Our medical system is divided into two parallel paths. Allopathic (largely drug based) medicine gets all the money and prestige while integrative/functional medicine—which can be more effective in chronic illness—is a second class citizen, generally not covered by insurance or given the respect and support it deserves. I say this as som…
Our medical system is divided into two parallel paths. Allopathic (largely drug based) medicine gets all the money and prestige while integrative/functional medicine—which can be more effective in chronic illness—is a second class citizen, generally not covered by insurance or given the respect and support it deserves. I say this as someone who has lived 30 years with a major neurological disease. Both branches are important but functional approaches that actually work are never tried due to market forces that attempt to prioritize not what actually lowers symptoms and benefits patients but what makes a profit. Given the vast amount of suffering involved, this non-patient based approach is appalling. I have noticed that many doctors when faced with brain issues in their own families immediately embrace integrative medicine.
My cardiologist supported my refusal of statins in favor of dietary changes and a ramped up exercise program that reduced my cholesterol from 227 to 161. My GP remains skeptical and believes that the statins he prescribed but which I threw away due to adverse side effects were the reason. Notwithstanding a similar lipid panel six months on.
Our medical system is divided into two parallel paths. Allopathic (largely drug based) medicine gets all the money and prestige while integrative/functional medicine—which can be more effective in chronic illness—is a second class citizen, generally not covered by insurance or given the respect and support it deserves. I say this as someone who has lived 30 years with a major neurological disease. Both branches are important but functional approaches that actually work are never tried due to market forces that attempt to prioritize not what actually lowers symptoms and benefits patients but what makes a profit. Given the vast amount of suffering involved, this non-patient based approach is appalling. I have noticed that many doctors when faced with brain issues in their own families immediately embrace integrative medicine.
I tell my patients that diet, and especially, exercise are “magic pills”!!
My cardiologist supported my refusal of statins in favor of dietary changes and a ramped up exercise program that reduced my cholesterol from 227 to 161. My GP remains skeptical and believes that the statins he prescribed but which I threw away due to adverse side effects were the reason. Notwithstanding a similar lipid panel six months on.