Thinking Differently About Health Care

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

HB8999 — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:54:30 GMT

I condemned the paranoia in the other post "Doctors and Patients sue White House over Free Speech violations", let me praise this sensible and entirely true post about holistic care.

We need to win our arguments with *truth*, and the truth in this post needs to be spread to more people.

Kudos, Dr. Mercola for this post.

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

driven22 — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 08:23:55 GMT

Hello I am from South Africa. We have private health for those who can afford it. Companies offer to pay half your month subscription and you pay half.

For those who cannot afford it you can go to a government hospital or clinic and pay about USD2 to see a Dr. You will also be given a prescription of medication from their pharmacy

I personally as a pensioner like private health care. My husband and I have a hospital plan only for in hospital treatment. We are not great Dr goers so this suits us fine.

We are great believers in eating right and taking supplements. Exercise also forms part of our day. My husband at 76 still tries to run 5km per day . He still works a 7 hour a day job and travels 100km round trip to the office on heavy, heavy conjested roads so must be alert.

On the whole I dont favour government run health care systems because ..haves must pay for those who wont work and know that their health is looked after by the state. This means that their health is not a priority for them. My daughter lives in Britain and she feels that the British Health systems needs looking at carefully because it is so abused by people who have never paid into it come to Britain and misuse the system and also that the system is run by managers instead of putting trained matrons in charge of hospitals....Figures and targets to be met not good health..Very bad at the end of the day no one wins.

Maree

Benoni

South Africa

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

Carol Morrisey — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 04:11:43 GMT

I do not disagree with this article or any posting. However, there are a few good things about US health care. I have good insurance coverage through my husband's employer, even though he is now retired, and it covered almost the entire cost

when I became seriously ill with a strep infection in November. Sure, eating the right foods etc. is supposed to keep us well, but these bodies we have are not perfect and they're getting older (I'm 62). I eat more nourishing food than most people I know, and also try to exercise, but I am not exempt from rare bouts of illness. At those times, it's a lifesaver to have the medical care, yes, even antibiotics when called for. What I wish for is a good holistic doctor here in my town, who could give overall preventive care. Trying to do this myself is a rather hit-or-miss proposition. Dr. Mercola's information helps, but I wish there were a health clinic here that used a variety of alternative therapies along with the conventional ones that do work. My point is, I am truly grateful for the parts of our system that do work, and all the kind people who took care of me when I needed them.

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

curious7 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:01:24 GMT

More reasons to make sure we protect our health, research as many aspects of our health as possible. No way should there be any all powerful GURU who says how we may be treated for any illness, and all options should be on the table. But of course that would be too much like right, too many people recovering from once crippling and fatal illnesses, goes aganist everything we Capalists live by, GREED.

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

leangreencafe — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:08:16 GMT

Healthcare: As a social worker and a person with some remaining brain matter, I know reform is necessary. Not just kids need healthcare. Our care has been Big Pharma-influenced fraud and media propaganda. No better way to control people than cut off meds, food, water, create crisis, etc. Katrina demonstrated vulnerability. I've watched the dumbing down of America, the drugging of everyone, including up to a third of the classroom w/ threats of Children's Services. No money for Workman's Comp if no compliance, No VA benefits w/out getting on that Seroquel (an antipsychotic) once a night for a 'sleep aid,' etc. ONce a person uses psychiatric drugs, they can be 'neutralized' by merely discounting their credibility. Ativan has been promoted like M&M's, etc. Big Pharma has spent 19 Billion? a year to bribe and bully doctors, about $65,000 per doc, knowing which doc prescribes what. We are operating as a fascist country. I appreciated seeing news about the Coup on October first on the article about a shocking loss of freedom here on Mercola. The courts are all corrupt, operating outside the rules of law, the media is bought. The National Guard is being promoted in theatres in a LONG>>>>> song, extolling them as WARRIORS. They will be used against their own people in a martial law imposed regime. Bush needs to be arrested, but w/ the Congress and Courts owned by blackmail and intimidation, which District Attorney will stand up? No Congress person did with the stolen elections. We are approaching our own Boston Teaparty days again.

There are young Medical Students fighting against Big Pharma control, and fighting for healthcare for all. Read: www.amsa.org/.../history.cfm and

http://www.amsa.org/uhc/

My best to you. leangreencafe@yahoo.com

But I digress.

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

curious7 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:27:51 GMT

MONEY.

