Good Health is one of our most important possessions. It is the basis for living well and accomplishing our goals. Health is the foundation that supports all we do and enjoy in life.
Learning how to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle is a challenge to most of us and definitely not the same for all people. We each start from our own individual "playing field" of factors, especially those of us who have disabilities, these include: genetics, age, physical condition, emotional state, belief system, support system, finances, etc.

A Very Short Overview of Western Medicine
During most of the 20th century, western (allopathic/conventional) medicine had been the dominant form of health care in this country, a system that appeared to successfully control a myriad of diseases and infections. Scientific advances such as genetic manipulation may alter future treatment approaches, but for the most part allopathic doctors are trained to address injury, trauma, and the screening and treatment of disease, not the circumstances that caused or contributed to the disease in the first place. Until recently, little attention was paid to health maintenance and the actual prevention of disease by the prevailing medical establishment. Even worse, an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (July 26, 2000;284(4):483-5, for additional information see www.mercola.com) states that mistakes by doctors are the third leading cause of death in the US, causing 250,000 unnecessary deaths every year. Are you as shocked by these facts as I was? In light of this new information is it possible that a more trustworthy source exists for achieving good health?

Alternatives to Allopathic/Conventional Medicine
Systems that work to maintain health and prevent disease encompass alternative, natural, and holistic medicine, terms widely used for a variety of healing therapies (some of them thousands of years old). Practitioners of these arts look at the "whole" person: Body, Mind, and Spirit, to identify and address underlying imbalances that cause disease. They believe in the body's own innate wisdom and vital energy to reestablish its natural balancing and restorative powers. Following the least invasive, most natural way to foster a well-balanced, well-nourished body that resists disease, fights infection, heals faster, ages more gracefully and will hopefully never need radical intervention. Holistic, natural and alternative modalities also focus on personal responsibility to achieve balance and well being.

Alternative modalities include techniques such as: Acupuncture, Aromatherapy, Ayurvedic Medicine, Biofeedback, BodyTalk, Chelation, Chiropractic, Exercise/Movement Therapy, Feldenkrais, Flower Essence Remedies, Homeopathy, Hypnosis, Massage, Meditation, Naturopathy, Nutrition, Oriental/Chinese Medicine, Osteopathy, Reflexology, Relaxation Response, Touch for Health, etc.

Current Trends in Medicine
Currently, total visits to alternative providers exceed total visits to all primary-care physicians (55%-45%). Out-of-pocket costs for alternative therapies are estimated to exceed $35 BILLION. Alternative medicine is now "big business".
Former disparagers of these therapies: hospitals, clinics, conventional practitioners and HMO's are jumping on the bandwagon and incorporating these therapies (and dollars) into their practices. Insurance companies now cover several of these therapies. Some companies have incorporated "cafeteria plans" into their healthcare benefits, where employees choose how (some of) their healthcare dollars are spent.

What It Takes to Make Good Medical Decisions
How do we make good decisions about our choices of health interventions?

Consulting the Experts
The most important expert is YOU! Listen to yourself: It is YOUR health, YOU are the authority, YOUR BODY is the expert. Does the diagnosis and/or treatment plan seem appropriate for you? Pay attention to your diagnoses and the plans of treatment prescribed by your practitioner. Ask for and discuss alternatives. If your practitioner cannot suggest any, get (don't just ask for) a second opinion. And do the research.

Doing the research: Find out for yourself if there are other viable solutions to your condition. The Internet is an excellent place to start. Just type your data into Dogpile or other search engines and the number of options will astound you.

Use the referral system: Ask Friends & Family for practitioners they have had experience with and trust. Ask practitioners in whom you have confidence to recommend someone who may be able to meet your needs. When you are interviewing a potential practitioner, again, trust yourself, your gut reaction and continue to investigate your options.

What you can do yourself
If you don't have health insurance, or find that your health insurance doesn't reimburse for alternative care, there is still a lot you can do to take responsibility for improving your health. Activate your body's own curative powers through nutrition and lifestyle. Begin by taking a high-quality, whole food (not fractionated) daily nutritional supplement, get moderate exercise, and reduce your stress levels. These are low cost or free-in the case of exercise and stress reduction-options available to us all.
So get started. Remember, You are the expert and You can do it!

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