maybe they're relying on someone in their own office to do it for them. Doesn't really matter. YOU are the one who gets pushed to the side and not handled right. And certainly you need to understand this is not always the case... some doctors are right in there pitching with their clients and doing the best they can. But sadly there is becoming a large majority who simply are not paying attention to YOU.
Medical errors, which cause as many as 195,000 deaths a year, are "an unmitigated epidemic". Americans spend for health care 60% more than Europeans, for mediocre results. More people die each year in the United States from medical errors than from highway accidents, breast cancer or AIDS, a federal advisory panel reported a few months ago. (and that's only the ones
that are kept track of and reported!). At least 1.5 million Americans are sickened, injured or killed each year by errors in prescribing, dispensing and taking medications, the influential Institute of Medicine concluded in a major report released July 2006. The report said the actual numbers are probably much higher. Mistakes in giving drugs are so prevalent in hospitals that, on average, a patient will be subjected to a medication error each day he or she occupies a hospital bed, the report by a panel of experts said. The report found errors to be not only harmful and widespread, but very costly as well. The extra expense of treating drug-related injuries occurring in hospitals alone was estimated conservatively to be $3.5 billion a year.
Who do you think pays for this? You do... higher insurance rates, higher health costs. As far as I'm concerned these stunningly high rates of medical errors -- resulting in deaths, permanent disability and unnecessary suffering -- are simply unacceptable in a medical system that promises first to 'do no harm'.
Ok... so what CAN you do?
1. Be informed! Insist on copies of all tests. Communicate to your doctor on what other doctors may have told you to do (what meds you are on, etc.). Doctors know very little about natural solutions and may actually be intimidated by your use of other means to handle your health. Help them understand.
2. Go Shopping! make the doctor sit and talk to you. If he or she is unwilling... find another doctor. Remember... you pay them... they certainly don't pay you... you are the consumer... you wouldn't put up with someone at the local department store treating you the way some doctors treat you! Shop till you find one that will support you and care about you. Don't ever be intimidated!
3. Back it up! Whatever your doctor has you do... back it up naturally with correct supplements or diet to ensure the problem doesn't repeat or to get to the real CAUSE of the problem... Don't just settle for "symptom handling"... Always go for the CAUSE.
4. Natural is not always SAFE! Hard to believe I said that... but it's true. Self- "medicating" yourself naturally can get you in a ton of trouble and you can create more imbalances that you started out with.
I've seen ladies come in who are buying "progesterone" creams over the counter because their massage therapist said it was good... or the lady at the health food store said it was great and worked for her. Well, that's all fine. But if you don't dose it properly you can under-use it and end up thinking it doesn't work or you can over-dose and create further problems. Or you can create a further imbalance if other hormones are also needed.
I've had clients come in with bags full of "over the counter" vitamins and yet they're as "sick as dogs"... the reason? They are taking too many supplements and creating further imbalances in their body! Getting educated through correct testing is the key to good balanced health. We always strongly suggest Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis and Saliva Hormone testing along with the traditional blood tests to get a complete picture of what is truly happening in YOUR body.
I hope I've enlightened you enough for you to take correct action for your health and the health of your loved ones. The solution to a health problem is not to treat the symptoms only. That's kind of like having the engine light turn on inside your car and you running to the mechanic and telling him to turn that darn light off! Well... he can certainly pull the plug and turn the light off... but the reason for it turning on in the first place is still there... and eventually... your car will simply stop running. So don't be surprised when that happens to your body if you've been busy "turning the symptoms off"!