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

Jack in Nashville — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:24:29 GMT

I tried to buy a full coverage PPO Health Insurance Policy through Blue Cross Blue Shield about four years ago. My broker said, "You should have no problems at all, since you are healthy and have no previous significant problems." However, upon reviewing my record, Blue Cross approved my policy with an "exclusion rider" for the life of the policy. It states that I am NOT covered for my entire back, spine, and neck for any reason whatsoever. There was no specific reason listed, and when I called them, the representatives would not give me solid answers. They did say that I had complained about back pain in the past, and that I had made a phone call to my doctor's nurse concerning back pain. My back pain and several other complaints I had mentioned to my doctor have since gone away entirely since I began using distilled water in my diet rather than fluoridated tap water from our public poison water supply. This means that if I am ever in an accident, and need significant work on my back, neck, or spine, I will not be covered at all. ----- here's the kicker; I am 210 pounds, very healthy, and at over 50 years old, I can outperform all the younger kids at the gym in most respects. I suspect that despite political promises, America will continue to receive no real improvement in our health care system as long as insurance companies continue to pump special interest money into political campaigns, and inundate our state and national legislatures with armies of lobbyists. Only anger and action by the common citizen will ever get us the health care system we deserve.

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

kathrynrx2 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:44:27 GMT

It really shouldn't be this complicated. I am flabberghasted that the politicians (and some of us regular Americans even) refer to the issue of "Health Care". Can it be called by its true name, "Insurance"? Insurance is a totally different thing than Care. Insurance keeps economically challenged people like me on a painfully slow road to just get diagnoses, and by that time, the problem is worse and costs even more money (because most hands-on practitioners who administer some real healing techniques, i.e. bodyworkers, chiropractors, rolfers, shamans, aren't even covered by insurance)!

I do need to say this about the "system": it is handy in diagnosing. It is really hard to treat cancer if you don't know you have it. If it weren't for MDs and MRI technicians, I wouldn't know what to treat (however, I work on the anger every day that degenerative disc disease and arthritis could have been avoided if I had the money and the knowledge to treat early energetic symptoms). If only doctors would stop dodging diagnosing and accepting that pain is a way of life (a trend I've noticed-in the drugging practice) and help get us informed more quickly!

I hate the system, but if I feel a lump in my breast, I'm going to a MD to get an ultrasound. Knowlegde is power; unfortunately it is not disseminated quickly enough. Doctors and other practitioners within the Insurance system are not happy either. They are told what they can do (or bribed), knowing it isn't enough for real healing, but sadly continue because their salaries depend on it, which is understandable. They also pay ridiculous amounts of money to cover malpractice insurance that most of them never use-another take on the "staying at a job you hate to pay insurance costs scenarios". Perhaps we all aren't angry enough; the doctors aren't angry enough. Check out the Gesundheit Institute started by Patch Adams (www.patchadams.com). Interesting stuff.

To a speedy path in making "Health Care" become Health Care

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

ThomasT — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:14:13 GMT

I think US healthcare in the trillions is a great success. The Pharma companies who finance the Med. universities, the ghost written false research articles in their controlled Journals, theor powerful lobbying, their control over thre FDA, and being in bed with the insurers, have now made their fortunes. Your health? Thats not the point, and never was. Their profit is the point. Simply go out of the box, and heal yourself, as we have done for thouands of years. While mainstream medicine refused for four hundred years to accept that Vitamin C cured scurvy, (profit, emotion) those in the know chewed a few leaves aka the recipe of some Canadian Indians, and recovered. What about the big C, you may ask? Science moves ahead and has given us the answers. H R Clark,, in 2007 with her work The Cure and Prevention of all Cancers, has given you the valuable info you need. As in the case of the early French .colonists who discovered Vit C cured their scurvy in Canada, you will discover the cure for the big C, way before it is accepted by mainstream, if ever!

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

Val233rie D — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:54:12 GMT

Hi! I am from Canada (Québec province, english is not my mother tongue, sorry for the errors).

