Medicine has come a long way from a time when one virus could kill off entire communities. Today, the medical community constantly continues to expand its knowledge and understanding of disease. But some time over the last ten years, our wellness needs have pivoted while conventional medicine maintains a steady course.
Chances are you've gone to a traditional medical doctor with symptoms of an infection or illness and they treated these symptoms with a prescription. This prescription most likely cleared up your symptoms and maybe helped you feel better in the short term, but didn't last. Rather you are left feeling just as tired, achey, and symptomatic as when you walked in. This is not a surprise. Conventional Western medicine evolved during a time when Americans were primarily dying of acute, infectious diseases like tuberculosis, typhoid, and pneumonia. Prescriptions were originally created to address these acute diseases and reduce the chance of death. Today, Americans are no longer dying from these illnesses, rather the leading cause of death are chronic conditions like heart disease and Alzheimer's. With one in every two Americans suffering from chronic disease, pain and symptoms come back once the prescription meant for acute illness wears off. (Kresser)
Chronic diseases are a different animal.They are "difficult to manage, expensive to treat, require more than one doctor, and typically last a lifetime" (Kresser). In these cases, prescriptions act like a bandaid: only treating the surface of the problem, not the deeper ailment. This model of medicine is no longer working. "People are sicker than ever. And doctors are missing out on major opportunities to help people live healthy lives." (Shojai). For example, if a patient with high cholesterol goes to a Western medicine doctor, they will be prescribed medication to lower their cholesterol levels that they will have to take for the rest of their lives.
Modern medicine has it's place. If you come down with a contagious disease or get hit by a bus, going to the hospital is absolutely the best choice. But the plague of chronic diseases that Americans currently suffer from need to be approached differently. Chronic conditions develop from repetitive actions and lifestyle choices. Symptoms from these choices build up, creating chronic pain, inflammation, etc. The most sustainable way to treat (and prevent) these diseases is to address the choices and actions in your lifestyle that are creating them. At its base, this means staying away from processed foods, exercising 5-6 days a week, all the way up to testing for food sensitivities, removing products with chemicals from your routine, and dialing in on blood work results to improve your overall health.
The more individuals learn about the connection between health, longevity and disease, the more informed we can be on how to combat chronic conditions. Even now, society is slowly becoming more aware of the impact Western lifestyle has on our overall health and longevity. Europe is already starting to change their medical practices with "roughly 29% of EU’s citizens use homeopathic medication on a daily basis. In fact, homeopathy is now included in Switzerland’s national health system" (Shojai).
The answers to chronic conditions and a better quality of life are already known. It is up to us to put these lifestyle choices into practice while continuing to learn more ourselves and educate others. If you are tired of Western Medicine, it is up to us as a society to redefine our health and make daily lifestyle choices to improve our wellness.
Sources:
Shojai, Pedram. (2018). Western Medicine is Broken.
Kresser, Chris. (2017). Two Reasons Conventional Medicine Will Never Solve Chronic Disease
Chronic diseases are a different animal.They are "difficult to manage, expensive to treat, require more than one doctor, and typically last a lifetime" (Kresser). In these cases, prescriptions act like a bandaid: only treating the surface of the problem, not the deeper ailment. This model of medicine is no longer working. "People are sicker than ever. And doctors are missing out on major opportunities to help people live healthy lives." (Shojai). For example, if a patient with high cholesterol goes to a Western medicine doctor, they will be prescribed medication to lower their cholesterol levels that they will have to take for the rest of their lives.
Modern medicine has it's place. If you come down with a contagious disease or get hit by a bus, going to the hospital is absolutely the best choice. But the plague of chronic diseases that Americans currently suffer from need to be approached differently. Chronic conditions develop from repetitive actions and lifestyle choices. Symptoms from these choices build up, creating chronic pain, inflammation, etc. The most sustainable way to treat (and prevent) these diseases is to address the choices and actions in your lifestyle that are creating them. At its base, this means staying away from processed foods, exercising 5-6 days a week, all the way up to testing for food sensitivities, removing products with chemicals from your routine, and dialing in on blood work results to improve your overall health.
The more individuals learn about the connection between health, longevity and disease, the more informed we can be on how to combat chronic conditions. Even now, society is slowly becoming more aware of the impact Western lifestyle has on our overall health and longevity. Europe is already starting to change their medical practices with "roughly 29% of EU’s citizens use homeopathic medication on a daily basis. In fact, homeopathy is now included in Switzerland’s national health system" (Shojai).
The answers to chronic conditions and a better quality of life are already known. It is up to us to put these lifestyle choices into practice while continuing to learn more ourselves and educate others. If you are tired of Western Medicine, it is up to us as a society to redefine our health and make daily lifestyle choices to improve our wellness.
Sources:
Shojai, Pedram. (2018). Western Medicine is Broken.
Kresser, Chris. (2017). Two Reasons Conventional Medicine Will Never Solve Chronic Disease
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