Much has been learned in the past 40 years. The pharmaceutical companies have gained an incredible stronghold in western medicine and doctors who once bordered on naturopathic medicine have become chemists.  One pill fits all and yet there are no curative medications and few preventative medical practices.  As far as curative medications go, it has been said that there is no money to be made from healthy people.  Obviously a capitalistic statement but consider the term, “health nut” as if you must be nuts to pursue a healthy lifestyle, when basically quality of life comes down to lifestyle and diet. 

To be fair to western medicine and the pharmaceutical companies, they have extended the lives of many as well as improved the quality of life for more than a few.  To take a chemical and alter the body’s chemistry in order to control organ function or dysfunction, creating a cascade effect that improves the physical and/or mental condition of the individual is truly amazing.  The down side of this is the number of patients who have succumbed to medical mistakes or drug interactions, iatrogenic disorders, over medication, and misinformation.  The sad truth is that the paperwork is overwhelming and the red tape creates mistakes.  The affiliation of healthcare corporations, pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies has grown so large that they cannot see their own weakness, which at times  seems to compromise patient care. 

The healthcare corporations, the groups formed by numerous specialists whether cardiologists, ophthalmologists, orthopedics, pediatricians, general practitioners, or ER groups have all grown large in order to maximize their investments and returns.  They have enormous malpractice premiums and overheads for office space, staff and equipment. The time spent in the waiting rooms, the number of patients booked into a 15 minute segment, and the amount of time physicians can spend with patients, all reflect the enormous burden of the cost of providing healthcare. 

How much time do you have to speak to your doctor?  Considering the numerous pharmaceuticals you put into your body, it is imperative to talk, communicate, and ask questions of your doctor. Healthcare is a collaborative relationship.  Doctors need to be teachers.  For the sake of the patient they need to communicate in the appropriate language and at the appropriate level of understanding.  Talk with their patients about what needs to be done in order to improve their patients quality of life rather than hand out a handful of pills after a 10 minute examination.  The patient is suppose to take these pills on faith when often times the physician is giving the patient a sample just received from the pharmaceutical drug representative on word of its effectiveness according to studies, often financed by the drug manufacturers themselves.  In all fairness, this is not the case in the Emergency Departments where all medications are delivered from the hospital pharmacy, however, hospitals are often inundated with pharmaceutical representatives. The application of pharmaceuticals, each of which causes side effects that often present as separate illnesses requiring other pharmaceuticals to address the original side effects while causing still others, creates a vicious circle of over medication and sometimes conflicting medication.  Working in the ED I have seen patients come in with gallon zip lock bags filled with prescription bottles.  As an EMT, I have often listed eight or more medications for a patient we are taking to the hospital suffering from a medical emergency.  Is there something wrong with this picture?

Western medicine looks at the body as mechanical biology; twelve separate systems that serve the function of the whole.  There is nothing wrong with this Newtonian outlook, in fact it can’t be beat when dealing with acute onset infectious disease or trauma.  Where it does lose footing is in chronic illness, preventative practices, and diet and nutrition. It is starting to turn around as some medical schools are including alternative medicines such as acupuncture into their curriculums and many doctors are attending a 300 hour course of introduction to the basics of acupuncture. Integrative Medicine is now being offered in many of the better hospitals in the country including the one I work in.

Western Medicine

Mailto: Bud.Rich@IBAcpt.com

Bamboo washout by Wu Chen (China, 1280-1354)

One problem centers around the application of pharmaceutical drugs, each of which causes side effects that often present as separate illnesses requiring other pharmaceutical drugs to quell the original side effects while causing still others.