DAY 211 - Medicare Complexity: Not Just for Old Folks

Wouldn’t it be lovely if it were as simple as to either “keep your hands off Medicare”, or “privatize Medicare”?

If I had to choose one right now, May 2, 2011, I would choose “keep your hands off Medicare”, but I don’t ... have to.

To me, "keep your hands off Medicare" means, leave it as it is; and that just won't work.

Here are the huge problems with “hands off”:
1)    the vast majority of health care practice in America, including Medicare, uses a try-to-fix-it-once-it-is-clearly-broken approach; prevention is a miniscule part of our system,
2)    Medicare, and our health care system (more accurately, a disease care system) overwhelmingly focus on, and financially reward, the managing of symptoms with drugs, surgeries, and procedures; understanding, discussing and dealing with the causes of illness are uncommon for both doctors and patients,
3)    Medicare does not emphasize improving lifestyle choices as the key to improved health, even though medical science has proven it to be the most efficacious and the most cost effective means of achieving health,
4)    Medicare, as it is, and our health care system, are grossly dysfunctional, and are currently contributing to the bankrupting of America.

We, the American people, must begin to take responsibility for our health, and act on it.

Privatization is even worse than "hands off".

While our government bureaucracies are often inefficient, the private health insurance industry, driven first and foremost by the profit motive, has a long and often lurid history, including regular lapses of moral judgment when dealing with subscribers and health care providers.

As many private insurance companies deny care, often illegally, those effected subscribers commonly turn to public hospitals and emergency rooms, where the costs are borne by we, the taxpayers, rather than the insurance company.

Ultimately, in the realms of health and health care, our conditions and fates are interconnected. We will, sink or swim together. This being the case, rather than "keeping our hands off Medicare", we need to put our hands on it, and begin to massage it into a more functional system.

We must start by acknowledging and rewarding what we have long known; that improved self-care is the sine qua non of individual and community health. We must remind our doctors, and teach our citizens about the powerful and necessary daily practices that determine health. We must relearn the values of caring for ourselves and caring for others.

Simple answers just won’t cut it. Let us join hands and begin the work of healing ourselves, and of healing our Nation.

DAY 177 – America is Due for its Annual Chiropractic Check-Up

Dr. Eve Venturi treating Dr. Young

It’s a simple idea; maybe so simple as to be overlooked or misunderstood; but the annual chiropractic check-up is not only a concept whose time should have already come in America, but should have arrived at least 39 years ago.

Chiropractic was founded in America in 1895. In 1972 the US Congress voted to make chiropractic care available under Medicare. Chiropractic was clearly determined to be of value, for at least our elderly, 39 years ago. Recognizing that those under 65 years of age also have spines, and that degenerative diseases don't begin at 65, one might conclude that all American's would be benefited by chiropractic care.

We all know that it is wise to see our dentist each year, and we do so because of 4 factors: 1) we have teeth, 2) teeth  are known to become unhealthy and painful, 3) dentists specialize in treatment of the oral cavity, and 4) preventive care is less expensive and results in better oral health than that achieved by repairing damaged teeth.

The situation with chiropractors (doctors of chiropractic – DC) is a bit more complicated, because while we do specialize in treatment of the spine, we are also licensed as general practitioners, treating virtually all conditions, and being limited only in regard to the use of drugs and surgery. But, for the moment, let us focus on chiropractic expertise in spinal function and spinal health.

It would be reasonable for all Americans to have annual spinal check-ups provided by a spinal health expert; a chiropractor. The same 4 factors that drive the annual dental check-up, drive the need for the annual chiropractic check-up: 1) we have spines, 2) spines are known to become unhealthy and painful, 3) chiropractors specialize in the treatment of the spine, and 4) preventive care is less expensive and results in better spinal health than that achieved by repairing a damaged spine.

It is important to additionally consider that while dental problems can be very serious, their effect on our society, compared to the effect of spinal (back and neck) problems, is minor. Back pain is the second leading cause of lost work time, and was estimated to have cost America $100 billion in 1998.

Do you get at least one spinal check-up per year?

I am suggesting that our culture needs a chiropractic check-up, and a wake up to spinal health.

PS – I know that there are some doctors, other than chiropractors, that can provide excellent spinal evaluation. If you have one, then see her/him at least annually.