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Inappropriate, Possibly Dangerous and Wasteful Healthcare

Many, once thought effective, surgical and therapeutic drug approaches to some of the worlds most common conditions are not producing the intended results. To put it bluntly, people are dying by the hundreds of thousands each year and we have little to show for it other than yearly increasing health care costs and an insane idea of applying the same failed approach to solve the escalating problems we face.

By Michael Dorausch, D.C.

The title says it all. It pretty much sums up what you will get when going the traditional medical route in healthcare today.

Many, once thought effective, surgical and therapeutic drug approaches to some of the worlds most common conditions are not producing the intended results. To put it bluntly, people are dying by the hundreds of thousands each year and we have little to show for it other than yearly increasing health care costs and an insane idea of applying the same failed approach to solve the escalating problems we face.

The Washington Post today featured an article called, “Tired of Killer Cures?” There was nothing new mentioned that we have not discussed on Planet Chiropractic but I was pleased to see an article of this nature get the attention it deserves. I hope that readers understand that my pleasure is not with the state of US healthcare (or healthcare worldwide for that matter), but that individuals, groups, organizations, etc. are standing up and shouting out… there must be an alternative.

Quite frankly, I’d rather be running on the beach or playing with my dog than writing this article. However, I can honestly say that I sleep better at night knowing that I am “paying my dues” during the day. While there has to be balance, I know in my heart that someone will read this information for the first time and think… wow, I did not realize that was the case.

Enough of that, let’s look at this article. Please read it, print it, and share it with as many people as you can. A simple task, but in doing so you may just save someones life.

The intro reads, “The signs and symptoms of crisis in our health care system have become front-page news in recent weeks. Treatments that were routine — widely accepted by physicians and embraced by the public — have proven inappropriate, possibly dangerous and wasteful.”

As examples, hormone replacement therapy and the surgical treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee are mentioned. Both have been in the media recently and both fall under the category of “inappropriate, possibly dangerous and wasteful” approaches to health care. We’ll just call it “IPD & W.”

Just think for a moment, there are women in the US that have been taking HRT for years and have recently had surgical treatment of both knees for osteoarthritis. Their bathroom cabinets are full to the brim with drugs, they live the soon to be textbook IPW & D lifestyle, and the proposed solution to their problem which gets the most press is more drugs and more therapies but with a volume discount added.

I’m not trying to be funny, this is what is going on. At the same time there are millions seeking another approach but they have no idea just what that approach could be. Can we blame them when they choose something fairly familiar to what they were taught all these years? No we can’t, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

I don’t think it’s even fair to blame medical doctors. I’m talking individuals here, not the established practice of medicine. Can you imagine… you go to school almost as long as a chiropractor does, you’ve just put your second kid through college, you glance at your new Mercedes out of your living room window while watching your plasma flat screen TV, and the news anchor person reads a report saying… “when appropriately used, medicine is the fourth leading cause of death in our country.”

What if everything you are, everything you do, is based on a lie? If your like some, you’ll scream out and start pointing fingers at others (like the fingers pointed at chiropractors, other health care practitioners, and even patients). But remember, every time you point, there are three fingers pointing back at you. Am I saying that chiropractic has all the answers and there is absolutely no risk? Quite simply, no. But, how about some perspective? There is a very good chance that my professional liability insurance is less than the insurance on that new Mercedes. Are insurance companies in the business of being especially nice to chiropractors or could there perhaps be some logic there? And my health club, they wanted me to sign a waiver stating that I understand there is a risk involved. Again, perspective.

Back to what to do. If your courageous, bold, and have always had a deep desire to help and serve others; no matter how long you have been applying a failed approach (or utilizing a failed approach) there is still time to do the right thing. That is what more and more people are doing today. That is why the New York Times and the Washington Post are publishing articles like what we see today. Let’s face it, there may always be prescription drug advertising, just like we have cigarette advertising, but is there a person on this planet that does not know the dangerous effects of smoking?

Here is a summary from the article of what is wrong with our current approach…

  • Over the last several years we have learned that the routine medical approach, even when appropriately used, is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.
  • While the argument continues whether or not prescription drugs should be provided through Medicare, Americas medicine cabinets are bulging with prescribed pills that are, according to many well-done studies, often unnecessary, redundant and dangerous, as well as prohibitively expensive.
  • In spite of tens of billions of dollars in cancer research and treatment — more than 500,000 Americans still die of cancer each year, and millions more who “do well” suffer terribly from the side effects of their treatment.
  • the percentage of obese teenagers has doubled in the last two decades, they are overfed and under-exercised, and often anxious and depressed. They are also falling victim to chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and perhaps cancer at ever-earlier ages.
  • Americas newborns continue to die at rates significantly higher than those in a number of other developed countries.
  • US health care costs, already more than twice as much per person as those of any other developed country, are escalating out of sight.

Just as important, Americans (in unprecedented numbers) are looking for the following:

  • relief outside the current system
  • help with preventing and treating the chronic illnesses that threaten, disable and dismay them
  • a more intimate relationship with their health care providers
  • health professionals who will respect them as partners in their care and who see and understand them as whole people

Let’s do something bold and be there for them. I can’t think of a better way to serve my country.

Washington Post: Tired of Killer ‘Cures’? – It’s Time, Says the Author, to Rethink The Alternatives

planetc1.com-news @ 5:21 pm | Article ID: 1029889265

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