Compared to Americans, we have huge taxes...and I don't mind paying them. Our health care system is not perfect, but everyone can be quite sure she or he will get the the treatment she or he needs. Of course I get mad to see someone who never cared of his heatlh having his artery deblocked at the expense of the system, knowing this operation would cost 50 000$ otherwise. But then, I think of one of my friends, 24 year old brilliant young man, never smoked, never drinked that much, fighting against cancer for 5 years. The chemo treatments he received ( wich left him crippled and please don't tell me he searched for it or he should have tried something else) costed at least 150 000 Can$. Should his parents payfor it, we would have another family on the street. Who put this amount of money in a just-in-case account in Canada? No one! And if we didn't have our health care system, would we put our extra money in an account just-in-case? Obviously not. Our system is far from perfection, there is some huge waiting lists in non-urgent surgery for exemple, but I prefer a governmental system than a private system run by insurance companies. the doors opened for privatisation, but we already don't have enough doctors and nurses, so it will make things worse for middle-class and poor families. The Canadian and Québécois governments are doing an effort for education to good health, but it is still not suffcient. I choose have the luxury to gather information and make better decisions for my health, that's my responsability, but depriving people who didn't take this responsibility from the health care they need would be, in my opinion, a step towards dictatorship. I am paying taxes with a smile, and ride a bycicle until mega snow falls, not because I can't afford a car, but to keep the doctor away...until I get bumped by a %$##?%$ car. My responsibility is to be careful.

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

dempoolguy — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:00:09 GMT

Ah - thanks for the opportunity to vent here. Most people reading this "taking care your health" article do not depend on hospitalization insurance, health care, whatever you want to call it.

When I found out that $400 a month was being spent on health insurance for my husband and I (both in our late 40's), my jaw dropped. Why are we paying for this? It will never, ever benefit us, as we do not use doctors or take drugs. "If you want drugs, go down to the street corner, get whatever you want, it'll be cheaper than $400 a month" I told my husband.

He piped back that if something ever happened, it would come in useful. What can happen? Get hit by a car? Isn't that what auto insurance is for? Have the sniffles? Oh, please. What awful disease can a doctor cure that a natural, healthy diet along with some supplements when needed can't? No answer for that.

If we did go to the doctor, as he has, two or three times in the past five years, insurance didn't cover a dime (in order to get an hmo with a $30 co-payment we'd have to pay well over $1000 a month), and he wasn't treated for the kidney stone, or whatever it was. Spent two or three minutes with a "doctor" who wrote out a scribble on a notebook, which he took to the pharmacy, total cost $3500. The $400 a month premium didn't cover one lousy dime of that.

We are going to spent our extra $400 on better food and a healthier lifestyle - it's much more fun, satisfying, and delicious.

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

Kathy000000x — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:09:05 GMT

Hi, I am from the UK. From here it looks like America looks more and more divided between the 'have's and 'have nots'.

The richest country in the world has some of the poorest people with who are illiterate and no health care. Don't you care about your fellow men? How can you not have a system for all people like the UK and Europe?

Everyone is seen as a 'loser', 'geek', etc if you are not pretty or not rich. Why?

I just don't understand. What happened to 'personality' and 'character'?

The attitude seems to reflect on health care too. There is none! - unless you can afford it. Insurance companies fleecing people and making a huge profit. It is unthinkable that there is such a 'tight-fisted' system. No wonder the place is so divided - Rich and Poor.

Even the developing countries have better systems for their countries welfare in health care.

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

buddha — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:43:48 GMT

Thanks Dr. M for promoting the McCain plan for health care:

His plan is to remove the terrible link between a job and your health insurance which keeps many people working in jobs they hate (obviously bad for health) just to maintain the insurance. His plan also includes eliminating the instate purchase requirements. That would allow you to shop for insurance all across this great land - and beyond. That would UNQUESTIONABLY reduce the cost of care because it would directly address the three main causes of high costs which are lack of competition, lack of personal incentive and state imposed insurance coverage mandates.

A guy like me working in MN (which has dozens of silly mandates on EVERY insurance policy) could buy a much cheaper plan elsewhere similar to the kind I grew up with which was basically catastrophic coverage. That would leave me to pay my own way for minor things and also give me an additional financial incentive to take care of myself. Of course, other folks would still be free to buy the Caddilac plans that cover everything.

Obama's plan is exactly the opposite of what is needed to insure freedom and reduce costs. He desires to implement cost-raising mandates at the federal level. And to continue the price inflation through increased reliance on third-party (my taxes) payers.

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

Dr. Ron — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:52:23 GMT

What I find disheartening as is the fact that the presidential candidates stand up and proclaim... "If elected, I will make sure that everybody has health care!" I'll pass, thanks. Your only hope to be truly healthy and well is to stay out of that system. This requires a level of financial stability in order to purchase goods and services that contribute to a well lifestyle. Health care should be taught as a personal responsibility at an early age. Because of 'big pharma' and insurance lobbies it is a monumental mountain to climb, but one worth continuing to pursue. This resource site is about the best weapon we have for factual, natural guidelines... for all of us "David's" fighting Goliath.

re: Thinking Differently About Health Care

seg — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:41:32 GMT

Here's a real good article from an equally great human being Byron Richards........