What Kind of Healthcare Do You Prefer?
The new “Health Care Act” that will go into affect in 2014 – how do you feel about it?
Alternative Therapies changed my perspective and my life on non-traditional Health Care.
From 1970 to 1984, I was a respiratory therapist. I saw things that made me never want to go into a hospital again. Patients treated as human guinea pigs ~ they were a number and not a person.
I left there and was fortunate to meet a massage therapist and because of her, I found massage therapy… and it saved my life. I had had childhood health problem since the age of 5 years. My parents took me to every specialist in the US and none could find anything wrong. The last world-renowned specialist told my mom I would outgrow it when I hit 16. I was 13 at the time. Must have been a magical number. I never did. I had this problem into my mid 30’s. Then I entered massage school.
Touch ~ magical, transcending and transforming for the health of the body. It changed my perception of health and healing. In my last quarter of school, I choose Oriental Medicine as my internship. I was honored to have Rick Gold (L.Ac. and one of the founding owners of Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego, CA) as my instructor. Eye opening does not come close to how I learned how to heal the body’s energetic system or how to interpret it. In this class, I learned what was out of balance in my own meridians, my vital Qi. I went to the acupuncture clinic for the school and Rick treated me. The first acupuncture treatment was so painful I screamed and memories of the torture at the hands of doctors (I was 5 years old and to me it was torture, tipped upside down running a hose of water into my sinus’) came flooding back. But the dam broke and relief flooded me with tears of “I can get better and not have to live with this for the rest of my life!” I experienced true healing. The body could heal itself. I did 3 months of acupuncture with Rick and I felt balanced for the first time in my life and not afraid to live or worry about my health. I could soar! I now had tools to go to as I needed them.
That is my story. I found two alternative therapies (not covered by conventional medicine in the USA. I went on to try more alternative or complimentary therapies, as I was eager to experience them all. This was my journey to preventative therapies that became my Body Maintenance protocol for my health and wellbeing.
Today I use acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, cranial sacral, homeopathy, naturopathy, applied kinesiology, herbology, nutrition, supplements, regular exercise, meditation, tai chi, lots of deep breathing, and a positive attitude. I also spin to keep my vestibular balance and now I use the bio-mat to detoxify my body, relieve any pain I feel, reduce stress on my nervous system, and to keep my energy levels up. The medical practitioners I do see are for dental, vision and hearing and those are not covered in this health care plan. Quality of life dictates a person needs these to be able to see, hear, communicate, and to avoid infections from a bad tooth. Why can’t we have basic health necessities in this new law?
The coming Health Care Law does not cover prevention or what we all need and deserve for a long lasting quality of life ~ only drugs and emergency medicine. It will not pay for my choice to help keep my body healthy. All is out of pocket. I do not spend much to maintain my health. What I spend is a very small fraction, considering if you really get sick and enter the realm of hospital/doctor care it will amount to thousands of dollars and you can’t depend that your insurance will cover it. Those that use alternative therapies and others I have not mentioned as a whole, pay billions to stall off disease and health problems. Alternative is here to stay so why not recognize it. Everyone including myself is doing their best to cut health care costs and not to become a diseased statistic.
We all at sometime need major medical, in case of trauma or injury and unforeseen illness’ that are life threatening. But in the long term, prevention is a daily self care and protocol… the need for alternative therapies as the maintenance protocols would cut our health care costs if everyone took responsibility and made the effort to be healthy.
In countries, such as Canada, UK, France, Germany, Scandinavian countries – Norway, Sweden, Cuba, and others ~ theses therapies are recognized as part of the health care paradigm. Can’t we include these in our healthcare too? Cutting health care costs is utmost I have been lead to believe. Include all in a healthcare bill. Give everyone a choice. Do I get a reduced rate for not being sick, not taking drugs, not missing work due to illness, or not having a major disease such as diabetes, heart disease, lung cancer, not smoking, not taking recreational drugs, or any cancer, all which are preventable?
What is your Body Maintenance Program? Daily Self Care? What do you do everyday to prevent disease? Illness? How do you feel about the up coming healthcare law? How will it affect your choices? I would rather spend that money on my alternative choices.
Thank you for listening and I bless all with continued good health and well-being
Namaste
Kate Montgomery ~ bodymaintenance101.com ~ bio-mats.com/selfcare