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Integrated Care - The Best Of Both Worlds It seems to me that some people have formed an unfortunately rigid attitude about their healthcare. I often hear from one person that they have become disillusioned with traditional medical care and would seek only natural alternative care for their condition. Then I hear from someone else that they would have no faith in any treatment from a source other than a medical doctor utilizing the latest chemical and surgical techniques. To my way of thinking, they're both being very shortsighted. In my experience, both professional and personal, the best overall care for many diseases and dysfunctions would be an individualized, integrated mix of both. It seems to me that, in this country, what we think of as traditional medicine is actually very new, while what is often termed alternative healthcare has been successfully in use for centuries. This countries healthcare has also been greatly affected by some of our laws. It is not possible to get a patent on a naturally occurring substance, therefore no one is spending the millions necessary to get FDA approval for the use of the many effective natural remedies, like those widely used in other countries, because they wouldn't be able to market them exclusively. This is very unfortunate, because if the formidable capabilities of our drug companies were turned to the development and marketing of natural substances drug therapy in this country would change dramatically. It seems to me that while, obviously, as a practitioner of holistic healthcare, I am a proponent of the most natural care possible for any malady, I also feel that it is very important to never lose sight of the wonderful capabilities of critical medical care. The technological advances this country's modern medicine has made are the best in the world and are absolutely necessary in some circumstances. Yet, the overall effectiveness of America's healthcare lags behind that of some countries, those that are more likely to use integrative practices. In this, the information age, it is more important than ever to become informed as to all of the various treatment options, both integrative and traditional, for your specific condition so as to be able to make an informed choice as to what is best for you. |