As you live your life inevitably health issues arise, maybe you are dealing with chronic pain, infertility, or side effects of chemotherapy.
If you are reading this blog you have possibly tried acupuncture.
Right now I have a child with an earache, this has happened before, my kids are now 8 and 12. I have read that 80% of earaches are viral not bacterial so I hesitate to visit our MD thinking the tools in her toolbox are antibiotics and time. Our families high deductible plan also comes into the equation as well, this visit would be out-of-pocket.
Please have no doubt if I thought antibiotics were needed I would do it! But odds are this is a viral ear infection so I begin talking to other health care providers.
I often will give alternatives (i.e. acupuncture, homeopathy) a good try to see if they can make a difference. I find that I can work through many health issues whether my own or my children’s with complementary medicine.
The thing that helps me to feel confident as I navigate various health issues is having health care practitioners that I trust and can be honest with. I can make an appointment with our MD and get her perspective, her treatment advice and I also tell her about some complementary medicines that I am considering. I can also make an appointment with my acupuncturist and learn about how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) sees the health condition, there may be a certain number of treatments recommended, herbs or food recommendations. I often appreciate the whole-person view of TCM, and rely on acupuncture to get me through various health predicaments. By ruling out any serious stuff with my MD and learning about some additional ways to approach a health issue I can come up with a game plan.
I consider myself lucky to have well-trained, trustworthy healthcare practitioners in my life. I hope you have your own resources that you can count on when life bumps and bruises happen.
Some interesting recent articles about healthcare:
Both articles speak to the challenges of navigating our health care choices. It can get really complicated!
Newsweek –
Atlantic Monthly –
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/07/the-triumph-of-new-age-medicine/8554/1/