There are many styles and approaches to medicine; many of which are complimentary to one another, yet none inclusively meet all of an individual’s health care needs. Medical doctors see disease as an enemy and seek to destroy it. They employ an allopathic medical model which means “to fight against”. A sort of divide (surgery), attack (antibiotics, chemotherapy, radiation) and conquer approach toward disease. The medical-political legions effected this militaristic medical stance in 1971with the famous “War on Cancer” battle declaration, generating over 200 billion dollars in research and one and a half million research papers as of the year 2004. Exactly who is winning the battle is still open to debate.
Conventional medicine offers outstanding emergency medical care. However, due to inherent limitations and repercussions of a combative medical paradigm it is not capable of meeting the needs of the general public when it comes to a fully comprehensive health care system. Limitations in the conventional medical system become apparent at one level with medical errors taking a heavy legal, economic and physical toll on the global community. Examples from the United States illustrate my concerns:
- 18 states in a state of ‘medical malpractice liability crisis’, due to wrongful death and injury claims.
- Most common cause of bankruptcy: soaring medical bills, even for those covered by insurance.
- Economic annual price tag for medical errors well in excess of 36 billion dollars.
- Millions of individuals addicted to prescription drugs consumed for non-medical purpose.
- Medical error is a leading cause of death.
The Hippocratic Oath should set the foundation for safe viable health care, yet it seems that this Oath has fallen prey to the complexities of special interest groups, notably the pharmaceutical giants and insurance brokers. Doctors frequently get caught in polemic dilemmas when pharmaceutical products are found to be unsafe, and when insurance companies dictate the amount of time and extent of lab procedures allowed each patient.
Alternative health care providers view disease as a sign of imbalance within. Their natural therapies are aimed at restoring the internal integrity, thereby freeing the inherent healing powers of an individual to allow recovery and the re-establishment of a healthy resistance to disease.
Coming from comprehensive high quality educational programs, alternative health care providers such as chiropractors, acupuncturists and naturopathic physicians have well grounded ethical principles to guide them; principles which to date have withstood the short comings of capitalism gone awry. Ethical principles such as do no harm, work with the healing power of nature (not against), and patient education for preventive health care, allow alternative medical providers to address acute, chronic and lifestyle based ailments with interventions not taught in conventional medical schools.
Lifestyle issues impact almost every known illness. Cancer is a good example of lifestyle related illness. Studies indicate that up to 40% of all non-tobacco related cancers are preventable by enjoying a healthy and nutritional diet. This is a very important finding, as even in the U.S. where it would be expected that most individuals eat a good diet, studies find that few actually consume an adequate amount of food source vitamins and minerals on a daily basis. Heart disease is another critical lifestyle related killer.
These providers address health issues with safe, natural and effective therapies including: homeopathy, herbs, nutritional guidance and supplements, hydrotherapy, physical therapeutic modalities, counseling and meditation to address these concerns in a non-combative fashion. Homeopathy by definition means to work with, not against. The roots of these therapies go back thousands of years, have been refined with present day science, and provide hope for the future.
The complimentary medical style of most alternative care providers offers patients several advantages, the foremost of which is time. Office visits are structured to allow an individual to fully express their concerns, frustrations, fears, hopes and provide for the education so important when it comes to lifestyle change and preventive measures. Listening carefully to each patient so that treatment can be accorded on an individual basis is another very important hallmark of alternative providers. The ability to listen, along with the application of essentially safe viable therapies to restore a healthy body balance are two reasons why people often seek out alternative care providers.
The field of alternative health care is rapidly growing, in response to the demands of a population taking more responsibility for their health. These individuals realize that lifestyle factors significantly impact the health they enjoy, and recognize that their health and well being is dependent on the health and well being of others all around the world. It is this group of individuals using a non-combative medical approach who are in the best position to implement the wise counsel of the Dalai Lama’s regarding world peace:
“A peaceful world must first begin with inner disarmament”.
Alternative health care practitioners whose medicines compliment and assist the healing powers within are well positioned to participate in a shift in the global health care paradigm for the benefit of all.
Dr. Jon Dunn is a Naturopathic Physician. Reference requests for this article are welcome. Please send comments and feedback to Wonc2000@hotmail.com
www.drjondunn.com
