If you are happy with your current health
care then this talk is likely not applicable to you, but for those who do not
feel like they are receiving adequate health care here is an analogy as to why
I think it's important to have adjunct Naturopathic care even if you have to
pay cash.
Think of your body/health as your car and
your health insurance as car insurance. Most of us who own our own car
pay not only pay for car insurance but in addition also pay for the maintenance
needed to keep the car running. An oil change every 3 months or 6,000 miles, a
tune-up every so many miles, check the fluids every once in awhile, new breaks,
new tires, general car up-keep. If we are willing to do this for our car, why
do we not think it's a good idea to do it for our bodies. You pay car insurance
every month even if you don't get into a car accident. Honestly you may never
get into a car accident and never use your car insurance, but you have it
because you would be out of luck if something happened to your car. In this
analogy, your body is the car and the doctor is the mechanic. You may be the
one driving the car, even changing the oil, but when the transmission starts
running rough you go to the mechanic to get a second opinion.
One of the principles of Naturopathic
Medicine is prevention. By implementing good foundations of health, such as
nutritious food, hydration, sleep, adequate social support, body movement and
others (more on the Foundations of Health here) we are working towards the goal
of long term health. Relating your personal health maintenance back to the car
analogy, a transmission service costs approximately $60.00, a new transmission
can cost thousands not to mention the aggravation of a broken down car, missed
work or activities, trying to come up with money on the spot for a tow or many
other obstacles. These could be preventable with regular maintenance. A tow off
the highway can waste a lot of your time and will cost you the price of the
repair and a tow. Why not save time and cost of tow with preventative
maintenance?
When yielding to insurance companies to control our access to medicine we will end up being sicker than ever. Insurance companies are not looking out for our best interest, they are major corporations working for a profit. The government is already in the pockets of pharmaceutical companies and insurance rules all in medicine. I personally believe it should be between the doctor and the patient together to come up with the best plan for patients. And for this reason I personally feel I am able to serve my patients better without having a third party insurance company tell me what they think is necessary.
So why should you pay out of pocket for my Naturopathic services? You should do it because now is the time to take control of your health; you should do it because you are worth it. You should do it because your health is important. And because you only get one body in this life and it should be valued.
"Be the change you wish to see in the
world." Ghandi
