Wisdom Medicine
Jia Gottlieb MD
Should you become ill and require medical attention, or are simply interested in promoting your personal wellness, you are in for a wild ride. Welcome to my world, the bizarre bazaar of the healthcare marketplace—a bewildering maze of pills, supplements, health devices and diverse therapies, all confidently promising quick, effective results. Even as a medical doctor with over twenty years of experience in acupuncture, nutrition, yoga, and meditation, it is impossible to evaluate these many health claims. I was taught in my formal training to rely on “the scientific method,” as the touchstone of truth, but medical history is littered with the bodies of the misdiagnosed and over-treated. To whom can you entrust the care of your most valuable possession—your body and mind? Where can you find the wisdom to make sense of all this confusion?
We are in general naive, especially when it comes to technology. For instance, as a kid, I remember trying on a new pair of shoes at the local shoe store. There was a large rectangular box with an opening to step beneath and at the top a binocular eye piece. Looking through it I could see an X-ray image of my toes and the outlined edge of the shoes. Fluoroscopy was a nifty way to assure a perfect fit. About this time dermatologists discovered that a couple doses of X-rays treated facial acne quickly without a trace of scarring, or so it was thought. No one suspected that twenty years later these same individuals would end up with thyroid cancers as a result of their radiation exposure.
Women, it seems have had more than their fair share of medical mishaps, often due to the sex hormone estrogen. From 1950 and through the 1960’s, a common treatment for morning sickness in first trimester mothers was DES, a potent estrogen. Again it seemed to work well until it was discovered that the female offspring of these women had exorbitantly high rates of cervical cancer. More recently, millions of menopausal women have discovered that Estrogen Replacement Therapy hardens bones but at the risk of increased heart disease, stroke, and breast cancer. Did you know that over-the-counter ibuprofen and other aspirin-like drugs cause 16,000 people to bleed to death annually, or that several reputable studies estimate fatal adverse drug reactions are between the fourth to sixth leading cause of death in America? Not even a token apology is offered for these mishaps, lest the scent of blood arouse the legal sharks. As always, “caveat emptor—buyer beware”.
Well, if these are the risks of scientific medicine, what of the alternative approaches that have neither the motivation nor money to conduct large trials to evaluate effectiveness and safety? The burgeoning natural products industry resists interference from the FDA in the name of consumer free choice, but I suspect are more concerned with the freedom to reap billion dollar profits. They are however, quite right to distrust the FDA, as should we, since significant funding for the FDA is paid for by the very pharmaceutical companies that the FDA is charged to police.
So what are you the health care consumer to do? First realize that your health is in your own hands. Health insurance will not protect you. It is a deceptive euphemism for an institution designed to pay your medical bills, if you’re lucky, and has little to do with actually promoting your health. Even the best health care practitioners can do no more than guide and inspire you towards a path to health, but you alone walk or falter along the path.
By all means you must use your common sense; not an easy task if your senses have become dulled by too much television, fast food, and an aversion to sweat. Feel your body, the aches, the pains, the fatigue. These bodily symptoms are messages that bear important information. If you don’t like the message, you don’t shoot the messenger, but try to listen carefully and learn the truth. Illness is your body’s way of telling you you’re out of balance and that something needs to change. The secret to the cure lies within the sickness, but you may need professional help to unlock its secret.
Remember the fundamentals your mother taught you: get adequate rest, eat well, live a clean life, exercise, and make good relationships especially with your own self. You are not some bio-mechanical machine with surgically replaceable parts. You are an exquisitely complex creation more like an exotic plant that requires sunlight, water, attention, and love to thrive. Health and healing ultimately is to be found within your own wellspring of natural wisdom.
Here are some practical tips to consider when seeking health care:
An important part of your healing process should include learning self-care knowledge and methods to insure your future health.
If your treatment program is working, you should experience clear overall progress.
A practitioner's reputation is helpful, but often of limited use. Inquire as to their formal training, certifications, licenses and experience especially with your type of problem. If you feel the problem is potentially serious, seek the opinion of your local M.D. to make sure you are not missing something obvious.
Beware of free consultations and inflated promises at discount prices. You can tell a lot from the packaging. In a market economy you generally get what you pay for.
Invest in your health as you would in a good pair of shoes. Shop the market and explore what is available, then try them out to find a good fit.
As for insurance, if you are basically healthy, consider buying a major medical policy that will cover catastrophic losses. These policies are considerably less expensive. For routine care you can pay out-of-pocket, and are free to see the practitioner of your choice. With the money you save invest in healthy food, classes and other activities that really will insure your health.
Dr. Jia Gottlieb is an experienced physician-healer who provides innovative, personal approaches to unresolved medical problems in Boulder, Colorado. His broad based training includes a M.D. from Northwestern University, Board Certification in Family Practice, acupuncture training in Beijing, China and over twenty years of study in the introspective arts. For further information visit www.jiamd.com.