Five holistic therapies – homeopathy, holistic medicine, herbal medicine, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine – are poised to attain the same health insurance status as conventional medicine by May 2017. This means that people in Switzerland will be reimbursed for such treatments, so long as they’re administered by certified medical doctors.[i]
This is great news – if insurance companies are willing to pay for these treatments, then they will be more affordable and accessible to the population. Additionally, an insurance company paying for these therapies is also a subconscious endorsement.
In the United States, insurance companies won’t pay for these services until they can be proven to save money, but more importantly, until people understand how they work and want these services. We have a long way to go …
Here’s is my own personal example of my experience with Holistic Versus Western Medicine treatments
I went to an Ear Nose Throat Specialist. I mentioned that I occasionally have a dry mouth. This “specialist” asked me NO OTHER QUESTIONS and ordered a laboratory test to determine if I have an autoimmune disease called Sjogren’s Syndrome. The cost of this test was $930 which was paid for by my insurance, and I never heard anything about the results.
I went to an acupuncturist and mentioned I have dry mouth sometimes. He asked me how much water I drink, and am I getting enough minerals, because lack of minerals can often cause dryness. He also asked me about my eating, sleeping, and bowel movements to get an answer. He looked at my tongue and felt my pulse to help with diagnosis.
This is just one example of the waste that goes on with our medical specialists. Huge medical expenses are incurred but with no answers provided. I actually called the Fraud department of my insurance company about the “specialist’s” billing, but they weren’t interested in my story. And of course the acupuncturist wasn’t covered on my insurance … ?!?
Another example – I went to the doctor to get my throat checked. Sometimes when I’m eating my food gets stuck and it’s been a problem for the past several years.
This “specialist” looked deep in my throat but didn’t find any lumps or anything unusual. After that she referred me to a lab to do a swallow test where I would swallow some dye as they watch on some sort of radiographic image. The cost of this was about $1,000 out of pocket to me. I told them no thanks.
My experience with the Acupuncturist was much different – he asked me what happened when the problem started. In other words he understands that there would be an emotional issue that hasn’t been resolved that may have triggered it. He then asked a lot of other questions about my lifestyle, eating patterns, what I’m thinking about when it happens, where I am and what I’m doing when the problem arises. He then explained it could be over reaction of the parasympathetic or sympathetic nervous system to stress. And so I’ve treated it with acupuncture and herbs and it’s greatly improved, whereas the”Specialist” doctors had nothing to offer except expensive tests and invasive procedures. If there’s a lump they can remove with chemotherapy or surgery, but otherwise they don’t have much to offer.
The answers to our health concerns are often simple and we need to go back to basics. Instead of an expensive laboratory tests …
[i] http://www.naturalnews.com/053582_Switzerland_alternative_medicine_holistic_healthcare.html#ixzz4B6CDHa3m
Recent Comments