Businesses, organizations, sports franchises, and even civilizations that are successful and dominant seem to run their course. Even the biggest and most powerful dynasties eventually fall. The next big collapse, which is underway right now, is our current healthcare system.
The past 100 years have been loaded with medical breakthroughs, technological advances, new drug therapies, diagnostic advances, and high-tech medical procedures. Our country has truly revolutionized medicine and has been number one when it comes to medicine, medical care, and money invested in healthcare. I would say that this is why we are the healthiest nation in the world, but I can’t. Why? Because we are far from the healthiest country. In fact, we land near the bottom, or even dead last, when compared to other developed nations when it comes to health outcomes. The nonprofit Commonwealth Fund released a report just last year comparing the U.S. health care system to eleven high-income countries, and we ranked dead last.
I often refer to Winston Churchill’s quote… “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” Our attention is focused on driving faster and faster, but we continue to head in the wrong direction. We continue to get further and further from what we truly need and want… better heath.
These past few months, I have heard more stories confirming medicine’s demise. Patients of mine share story after story about not being able to get in to see their doctors, proper tests not being able to be ordered or performed, people unable to get the results of their tests, insurance blocking doctors from being able to do what they want for their patients, insurance premiums going up, insurance coverage going down, people having to pay much, much more for their prescriptions, lots of medical mistakes and misdiagnosis, doctors not answering questions, doctors being annoyed by questions, and even patients being scolded by their doctors when asking questions. It’s been bad for decades, but it has gotten exponentially worse.
I have friends that are medical doctors, and they have expressed grave concern about the trajectory of our current system. They are unable to do what they know is best for patients. The hospital systems they work for, along with the pharmaceutical industry and the insurance companies are in control. The model is geared toward increasing profits… no matter what. Long gone are the days when your family doctor knew you, cared for you, and was there for you.
The pandemic, I believe, was the last nail in the coffin (pun intended!). It drove an even bigger wedge between the doctor/patient relationship. Access to care will be forever disrupted. The business of medicine has never been more apparent.
People often ask what needs to be done. How do we fix the system? My answer now… you don’t. That IS the system. It isn’t going to change. In fact, it will get much, much worse. Of course, we’ll get better with diagnosing conditions, identifying new diseases, and coming up with more procedures and drugs. But none of that will lead to healthier, happier patients. Diseases and conditions won’t be cured (as they haven’t been in the past 50 years), they will merely be managed. Managing chronic illness is profitable. It’s very lucrative. And makes for a great business model.
That’s a lot of bad news. Sorry to be such a downer. And to say that the system is broken and won’t be fixed is a depressing thought. So, what can you do? See the health care system for what it is. Understand that it is the best in the world for crisis care, traumas, injuries, and accidents. Utilize it for those things. For true health care, for wellness, for optimized function, performance, and living… you need to choose a different system.
We know more about wellness and prevention now than ever before. It’s a different model. It’s a different system. It is one in which you take control, you become your own “doctor.” This system is based on making healthy lifestyle choices, the ones that not only help prevent the most common and most debilitating chronic illnesses, but can work to reverse, and actually cure, the problems you currently have. This involves the foods you eat, the exercise you do, the way you manage your stress, the outlook you have on life, the work you are involved in, and the quality of your relationships.
Warning: Your primary care doctors have little-to-no training in the wellness lifestyle. They are not taught about nutrition, exercise, stress management, goal-setting, relationship building, or the other facets of true wellness. Because of this, they put very little value on these things. They often don’t recommend them, even in conjunction with their dangerous drugs and risky medical procedures. You MUST look elsewhere for the tools and path to optimal health, well-being, and vitality.
The health care system is crumbling right now. The things that I have seen and heard these past several months are scary. You have likely experienced, or at least noticed, the rapid decline in the quality of your health care. Don’t wait for the system to change, because it won’t. It’s time to choose a different system
The health care ship is sinking. Don’t go down with it. Jump now! Take the life boat, get away from disastrous mess, and embark on a new journey that leads to real health.