“Chronic disease is now the primary cause of death and disability in the United States and accounts for 90% of the nation’s US $3.5 trillion in annual health care costs.
The incidence of chronic disease is on the rise, and people are developing chronic diseases long before they are bedbound, hospitalized, or even symptomatic.
Epidemiological data indicate that chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and asthma are underdiagnosed up to 90% of the time in the developed world.
Current models also predict that the prevalence of chronic disease will reach 80% by 2030.
The existing healthcare system was designed for acute illness and is poorly suited for chronic disease, which now accounts for the majority of services provided.
The massive increase in chronic disease is rapidly unmasking the gaps in our health care delivery system, particularly in disease monitoring and management.”
This is according to the Parsley Symptom Index.
Living
I’ve asked several physicians if they were familiar with Functional Medicine. Not only were they not familiar, they didn’t want to be familiar.
A couple of doctors even replied “I suppose it has something to do with taking herbs” said with a smile as though this were a joke.
When I asked about Integrative medicine or Acupuncture as an alternative to conventional medicines, they shrugged their shoulders and replied, “You can try it if you want”. But it was never offered or suggested as an option for the various treatments.
A healthy mind is what I’m working hard to have. This involves eliminating past thinking and old conditioning where I go to the doctor, get labs and tests then to the drug store for medicine.
In an attempt to develop a healthy mind, I have examined old habits, beliefs, and conditioning that tend to be unconscious and automatic. Like automatically buying and eating things I know I should not have.
I tend to say and do today what I said and did yesterday. To break this chain of unconscious responses I needed to stop, see what was happening, and stop doing the automatic thing.
Once I achieve a healthy mind where I’ve broken the chain of doing what I was doing yesterday automatically; only then can I achieve holistic health in the truest sense. A state of well-being at all levels.
Healthy eating.
I’m not talking vegan, vegetarian, low fat, no red meat, etc. Healthy eating for this article means healthy for my body’s needs. Remember, foods healthy for one may not be healthy for another.
To see what foods are unhealthy for me I had a food sensitivity and a food allergy test to see what foods might be causing me problems.
Because I have hypothyroidism and am anemic (I have been for years and no one yet has been able to determine why) I needed additional nonconventional tests.
This was and is an expensive process because insurance does not pay for it.
Once the functional doctor gathers this information, I will work with a functional nutritionist.
For years I tried to do this alone because I couldn’t find a doctor to help or who knew how to help. This is where my healthy mind comes in because, without it, I couldn’t accomplish the change.
Movement/Exercise.
This can include any type of exercise; dancing, walking, stretching, yoga, Tai chi, Qi gong, and/or whatever you and your body can handle.
We all have different physical issues, knees, hips, shoulders, back, etc., and therefore must decide not only what works best for our body but what it is we like to do.
Meditation/Breathing.
Meditation does not need to be a major event but there are many different types.
- Analytical meditation
- Body scanning
- Breath meditation
- Focus on love and gratitude
- Guided meditation
- Mindfulness meditation
- Transcendental meditation
- Walking meditation
Breathing of course is simply taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. It can be a part of meditation or simply either deep breathing or relaxed breathing.
I like to do the “focus on love and gratitude meditation” and deep breathing.
Message/Water Therapy
- Swedish massage
- Deep massage
- Sports massage
The above are several types of messages none of which I like for myself.
I’ve had messages where I was much worse off afterward and this is not good. I find that the acupressure-type massage is best for me. Therefore, I am looking for a masseuse who is knowledgeable about both acupressure and lymphedema.
Also, I am fortunate that I can still get in and out of the tub. So, bubble bath soaks after the massage are great for me.
Another alternative or addition to pain relief. Because I have Lymphedema in my arm, I have to be particular with the masseuse I choose. I need someone who has some knowledge about it. Again, when you choose any type of therapy or treatment, be sure to choose what is best for your body.
Acupuncture/Acupressure
If you should decide to try acupuncture, below are some suggestions on what to ask the acupuncturist you are considering.
- Who at the practice performs acupuncture? If you are talking with the office of a physician or chiropractor, don’t simply assume that your acupuncture treatment will be performed by the physician or chiropractor.
- How long has the acupuncturist been in practice?
- What training, licensing, and certifications does the acupuncturist have?
- Does the acupuncturist have experience treating your type of condition or problem? If so, what is the typical course of treatment? How many treatments are needed, and how often?
- What techniques does the acupuncturist use? Some acupuncturists use a wide range of complementary techniques, such as tui na massage, moxibustion, and cupping; others use just one approach.
- Is the treatment covered by your health insurance plan? Do you need a referral from your physician?
- How much will it cost?
By Kevin Brasler and Washington Consumers’ Checkbook
Because I want to live a long productive life, working on a healthy mind to make for a healthy body is what I hope to gain from what is known now as Functional medicine combined with Integrative and Alternative therapies.
This article does not go into details about anything but it does provide a summary of how I will be moving forward toward a healthier life in my twilight years.
I’m making a commitment and starting small. Once I have gotten into this process, I will write about the process and my progress (good or bad) as I move forward.