Integration: A Good Thing?

“Integrative Medicine” is a term used more frequently nowadays to describe the evolution of the US healthcare system. The exact meaning behind this term is subject to various interpretations. There are some who are who feel that it represents the manner by which different healthcare modalities are coming under a single umbrella, if you will. Some may refer to this as “vertical integration”. There are others who feel the term refers to the evolution of US healthcare to a single payer system with the government in charge of the finances.

I have discussed how the US healthcare system is evolving into a big business where the bottom line, in terms of finances, is more important than the health patient. In essence, the corporate interests and the major shareholders of these corporations are put first in the pecking order of importance.

The Rockefeller-based drug companies and HMOs now have unprecedented influence on the doctors are treating their patients. These doctors start getting indoctrinated into their “propaganda” during their medical school years. Thus, “integration” here denotes a top-down form of implementing healthcare practices. Most call thus type of integrated medicine, “Managed Care”.

This form of integration of the US healthcare system started taking place in the late 70’s. Since this time, a US doctor’s treatment of patients started reflecting the interests of these drug companies. The result is that doctors now prescribe drugs to cure any ailment they are presented with. The fact that they get monetary incentives to do so does not help things.

I personally feel that integration in healthcare can be a good thing. However, I strongly feel that the independence of doctors to implement their learned principles is paramount. How “Managed Care” is being implemented today only benefits the deep pockets of the corporations. I am more comfortable with integration representing the continual progression of practitioners in fields like TCM and Western medicine in working together for the benefit of the patient’s wellbeing.

The effects of the COVID virus is being felt in the healthcare community, in a big way. I’m sure that this is not a revelation to most of you. However, I’m also confident that most of you are not appreciating just how the manner in treating patients is being affected.

As I have explained before, what makes TCM so unique is the natural manner that a practitioner uses to both diagnose and treat. What I mean by natural is how TCM practitioner uses his own senses, such as touch and feel, as instruments to treat a patient. With the advent of policies such as wearing masks/face shields or the need now to perform temperature checks on every patient has definitely altered the pristine nature of the treatment. Yes, I am speaking from personal experience of my current treatment of patients.

However, as with any factor that causes such a change to society, there are avenues by which members of society can help to curb the intensity of these effects. Most of you appreciate that COVID is a virus and thus there are symptoms that are associated with it, as with any other virus like the flu. The Western medical community naturally looks to treat such a virus, like COVID, by finding artificial means.

What do I mean by artificial means? If you are keeping up with the Western medical establishment’s response, you should be realizing that they feel that a vaccine is the surest way to combat the virus. They push this vaccine without listing the ingredients in the vaccine and publishing any trials that this vaccine is going through. However, what is most pertinent to this blog is their lack of acknowledging the natural means that are effective in treating, at the very least, the symptoms of the virus.

In the next blog, I will address how certain TCM protocols are very effective in treating COVID symptoms…

Your wellness is our #1 priority!

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