Like most aspects of modern life, this technology can be a mixed blessing. On one hand, I am delighted to see that third-party insurers are actually recognizing that e-mail communication is a valid and reimbursable patient interaction. I do believe it will improve the overall quality of medicine. There are some technological safeguards that need to be implemented to preserve patient privacy, but this is easily done.

However, like nearly everything in life, it needs to be balanced with live consultation time. The practice of medicine is more of an interactive process. A good doctor relies not only on what a patient tells him or her, but also on the details his keen eye observes. In other words, what a patient may be telling his doctor may be a far cry from what's really happening.

There are clear advantages, however. Time is one of our most limited resources and it is a tremendous waste of a patient's time in a doctor's office if all they have is a quick question about a chronic condition that merely requires a very brief answer.

The Real Health Care Issue

Regardless of the method a doctor chooses to care for a patient, whether through online communication or office visits, the real issue here is that the conventional medical paradigm and the treatments used to temporarily "cure" patients is in need of a serious change. Gary Null wrote a comprehensive review that provides clear factual documentation that the conventional medical paradigm is the leading cause of death in the United States.

So it is great to see the technology move forward to make the current system more efficient. But if the underlying premise is fatally flawed, as it is in our current system, even the best technology will only serve to further accelerate the loss of your health. The obvious solution is to change the paradigm from the bottom up.

It is my life's mission to do that through consumer education, the heart of which occurs through the free Mercola.com e-newsletter. But because I don't have $3 billion to invest in marketing like the drug companies, I can't do it without you! You can have a major impact on improving the speed at which the migration away from current dysfunctional healthcare system to one truly based on prevention and real cure occurs by sharing the information in this newsletter with as many of your friends and relatives as possible.

BUT please be sure to do it wisely. Select a Mercola.com article that addresses their particular health struggle or concern and then write a personal message in the email as to why they should seriously consider the advice -- and why they should subscribe to the free e-newsletter. It is very easy to do with our button at the top of EVERY page on the web site.

Please do NOT sign up any of your friends and relatives to this newsletter ... let them sign up on their own through your recommendation. If you sign them up without their approval it is a form of spam and that would not be fair to them. They need to make the decision themselves to understand and learn more about the truth regarding the health care system and the incredible alternatives that they are likely unaware of. Thanks for your help in recommending the newsletter and helping to shift the paradigm!

Related Articles:

Modern Health Care System is the Leading Cause of Death

U.S. Health Care System No Longer 'World's Best'

U.S. Spends More on Health Care but Gets Little in Return