Health Misconceptions that Drive Up Costs
Your lack of health is not due to a lack of medications.
Most of us have a belief that if we feel good, we are healthy. I have had patients tell me how healthy they are and then I look at their case history form and see they are taking more than half a dozen medications. Does health come from a bottle of pills?
I am sure someone will read that and think yes, health does indeed come from a bottle of pills. Here is a simple test. Buy a new bottle of your favorite pills and swallow all the pills within an hour. How do you feel? Are you healthier? Chances are good you are on your way to the hospital.
The assumption is that our bodies tell us how we are doing by how we feel. If we hurt, we see a doctor? If we feel unwell, we see a doctor. If the doctor makes us feel better, health has been restored. Those are simple ideas that are easily proven wrong.
We are constantly told to get our blood pressure checked. Why? Because we cannot tell if we have high blood pressure by how we feel.
Women are told to do breast exams and get mammograms? Why? Because we cannot tell if we have breast cancer by how we feel.
My wife woke up with severe abdominal pain. I took her to the hospital. Eventually a scan was done. Nothing was found. She was given pain medications. She felt better. A physician came and said, “I think you are ready to go home.” I said, “So, what is your thinking? She came in with pain. You have not come up with a diagnosis. You gave her pain medication, and she feels better. Do you just think whatever it is will get better?” The physician agreed to more exams and the result was she had her gall bladder removed. Point is she felt better after the analgesic, health had not been restored.
According to the CDC, “Chronic diseases are the leading cause of illness, disability, and death in America. Most chronic diseases are caused by a short list of risk factors: smoking, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use.”
Notice that the activities that lead to “illness, disability, and death” do not make you feel sick. They are part of an unhealthy lifestyle. Yet, some people will live an unhealthy lifestyle and live a vibrant life to an old age. Others will do their best to live a healthy lifestyle and suffer from illness and die early.
I believe that a key to health is our ability to adapt. That ability uses our nervous system as the primary means of controlling and coordinating the body. My focus as a chiropractor was to make sure that the spine was functioning optimally and not interfering with the nervous system.