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| Prevention Is the Cheapest Medicine: Five Ways to Save on Health Care | |
By Pamela Adams D.C.
Ouch! Those insurance premiums hurt. Whether you're part of an
HMO or Preferred Provider Network, whether you're an employee
with benefits or an employer providing them, insurance
premiums, deductibles and copayments swallow an ever larger
slice of your expense pie. Soon it may be necessary to join the
ranks of the uninsured, or at least the growing number who opt
for catastrophic insurance with high deductibles.
Whatever way you go, reducing the number of visits to your
health care provider will save you money. And in 99 of 100
cases, won't hurt you. In 1999, a study in Florida of elderly
patients who took advantage of all the office visits, tests and
medications their health insurance plan had to offer were no
healthier after a year than those who received little or no care. It's
not the availability of professional health care, expensive tests or
the latest breakthrough drugs, but the preventive measures you
take that keep you healthy.
Smokers cost us millions in higher premiums. Type II
diabetes--more millions. We will all save a bundle, as well as
our lives, if we quit smoking, eat less and exercise more. That's
obvious. So here are some less obvious ways to stay out of the
doctor's office and still enjoy good health.
1.Think positively.
Study after study has shown that optimists live longer,
healthier lives than pessimists. Chronic negative thinking
adversely affects your physiology by raising your susceptibility to
infections, slowing healing time, even increasing blood pressure
and increasing the risk of heart attacks. Positive thinkers don't
assume the worst, that a mild cough is bronchitis,
for instance. Optimists believe in their abilities. They more often
self-treat first, like putting an ice pack on a sore muscle, before
turning to an expert.
2.Take responsibility.
Your health is your job. Only you can figure out why your sciatica
acts up everytime you go into couch potato mode. Only you know
how stressed out you are; how your neck hurts when you use the
computer; how little sleep you get. If something hurts, figure out
what makes it feel better and do that. If you've had a cold off and
on for months, think about how your lifestyle may be contributing
to a compromised immune system; then make a change.
3.Have a little patience.
Don't look for a quick fix. Healing takes time.
Stay home in bed for a few days and see if you feel better. Yes,
being sick is inconvenient. But the desire to avoid the least
inconvenience has led to the overuse of antibiotics to the extent
most are now useless. In the past, we waited for the results of a
culture to find out whether we had a bacterial infection for which
antibiotics were prescribed. If we had a virus we went home to
bed without medicine.The quick-fix mentality leads to higher
demand and therefore costs, and, according to statistics, has
not over-all made us any healthier.
4.Don't be swayed by advertising.
Have you noticed the huge increase in ads for pharmaceuticals?
Have you witnessed the corresponding increase in the profits of
pharmaceutical companies? All advertising is self-serving. Don't
forget that. It's up to you to be discerning. Don't "Ask your doctor
about...". If your doctor thought you needed a certain medication,
she'd prescribe it.
5. Don't name it.
Doctors need to name conditions, but you don't.
"My elbow is sore" sounds less serious than "I have arthritis".
If your elbow is sore you'll probably try to massage it, work it, ice
it, rest it or take an aspirin. Naming it arthritis makes it
something only a doctor can take care of, even though that doctor
will probably suggest you massage it, work it, ice it, rest it or take
an aspirin.
Finally, trust your body's innate ability to heal itself. It produces
all the chemicals you need to stay well, naturally. It produces
T-cells to fight viruses, antibodies stronger than any antibiotics
you can take. It produces natural pain relievers called
endorphins, antidepressants such as seratonin, melatonin to
help you sleep, and epinephrine to pep you up. It produces
cortisol, the best anti-inflammatory there is, insulin
to regulate your blood sugar, and growth hormone to keep you
young. Your body produces everything you need in the right
amount at the right time... if you'd let it. Make the healthy choices
to exercise, eat well and reduce stress. Prevention is the
cheapest and best medicine.
(c)2003. Pamela Adams D.C.,holistic health coach, can help
you undo the habits that stand in the way of vibrant health. She is
theauthor of "Dr. Adams' Painless Guide to Computing; How to
Use Your Computer Without Hurting Yourself". For more
self-health tips and free newsletter, visit
http://www.PainlessGuides.com
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