Upon first glance, one might speculate that one of the most notable differences between an office visit at a natural healing center and a conventional medical office is the cost. This is one of the most common objections or barriers people usually encounter when choosing whether or not to pursue a nonconventional, natural and holistic based approach to health care. In order to properly address this issue it’s crucial to understand both the objectives and the realistic long term outcomes behind each model. This often requires a dramatic shift in what many people are used to hearing and programmed to believe. Why is it that my well baby visits are free or only cost a minimal co-payment? Why do I only have to pay a small fee to see my doctor and then can leave the office with a prescription for a drug that will be mostly covered by my insurance company? When I go to a natural based healthcare provider I end up paying for both the service fee and the additional cost of a variety of supplements or “pills”, neither of which are at all covered by my insurance company. It only makes sense from a financial perspective that one might think twice about choosing a natural based therapy when insurance offers at the very least partial coverage for conventional based care. But let’s dig a little deeper.
Let’s begin by looking at the allopathic model of health care. What is the main objective behind this industry’s model of healing? Physicians have two main tools: drugs and surgery. It is important to note drugs and surgery do not add health and vitality to the body; they mask symptoms or remove malfunctioning body parts. Many of these conventional remedies are effective at masking the symptoms; examples include taking Fentanyl to block serious pain or removing the gallbladder in the event of digestive distress. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, at least 60% of Americans are currently on at least one prescription drug1 and this number grows higher every year. Yet, not only are these treatments fraught with harmful side effects, they do not address the underlying root cause of disease and degeneration in the human body. Worse yet, patients can frequently become utterly dependent or harmfully addicted to the medication. There is a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical and biotech industry that understands this all too well and has a vested interest in keeping you reliant on your prescription drugs and surgeries. In truth, this is not health care… it is disease management.
Our country’s conventional health care system is thought of as the finest in the world, paving the way for others as a model of exemplary care based on the latest scientific research and knowledge. If this were true, however, why is the life expectancy in the United States decreasing, not increasing?2 Even more shocking data reveals the United States is the most dangerous place in the world for mothers to give birth.3 This should not be, since the US spends more on health care than any other country.4 The bottom line is pharmaceutical companies only make money when people are sick and stay sick. Curing people and keeping them well is not compatible with their model of care.
The model for holistic and natural based care differs significantly from the allopathic approach in many ways. When patients present their symptoms, the doctor evaluates the person from a much broader perspective and with a different set of tools. Holistic doctors understand the innate vital power that made the body will heal the body when interference is eliminated and good nutrition is added. Holistic doctors seek to find the root cause(s) behind the disease and degeneration, peeling back all the layers until the person has reached a completely new level of health. Every healing program is uniquely created for each individual and helps to heal the individual completely from the inside. Upon completion of a healing program, the patient is thus freed from their dependency on pharmaceuticals. Not only will there no longer be a financial burden of health care, but the individual will have made an important and crucial investment in their own health and longevity by addressing the hidden and underlying problems to their symptoms.
In order to bring this comparison to life let us consider a real example of a patient who presented to both a medical doctor and my office, Infinite Wellness Natural Healing Center. We will examine the exact financial and health outcomes of both models of care.
Patient A is a 6 year old male who presented to the local hospital because he experienced a very frightening anaphylactic reaction when was exposed to peanuts. Because he couldn’t breathe, he was given an EpiPen shot and his parents were told by the medical professional that this is will save him if a life threatening situation arises. As a result of this diagnosis, having an EpiPen close at hand at all times is required for the rest of his life. As you can imagine, his parents always lived in fear of the next reaction and had to maintain constant surveillance for the presence of peanuts in his food, which is extremely stressful.
His mother brought him to my office saying she didn’t want her son to deal with these allergies anymore; she wanted him cured. We set to work with a natural health restoration program in November of that year. His treatment plan consisted of chiropractic adjustments, nutritional supplements, dietary changes, and cold laser therapy when needed. The treatment plan lasted 10 months and concluded in August of the following year. His parents parked him in front of the emergency room, let him eat a peanut butter cookie, and he had no reaction. Three years later he is still peanut allergy free and very active in sports. The EpiPen® prescription has not been renewed since.
EpiPen® is a name brand pharmaceutical made by the company Mylan, and even though the device contains the drug epinephrine which is available for as little as $1, it is sold to consumers for $609 in a box of two pens. More recently, Mylan came out with a generic EpiPen® that is sold to consumers for around $300. These items must be renewed at minimum every year because of the shelf life of the product. In contrast, the overall cost of the treatment plan at my office was approximately $2,015. Let’s do a complete cost comparison to highlight the pros and cons of both options and extrapolate the next 12 years.
Note: This comparison does not include the cost of additional medical visits, other prescription medications, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, or, most importantly, the cost associated with worrying about your child ALL THE TIME. On the day he began his program, he was also on many other pharmaceuticals that included inhalers such as albuterol and pills such as anti-inflammatories.
As you can see, under the pharmaceutical model there is no permanent answer to the patient’s malady and this boy would have been a continuous source of revenue for Mylan. The one year of using natural holistic health care helped him get off this track and permanently solved the problem.
Every American is entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as written in the Constitution of the United States. To be well is to have life, and have it abundantly. To be free of oppressive pharmaceuticals and the financial burden that comes with them is liberty. To have great health and the ability to do all the things you want to do in life is to experience happiness. By addressing the root cause, natural holistic health care is able to permanently fix and restore health, thus it is the only model by which all three can occur.
October 2018 By Dr. Daniel McDonald
References:
1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/11/03/more-americans-than-ever-are-taking-prescription-drugs/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.ab6088ab3a53
2. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-lifeexpectancy/life-expectancy-declines-seen-in-u-s-and-other-high-income-countries-idUSKCN1L723R
3. https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/deadly-deliveries/2018/07/26/maternal-mortality-rates-preeclampsia-postpartum-hemorrhage-safety/546889002/
4. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/04/20/524774195/what-country-spends-the-most-and-least-on-health-care-per-person