Right up front I want to let you know my intention is to be bold and get your attention. I have nothing but respect for the majority of medical doctors who have committed their lives to serving others.
Now that I’ve got that out of the way let me be unapologetically honest.
The US healthcare system is broken in many ways and if you are not your own strongest advocate you risk being a victim. Take a look at some sobering facts and statistics:
- A recent survey from The Beryl Institute found that 76% of Americans said they had not had a positive patient experience in the past 3 months and 60% have had an outright negative healthcare experience.
- Another recent study shows that only 7% of Americans are satisfied with the healthcare system.
- Looking at how the US healthcare system compares internationally reveals:
- Even though US healthcare costs are highest among comparable countries it scores low on safe and coordinated care
- A study by the prestigious Johns Hopkins Medical School found that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the US. That amounts to more than 250,000 deaths per year.
ATTENTION: Did you read that last line?
Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the US!
I could go on and discuss poor metrics like life expectancy and infant mortality but I think you get the point.
Before we move on I have a question to ask you. It’s not a trick question and I encourage you to pause and give it some thought.
Do you really desire to be healthy, to avoid illness and disease, to express health for as long as you can?
If your answer is yes then I encourage you to consider how you approach your health, how you use the healthcare system, and how you approach your relationships with physicians.
The Western Medical System
Before going deeper let’s look at a definition of our Western Medical System from the National Cancer Institute:
“A system in which medical doctors and other healthcare professionals (such as nurses, pharmacists, and therapists) treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery.”
I want to bring your attention to that definition, particularly the part that says “treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery”.
Did you notice that nowhere in the definition does it mention health?
No mention of health restoration!
No mention of health maintenance!
No mention of health optimization!
There’s a good reason for that. Our healthcare system is not focused on health. Its entire focus is on treating symptoms, illness, and disease.
I would agree that there is a place for that. Sometimes it is absolutely necessary to offer someone the opportunity to regain their health. But, make no mistake, the eradication of symptoms or even the curing of an illness does not by itself restore health.
That absence of something does not equal the presence of something else.
Have you ever known anyone who suffered from depression who ended up going on antidepressant medication? And, assuming the medication helped alleviate the depression did it make them happy and joyful and someone who embraced life?
Probably not. Because the absence of depression is not the same as happiness and joy.
It’s the same with illness and disease. Take a guy who is walking around with his coronary arteries 90% blocked and is having a heart attack waiting to happen. If he undergoes a bypass surgery or the insertion of stents he might be less likely to experience a heart attack but nothing else has changed.
Top 4 Ways Doctors are Robbing Your Health
In order for doctors and our healthcare system to be robbing you of your health you must have a desire to be healthy. If you do then consider the following.
#1 Prescribing Medications as the first and primary approach to whatever issue you are dealing with. If you have high blood pressure has your doctor discussed approaches to minimize or avoid the use of medications? If you have acid reflux have you been given other options than a PPI like Prilosec? Did you know that PPI meds were only intended to be a short term first aid and not a long term solution?
#2 Irregular Monitoring. Have you been given medication and taken it for many months or longer without another physical exam or blood work? Every medication works differently with different people. Almost every medication has a danger of damage to the liver or kidneys. Are you being monitored both for the effectiveness of the medication as well as any signs of toxicity?
#3 Lack of Proactive Screening. Is the only time you visit your doctor for an annual physical and when you have a health challenge? This is largely reactive in nature, waiting for symptoms and illness to arrive. That annual physical is unlikely to show anything. Is your doctor assisting you by being proactive in screening you for any deviations from ideal?
#4 No Health Development Plan. We call it healthcare but has your doctor ever had a discussion about creating a plan to grow your health? Maybe they tell you to eat healthy and exercise but that’s not a plan. Are they helping you look ahead 10 or 20 years and strategizing to be as healthy as possible?
Our healthcare system has its place. It’s the best place to be in case of trauma or acute severe illness.
And, it’s the worst place to be if you have a chronic condition or are healthy and desire to stay that way.
Imagine this! You walk into your doctor’s office and you tell him/her that you feel great, your energy is great, you sleep well, you are fulfilled and have great relationships. Then, you ask the doctor what you can do to optimize your health moving forward.
What do you imagine their response to be after they pick their jaw up off the floor?
Here’s another question. Is your doctor the picture of health? Looking at him or her, are they someone you would want to model in your health?
When you have a job to do you want to choose the best tool for the job. If you have fractured a bone or have a deep laceration or a severe acute infection then medicine is the best choice.
If you are healthy. If you want to get healthier. If you want to grow your health, then medicine and the US healthcare system is the worst place to be.
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