Hey everyone, It’s the last blog of the semester, and I’m leaving here with an open mind, and that much more smarter. This chapter talks about being mindful and taking responsibility of yourself and your care. I’m sure we can all relate to this, and understand what it means, but it’s always better in theory than it is in actuality.
Self care and seeking out help are the firs two things we open up with in this chapter- making sure we are bale to promote health and precent disease, which in turn can minimize ones reliance on a medical system. Things we can do to promote this are
– Diagnosing common conditions
– Proper use of over the counter remedies
– Routine check-ups
– Assessing health care information resources
– Eating healthy, getting rest and using stress reducing techniques.
There is also the question of, “when is a good time to seek professional help” and with personal experience, I’ve come to learn, you’re better safe than sorry, so no question is a dumb one to ask your health care professional. Some examples of red flags are, but are not limited to, unexplained blood loss, trauma to the head/spine, sudden high fever and chest pains.
There are such things as a placebo affect that I’m sure we are all aware of, and it’s basically an apparent, or thought to be, cure for whatever someone is enduring. The point of it is, to see whether or not it is the medication itself, or the expectation of the treatment that makes someone feels better- and sometimes, it’s the best way to get down to a genuine diagnosis.
With that being said, it’s important to make sure we are taking the proper steps in choosing a medical provider- something I live by, though it may not be the most logical to go by, is the distance in which I have to travel to see my doctor. I am less likely to make my appointment, if it’s too much out of my way. I know that’s not necessarily the best way to look at this, but for me, living in the city, I have plenty of close options, so I’m not as limited.
Regardless, there are all kinds of aspects to considering a health care provider, a well as sub-options for them as well. We should all consider the care our providers give to us, the energy and time getting put into our visit. How available are they and or the information they provided us through our visits, and to they explain well their findings.
There are all kinds of providers, and not just 1, for us to take into account. There are general doctors, osteopaths, which are specialists in bone and muscle visits. We have are more commonly known, dentists and nurses, and our not so popular, gynecologists and others. Be aware that if our doctors are readily available, we can always meet with nurse practitioners, which have advanced training and are available for check ups and can occasionally prescribe medications. PA’s can do the same, as they can examine, diagnose and write prescriptions.
Keeping in mind prescriptions, we must all be aware of the dangers of taking the wrong medication, and taking them as prescribed by our doctors. 48.5% of americans report taking at least 1 prescription drug in the past month, 21.7% report taking at least 3. The same cautions are to be taken when consuming over the counter drugs, as we often read over the labels and content, and take what we think we need, and not the recommended doses. I recently had a bad run in with Motrin, and got horrible stomach pains, and vomiting from my overuse of the medication- trust me, not a fun time.
There are a couple of different approaches to health: complementary and interactive. Complementary health approaches consist of non-mainstream practices and products, used together with conventional medicine. A combination of a massage, alongside taking prescription medication for body pain is an example of this. In contrast, there’s integrative health, which I found to be pretty self-explanatory. In this, one takes an approach that uses products in place of the conventional. We replace western approaches, with natural remedies, and physical activity that can include, but are not limited to, deep breathing, yoga, meditation, massage therapy and so fourth. Each approach has different standards and requirements to be professionals and or users of either and it’s important to make sure you know what you’re doing before taking on either.
Complementary medical systems reflect specific theories of physiology, health and disease and are shown and demonstrated Chinese medicine. This is the use of herbal medicines and practices, that have limited and complex research in regards to its effectiveness. Other demonstrations include Ayurvediac medicines, which aim to integrate balance in the body and soul restoring harmony to the individual. It takes a holistic approach, and works to bring the “doshas” back into balance (3 vital energies).
If those are convincing there are approaches like homeopath and naturopathy to sway you. Homeopathy follows the motto, like cures like, which I think of the flu shot when considering this treatment. What harms you in large doses, could help save in you smaller doses when building up your defenses. In Naturopathy, there’s a big emphasis on the power of nature. There’s a focus on way of life and dietary specifications, towards winning over ones health. Other means to mind and body care include chiropractic medicine, massage therapy and mind and movement therapies.
If you’re considering the all natural way, there’s a lot to take into consideration, especially in the times we are in. Things that are consider Pharmacopeia verified will have the USP stamp on it, and this can be found on supplements and vitamins alike. We need to make sure we know what’s going into our bodies, and how we can take them without harming ourselves. While natural can be good, things can always be taken in excess, causing toxicity, or other poor bodily side effects. Some good natural products to consider are Ginseng, Green Tea, Flaxseed, and Echinacea. I’m sure we’ve all seen the Echinacea plant before, so commonly outdoors, but what we never knew were it’s abilities to boost our immune system and slightly reduce the risk of a cold.
If we aren’t taking the natural way out, we have to look at health insurance, hospital visits, and high costs to survive around here. You have some options though, between private insurances which include monthly payments, and deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance, which, in you didn’t know, is the percentage of costs you need to pay based on the terms of your policy, all costs vary.
There are also managed care which consists of a network of physicians hospitals and facilities that work to deliver all these resources under a predetermined budget to help those in need. Examples of these are Health maintenance organizations, Preferred Provider Organizations, and points of service. There are government funded organizations to help those who can’t afford it, such as medicare and mass health, but not all providers accept this form of payment.
All and all there is a huge problem today in health insurance payments and policies, and we really have to make sure we know what we are getting into when it comes to our health and benefits of our insurances. Access isn’t necessarily to and for everyone, and it’s relative in how we get it, and how much of it we actually have. There is a lack of quality in many areas of our health care system, while in other aspects, when thinking world wide, how fortunate we are to have the care and provisions that we have.
This semester has been amazing, and all over informative. I’ve lost 12 pounds, and have been feeling better and better with all the changes I’ve made to my diet. I’ve made sure to cut out a lot of bad things, and include so much more. With the semester winding down I’ve been able to be more active, and get more workouts in. This health journey feels a lot better, when you see results, and not only have I seen them, but I’ve felt them. I’ll be graduating next week with so much more knowledge about myself than I had prior to this semester. Good luck everyone, keep pushing, and I hope you all continue to live a healthy, clean lifestyle beyond this course.
Monica's Road To Health 