OT: The Destructive Narrow Thinking OF Insurance Driven Medicine

[RockyMTblue2]

O'Kay, that is not the title I wanted to use, but I wanted you to read this and think carefully AND definitely outside the box the next time a loved one or you suffer a serious medical condition. Now listen carefully: For all the commercial effort to convince you that the standard medicine machine is better every day and can offer you the best it medical care in your hour, day, month or years of need: it's a ridiculous fraud and lie.

I am an example of it and I offer this one year history as a gift to my fellow Boneyarders. Let's call it: Better is available if you broaden your horizons.

Some of you may remember I suffered a stroke a little over a year ago. It started with a feeling a little strange...unconscious...fall on the floor, waking to right sided total paralysis which in several days resolved to total right sided weakness. Thus the journey began.

When I feel I feel on that right side and ended up with a huge hip to knee bruise, obviously bruised ribs, a very sore right shoulder and some pretty good nicks on my right forehead. Remember this part.

Well, for the next 15 days I had al sorts of medical testing relating to the inside of my head and my blood, but not a thing was done to evaluate or treat any fall related injuries. Remember this part.

Fast forward 6 months into post-stroke therapy: I feel like merde, have aches and pains throughout my neurologically weakened right side and I'm essentially crawling along with therapy; hey, they are delighted if you can dress yourself, brush your teeth and wipe your own bum! My right shoulder and right hip are dropped - I'm doing fine I'm told. I have more aches and pains than ...well, let's just say a lot.

One of my daughters, highly trained in animal care, suggests I "augment" my therapies with acupuncture....again and again. Of course I resisted - that's my job. Finely I relent and go to a highly regarded expert. First session: 95% of the localized discomfort - all those little nagging aches and pains that can just wear you out - went away AND never came back. First session: my right hip realigned and never feel back, though still dropped a bit. Not a miracle. Still had significant right shoulder and right sided back issues.

Fast forward 5 months: same daughter, having hectored me for 3 months, drives me to a chiropractor. First session result: shoulder is totally realigned and even. Finds and realigns significant thoracic spine problem and adjusts ongoing hip alignment.

Three weeks later: I'll have some ongoing therapy sessions but I am realigned, balanced and able to do so much more normal moving about.

Did any of the high priced, shove him in the machine and go from there experts ever consider having evaluated any of my symptoms as being somewhere else than in my brain??? NO. Should that be a reason for serious self examination on the part of the health care system/team for stroke victims? Sure. But I'm hardly the first victim who feel down am I. S0, the lesson is for me and you. Don't accept what the Drs and insurance industry say are standard care.

Be proactive and questioning for yourself and loved ones regarding care, symptoms and therapy alternatives.

Go, Huskies! Next, Aromatherapy! Na Na Na Na Nah! Be the ball Danny.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

While I don't specifically have experience of chiropractors or acupuncturists, your story is not unheard of, and I'm glad you had a great result.

In the "old" days, Osteopathic physicians (that's a DO instead of an MD) tended to do some bone manipulations either instead of - or in concert - with drugs. I know my parents both went to DO's and their arthritis seemed better managed and less crippling than friends who did the drug route alone. However, I think nowadays the degrees are pretty much the same.

 

[Jim]

So, you are telling us that after you had a stroke, the doctors kept trying to treat the brain in your head and not the one in your butt?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

So, you are telling us that after you had a stroke, the doctors kept trying to treat the brain in your head and not the one in your butt?

No, Jim, I'm trying, apparently unsuccessfully, to say that when a stroke causes someone to fall, forcefully, it might be a good idea to do some work up diagnostics that relate to the fall, the blood on the floor, the trauma outside the inside of the head. Hope you feel really good about your big dill pickle post now. Tone deaf much? Hope it never touches your life.

 

[Jim]

Apologies. My own case of Cranal Rectumitis prompted that failed attempt at humor. I meant no harm. I'm sorry for your suffering. Get well soon.

 

[JimGunther]

Marcus Welby died a long time ago. Any time you go to a Doctor you have to be your own advocate.
If your capacity is diminished and you're unable to speak adequately for yourself, be thankful you have a family member who will speak (stick) up for you or you'll be "handled" by the system. Doctors are human and are just as likely as the next to get overwhelmed or -especially - miss the nuance of your specific situation.

BTW: I'm not sure what INSURANCE has to do with this situation. Last I knew (I MAY be out of touch) Insurance companies were perfectly happy to reimburse patients for second opinions. SPEAK UP!

 

[Wally East]

Lots of insurance plans cover chiropractors.

 

[diggerfoot]

This is an issue entirely in my wheelhouse. First, I would substitute "pot of gold" for "narrow thinking" and "health care system" for "insurance driven." Last I checked we were 38th in the world for longevity while our health care costs are the highest, doubled in fact over second place (Denmark as of a couple years ago) even after adjusted for real dollars. Our system creates a situation of "too many dollars" or a "pot of gold" for certain health care segments to chase.

Example: no drug has performed as well in controlled studies as Vitamin E at slowing cognitive decline. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that alleviates oxidative stress going on within a brain cell. Virtually all Alzheimer's drugs target the amyloid plaques that accumulate outside the cell. This along with other types of research provides a compelling case that the driver of Alzheimer's and other brain diseases is something going on inside the cell, with the latest thinking focused on mitochondria. However, both the funds for research and the money-making medicines focus on the amyloid plaques causing problems outside the cell.

In general, simple quality of life factors have been shown to be more effective than medicines at reversing mild cognitive decline. In fact, a very thorough Australian study revealed that memantine (Namenda), while somewhat effective, interfered with Vitamin E's greater effectiveness to reverse cognitive decline. A similar study, though not as thorough, produced the same type of comparative results between donepezil (Aricept) and a flavanol found in fruits.

Coming back to the "pot of gold," the same level of marketing might does not lie behind quality of life factors such as diet and exercise as it does for drugs. Most doctors are aware of quality of life factors, but are not as bombarded by marketing info for that as they are for drugs. Our approach to insurance is not the cause all by itself, but is the gatekeeper (health insurance is not health care) for "too many dollars," for which best profits sometimes usurps best health.