4 Reasons Holistic Medicine Is Gaining Favor
Is today’s healthcare system truly healing us? More people are turning away from Western Medicine to Holistic Medicine as the focus is more on prevention than treatment.
Is Holistic Medicine Gaining Favor?
by Carrie Rutledge
More and more, the masses are turning to a less invasive and more preventative form of healthcare. Chronic illness is the leading cause of death in the United States. The third leading cause of death is medical error. Therefore, it may be a good time to ask: Is today’s healthcare system truly healing us? The definition of health (the state of being free of illness or injury) may beg to differ. In fact, many people coming out of the healthcare system are sicker than ever before. Let’s take a closer look at the many differences between Holistic Medicine (Naturopathic or Alternative) and Western Medicine.
Holism & Reductionism
Western Medicine tends to follow a reductionist approach. This entails targeting patient symptoms directly with the organs affected. When a patient complains of a particular symptom such as itchy skin, their doctor may refer them to a dermatologist. This is very limiting because the Integumentary System is directly related to ten other bodily systems. Consequently, if the skin is expressing symptoms such as a rash or itching, the root cause may be related to something entirely different. When the patient walks into the dermatologist’s office and goes through an evaluation, they may get lucky and have some allergy testing. Still, most likely, they will be given a pharmaceutical cream to put on their skin. This treats symptoms but does not cure the root problem.
Holistic medicine follows an approach called holism. This method involves each bodily system being intimately connected. So if one system is malfunctioning, the doctor will take into account every other aspect of the person to form a treatment plan. If the same person with skin itching walks into a naturopathic doctor’s (NP) office looking to find the relief, they will experience something much different. To cure the root cause of the patient’s problem, the NP doctor may run blood work to look at liver function, hormone levels, as well as assessing the client’s diet and sleep habits. The goal of alternative medicine is always to find the root cause of disease instead of just treating symptoms with medication.
Personal Attention
We have all shown up on time or even early to a doctor’s appointment only to sit in a waiting room for what seems like an eternity. The nurse calls our name and then has us step on the scale and take our blood pressure. The nurse then asks why we are there, what symptoms we may have, and then she leaves us to wait again. When the doctor comes in, they may spend twenty minutes diagnosing us, write a prescription and send us on our way…sometimes up to two hours later.
Naturopathic medicine is a much different experience because prevention is their primary focus. Be prepared to spend less time in the waiting room and more time with the doctor. A naturopathic doctor will spend time reviewing the client’s genetic, metabolic, and hormonal abnormalities to treat the root cause of disease and promote good health in the future. Although holistic practitioners can prescribe antibiotics and medicine when necessary, they prefer to start with natural cures tailored to the individual before turning to pharmaceutical drugs. In Naturopathic medicine, they really strive to keep you and your family as healthy as possible by following an ultra-preventative care model.
Vaccine-Friendly
If you are among the elderly or have young children, be prepared for the vaccine talk. For the elderly, they may try to push the flu and pneumonia vaccine on you. If you are a parent, you can be fired from your pediatrician if you refuse to vaccinate your baby according to the CDC schedule. Not only will you be fired, but you will also be shamed and treated as if you are uneducated or crazy for having any concerns on the current vaccine schedule. There are no discussions of contraindication when it comes to getting vaccinated. Every medication has risks, especially vaccines, yet there is never any conversation on these risks or their side effects. A baby born in 2020will receive 64 vaccines (20 in their first year of life) by the time they are 18 if they follow the recommended schedule. Before 1986, a child would receive 6-10 vaccines by the time they turned 18. Parents have a right to ask questions and are concerned, especially since chronic illness before 1986 was a mere 11% as opposed to 54% in today’s children. For this reason, some parents are questioning if a week’s worth of chickenpox is a better option than the possibility of a lifelong chronic illness.
If you ask your doctor about the ingredients in vaccines, they probably won’t be able to tell you. Vaccines do contain neurotoxins such as aluminum and mercury. Your doctor may say that vaccines are perfectly safe. However, there has never been any long-term safety study on vaccines. Merck was sued for falsifying data on the effectiveness of the mumps vaccine. CDC recently conceded in court because they had no studies proving that vaccines do not cause autism.
Furthermore, vaccines can cause cytokine storms to happen in the brain of young children and babies, which can cause SIDS. Again, there has never been a study saying this doesn’t happen. It is indisputable that vaccination can help prevent certain illnesses; however, serious side effects have been linked to the process of vaccination. The decision to vaccinate is extremely difficult and complicated because adequate research has never been completed on the safety or long-term side effects of vaccines.
Choosing a naturopathic pediatrician for vaccine services and counseling can eliminate fears and put you back into control of your health. If you do decide to vaccinate, naturopathic physicians will help to create a plan that will help to minimize the adverse effects of vaccination. Lastly, holistic providers usually include supplements before and after vaccination to help the body rid itself of neurotoxins.
The Home prophylaxis (HP), or the use of highly diluted substances to educate the immune system, maybe a safer way to acquire immunity also offered at individual offices. HP orally introduces homeopathic versions of disease to the body to naturally stimulate the immune system and is over 90% effective.
Saying No to Pharmaceutical Drugs
More often than not, doctors prescribe pills for all that ills us. But, has there ever been a pill that has “cured” anyone? Antibiotics have cured infections, but not without insult to the gut, which can make us even more susceptible to other infections. The questions we need to ask is: Are human beings facing more chronic illness than ever before because they have a pharmaceutical deficiency in their body? Of course, not because the cure is in prevention, and it’s mostly within our control. It’s misleading to believe that NP physicians are against all medications. This is simply not true. They will prescribe antibiotics if necessary, but it’s definitely not the first line of defense. If a patient does not see improvement or symptoms worsen, an NP will likely administer antibiotics.
The truth is, food and exercise can reverse and cure many illnesses, including cancer. An NP physician is more likely to prescribe acupuncture, massage, cupping, and natural anti-inflammatory herbs such as turmeric for pain. Light therapy for depression and meditation for anxiety is now becoming more popular than psychotropic drugs. Many individuals are diagnosed with IBS, which may be an overgrowth of yeast or a parasitic infection, something many doctors won’t discuss. Additionally, we all know someone on cholesterol medication, which may be a congested liver or caused by poor quality calcium supplements and can be healed naturally without the use of medication.
More and more individuals are beginning to question the medical community and their ties to the pharmaceutical companies. We would think insurance companies would want us to have optimal health and cover services that aim to support this. This makes healthy living less affordable to many families, which is the one downfall of integrative care. Luckily, many NP physicians do offer lower rates to those who qualify. It is becoming more evident that investing a little more money on quality food, supplements, and exercise programs is a lot more cost-effective than the treatment after a cancer diagnosis or heart disease. Living a life of wellbeing shouldn’t be a luxury. Everyone deserves to thrive, and as more of us turn to alternative caregivers for chronic health issues, the more we can come together to change this trend.
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About the Author
Carrie Rutledge is a full-time working mother who spent five years struggling with infertility and miscarriages. Through research and lifestyle changes, she was able to put an end to frustrating doctor’s visits and expensive pharmaceutical drugs that worsened her condition. At forty, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Although Carrie Rutledge was diagnosed with Postpartum Depression and OCD, she continues to treat her symptoms through nutrition, exercise, CBT, Yoga, and meditation. She is currently studying at the Nutrition Therapy Institute. Carrie Rutledge devotes her time to helping women take back their health and heal their bodies on their own terms. Connect with Carrie Rutledge https://twitter.com/carrie_rutledge
