Is it time to re-think the role that we as individuals play within the health care system?

Posted by Ken on December 19, 2011 in Belief systems, Ken's Blogs

• Tweet

• Tweet

Is it time to re-think the role that we as individuals play within the health care system?

I think it is.

Did you know?

When the budget for the healthcare system in Ontario hit 30% of the tax dollars collected, people started to take notice within the health care system. When it hit 40%, there was alarm. The latest number I’ve heard is that 47% of our tax dollars are required to fund the current healthcare system, and with an aging population that number is projected to grow substantially over the next few years, I’ve heard projections of over 70% before 2020. In a recent healthcare study it was shown that the primary items pushing up costs in the healthcare system are new technologies, new drugs, and higher wages for healthcare professionals (physicians in particular).

Healthcare is Free

We are very blessed in this country and province to have a healthcare system whereby most of the costs for care are covered by our healthcare and benefits systems. But do you really think that can continue? What happens to all of the other items that are covered by our tax dollars if there’s not enough money to cover the costs of these items? What happens to our unemployment system? What happens to our pension system? What happens to our infrastructure (roads, bridges, sewers, etc.), our schooling, our programs supporting the arts, etc? Make no mistake, if the projected costs for the healthcare system continue, then drastic actions will be required within the healthcare system and elsewhere.

So do you still believe that healthcare is free?

A Quick-Fix Society?

Does it seem like over the past several years we have become a society that is looking for instant gratification in many aspects of our life? In healthcare, we walk into our doctor and expect something to fix our problem right away. Does it feel like we don’t want to work at solving the problem if there is a pill that can solve it immediately? I’ve had colleagues describe instances where their doctor has told them that they have symptoms consistent with a virus and that an antibiotic won’t help, the virus simply needs to run its course. These people have demanded antibiotics and received them. I’m not suggesting that all doctors do this, but this is a symptom of our “quick-fix” society. Remember when we were growing up and we were all exposed to childhood diseases such as chicken pox, measles and mumps. What happened then? These illnesses spread through our communities, and we stayed home for a few days to let it run its course. But what else happened? Our bodies developed antibodies for these illnesses and the specific illnesses do not return.

Do you look for “quick fix” remedies?

Prescription Drugs – Our Quick-Fix?

Does it also seem that in our desires to create quick-fix solutions, we have become a society of pill-poppers? I’m not talking about the instances where the prescription drugs are required to save lives and it’s all we really know, I’m talking about the people mentioned above that demand antibiotics when they’re not needed, and people that are looking for a prescription when diet and exercise have been shown to be a factor in their current situation. Do you remember hearing stories (or maybe you were even exposed to this) of our parents being applied some sort of mustard poultice, or some other natural remedy that we never even hear of any more. The irony is that they used these types of treatments because they worked. Well there’s probably a pill for that now too.

Is our desire for “quick-fix” solutions really serving us?

Side Effects

Do you ever start to laugh out loud at the TV commercials for the new prescription drugs, a one-minute commercial that takes 15-30 seconds to describe the benefits of the drug, and the remainder of the commercial to describe the side effects? Does it stop you in your tracks when one of the side effects listed is death? Or what about the legal ads that are asking you to contact the particular law firm if you or a loved one used a drug and experienced horrible side effects, including death? Do we really understand the side effects that prescription drugs have on our bodies? And do these side effects compound themselves the more prescription drugs we take?

Do you think we’re “messing with nature” when we’re taking all these drugs?

Placebos

Do you remember studying in schools the results of studies where people were healed of various symptoms using placebos (essentially “sugar pills”)? And have you ever heard a story of a “miracle” where someone’s condition disappeared? I know of a couple cases where colleagues were given only a few months to live. They rejected the prognosis and took the attitude of “that’s not going to work for me”, and over 15 years later they are alive and well, living life to the fullest. What does this tell you? Do you believe that the fact that the patient simply “thought” they were going to get better contributed to their improvement or healing? Does the mind have an impact on healing our bodies? Historically, the placebo effect accounts for healing in about 30% of tested cases. If placebos can account for healing 30% of cases, does it not seem like the use of placebos should be a part of our healthcare system? And if the placebo effect can occur at all, does it not seem obvious that the mind should be involved in part of the healing process.

Do you think that the mind is involved in our body’s ability to heal?

CAM – Complementary and Alternative Medicine

There are many forms of CAM available today, including acupuncture, homeopathic, naturopathic, chiropractic, energy healing, etc. Many people report that they have had tremendous success using these types of alternative medicine. It is often suggested by the critics that these types of alternative medicine are not scientifically proven and are no better than placebo. Should we ask the critics to explain the successes that people have had, and also ask them to explain that if there are no side effects associated with these types of medicine and even if they’re no better than placebo, does that suggest that they’re responsible for close to a 30% success rate of healing?

Would you rather “heal” in a more natural way?

So where do you fit in?

In today’s fast-paced society that we have created, it seems like people are looking for healthcare solutions that require the least amount of work on their part. There are countless studies, not to mention common sense, that suggest that when we take care of our bodies with a reasonable diet, proper exercise and rest, etc. that our bodies function much more effectively. I believe we own that responsibility of looking after ourselves.

I also believe that when pain, discomfort or dis-ease sets in, it is a message from our bodies that we need to pay attention to. I believe the responsibility lies within us to take the time to listen to our bodies and understand the message. And when we need help, I believe we should consider the big picture, not the “quick fix”.

Is it time to re-think the role that you play within the health care system?

What do you think?

If you have a health care story you’d like to share, pass it along to [email protected].

Written by Ken

Ken Jaques describes himself as a Health Care Evolutionary, Community Builder, and Speaker. True healing begins when we treat root causes instead of just masking symptoms. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 2008, Ken has experienced many facets of the health care system. As “the only patient who ever lost their hair on this low of a dosage of chemotherapy” – as spoken by his rheumatologist – Ken has been on an amazing journal of self-discovery, a journey of true healing. In his blog, Ken shares stories of how his beliefs have changed over the past few years, and how they are still changing. Is it possible that our bodies can heal themselves? Do we really have to live without hope after we receive a chronic illness diagnosis? These are the types of questions that Ken encourages people to ask themselves as they embark on their own physical or emotional healing journey.

Ken is creating a platform to connect People, Patients, Practitioners, Partners and Promoters, enabling a collaborative effort to help shift the focus on health from I-llness to We-llness. Check out the pilot at www.myHealthyCommunity.ca.

“When ‘I’ is replaced with ‘we’, even I-llness becomes WE-llness” ~ Malcolm X