Health Care Crisis or Ignorance?

by

Karen Rauch Carter

Am I the only one who thinks this story reeks of “medical paradigm” insanity?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWRv7drU1EY[/youtube]

Last fall, I felt that I had an abdominal issue, and decided to go to my gyno for a check up. She recommended an ultrasound. Over $600 later in tests, she said my uterine fibroids have grown. (When did I find out that I had them in the first place? I’m guessing that was when I had that ultrasound a couple of years back? I’m still unclear on this.) I asked what recommendations they had for such a situation, and was told, “Well, we’ll monitor them by doing ultrasounds (at about $600+ each time) every 4 months, and if/when they get big enough, we’ll remove them surgically (The cost? I’m afraid to ask.) This response prompted me to ask, “Is that the ONLY course of action you’ve got?” to which they replied, “Yes. Fibroids only stay the same or get bigger. They don’t go away or get smaller.” So in the end, lots of money spent looking and testing, but nothing done or fixed. Confounded by this news, but now having a name for my issue, I decided to start my usual course of action – researching alternative treatments, as well as make some food choice changes to support my body with this ailment. (I’ve studied as a holistic health counselor, so I know a thing or two about food changes that can make a big difference in healing.) I decide that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the way to go for this one. As a matter of fact, if you look up uterine fibroids from a TCM perspective, you’ll find that this “issue” doesn’t even warrant acupuncture — it’s just not “that serious.” After an examination (usually feeling my pulse and making a tongue diagnosis,) my TCM practitioner said “I’ll give you some herbs to take and they should be gone in about 4 to 6 months.” My herbalist/TCM practitioner charges me $75 for his consultation, plus 4 to 6 weeks of herbs. Hmmm…let me think…ultrasounds every four months for who knows how long at $600 with no chance of fixing anything, or the possibility of being rid of the problem for about $300 to $500 — I’ll take TCM for $300 Alex! Now here’s the part that makes me wanna commit myself. I go back to the gyno in 4 months for my follow-up ultrasound (I was told that I HAD to, because my doc had liability issues if I didn’t) and Voila! One fibroid was gone, one was significantly smaller, and the other was relatively the same size – which they admitted was an improvement because they were “growing” according to their records. Now by this point, I’m thinking, “Any minute they are going to run through the halls screaming, It’s a miracle! Please tell us what you did so we can tell the other ladies that are on our surgery schedule! Oh glory day – you are a medical marvel! Please share as much information as you can about what you did to make these disappear!” I envisioned them grabbing pen and paper as fast as possible to take notes. What I got? This statement: “Well, sometimes they just go away.” (Funny, that’s not what I was told during my earlier consultation.) So, I replied, “Well they just didn’t go away. I treated them. Do you want to know what I did so you can tell future clients with this situation?” Wait for it……. She said, “Oh, I’d love to recommend holistic solutions. It’s so frustrating, you know? It’s just that I’m trapped in this medical paradigm.” Really? A medical paradigm? You’re going to keep suggesting surgeries when they are possibly not needed because of a medical paradigm? REALLY? You now know there is a non-invasive way to eliminate fibroids and you are going to be silent? I think Western medicine is great for some things…if you’ve been in an accident or are dangling on the edge of life, by all means — go for it. I’ll be the first one to admit they’ve got trauma down pat. But to knowingly ignore a successful protocol because it isn’t in your paradigm? I just can’t get my head around this. My hope is that this soapbox rant might help someone out there facing a possible unnecessary surgery. And if you are in the medical industry, I invite you to get out of your box and think of the greater good, or who knows—possibly look into another paradigm? Our health care industry could use a bit of good news.

Karen Rauch Carter, founder of Life With Zing, motivates people to rethink their day to day choices by implementing simple, yet doable fixes for home, health, relationships and more. Karen wrote the best-selling book Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life, and designed the ultimate site to empower people to create, shift towards, and live their fullest, most vibrant life. Download your FREE Transformation Tracker at:

lifewithzing.com

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