Healthier Healthcare

This is me with what I call my "Phantom of the Opera" face.  A couple of years ago, I started to notice a spot on my cheek that would appear about once a month and then go away.  It looked like a large pimple or mosquito bite.  Over the course of a few months, the "pimple" when it appeared was larger each time until one day, I woke up like this.  I was baffled.  I felt ugly and itchy.  I was using a medical doctor and a chiropractor at the time.  The medical doctor was also baffled.  She sent me to a dermatologist who referred me to an allergist who still couldn't figure it out.  The chiropractor was able to relate the rash to an illness that I would get from time to time.  But he still wasn't entirely sure what actually caused the rash.  I mentioned this to the allergist.  He suddenly had an answer for me.  This is urticaria, or an allergic reaction to medication.  In my case I am allergic to aspirin and other salycilates.  If it wasn't for my chiropractor, I don't think the allergist ever would have figured out what was going on.

I have been frustrated for a long time about my healthcare options.  Ever since my first experience with alternative healthcare, I have wished for the ability to use it as my primary care.  Unfortunately, I can't.

I get bronchitis several times a year.  I have even had pneumonia four times within the last ten years.  Because of how sick I have been the past few years, I have had to sign up for FMLA or the Family Medical Leave Act which allows me to miss work as needed without getting into trouble with my job.  Unfortunately, when I file for FMLA, I have to have it approved by my company's health insurance provider.  The first time I filed for FMLA, I was using a chiropractor as my primary healthcare provider.  He uses a system called Nutrition response testing that uses acupuncture points to determine the strength or weakness of my body's muscles and organs.  These tests can help him diagnose issues as well as determine the best natural treatment for them.  I really appreciated not having to use pharmaceutical medication which usually has unwanted side effects.  However, my health insurance company did not recognize my chiropractor as my primary care provider, so I had to start all over again with a medical doctor.  

Luckily, I really like my general practitioner.  She is very kind and very willing to listen and try to determine what is causing me to be so sick all the time.  Sometimes when issues are beyond her field of knowledge, she will refer me to a specialist like an allergist or immunologist.  The doctors I have had contact with in these instances are less friendly.  They don't seem to care how you feel.  If they can't determine the cause of your illness on a test, you don't have a cause.  You just get sick.  A lot.  But there's nothing wrong with you.  I had an immunologist tell me my immune system was in perfect working order, I just can't handle viruses... How does that make sense?

Anyway, all of this has left me wishing that I could go back to the chiropractor.  I have had to have my blood drawn several times.  I have had my chest x-rayed twice.  I have gone through all kinds of allergy testing, all of which was a very expensive way of saying, yes you have food allergies (which the chiropractor already told you), but there is nothing wrong with you in spite of the fact that you get bronchitis several times a year.  At least the chiropractor was able to give me supplements that helped my body fight whatever virus was knocking me out.  My gp has to usually put me on antibiotics that make me nauseous, give me heart burn, and keep me from sleep.

What I would really love to see happen would be for my insurance company to start including alternative healthcare in its medical coverage.  I believe that if they would recognize qualified alternative healthcare providers, I would be able to choose the treatment my body needed based on the illness I was facing.  I would love to have my chiropractor recognized as a primary care doctor.  This way I would be able to only use an antibiotic if I absolutely had too.  Maybe my body would learn to fight illnesses on its own, and in time I would get sick less often if I could build up my immune system.  

Alternative healthcare on average costs less than traditional medical care.  Office visits for a physician specialist range from $100-300, while a chiropractor is usually $50-250 (Ullman, n.d).  I know my chiropractor charges $90 for the first visit and $45 for each visit after that.  That's a lot less than a visit to the immunologist.  Mine cost $200.  Of course, I only pay my co-pay portion of the office visit to my medical doctor.  Think of how much the insurance company would save if they were paying a co-pay to my chiropractor versus my medical doctor!  

Patients like me who are able to seek alternative medicine such as acupuncture, nutrition, homeopathy, or chiropractic care are healthier in the long run.  They are taught how to feed their bodies to receive proper nutrition, and diet and exercise are often included in their healthcare regimen.  This is because homeopathy focuses on natural, non-invasive healing that allows the body to become less dependent on pharmeceuticals (Homeopathy, 2005).  If I were able to get to a more healthy lifestyle, I would have less visits to the medical doctor, urgent care, less blood tests, chest x-rays.... My health insurance company would save thousands with me alone!!

Basically, it is time for a change.  If you agree with me and want to have more access to alternative healthcare, let me know.  If you don't agree with me that's cool, you can let me know too if you want.  I just think we should be given a choice to choose traditional medicine or alternative care.

References:

Homeopathy Care, LLC. (2005). What is homeopathy? Retrieved May 31, 2011 from    http//www.homeopathycare.org.

Ullman, D. (n.d.). Finding professional homeopathic care. Retrieved June 21, 2011 from http://www.healthy.net/Health/Article/Finding_Professional_Homeopathic_Care/808.