Health care in crisis: Part III — What to do for yourself

Health care in crisis: Part III — What to do for yourself

Ultimately, the most powerful, predictable and cost-effective solutions for the current health care crisis will not come from a restructured health care delivery system.

by Dr. Mark Force — 

The current health care crisis is the result of a lie. The lie is that you will be healthy if you get the right health care. This fallacy is perpetuated by some people because there is a lot of money to be made from it, particularly by those involved in big pharma and the health care industry. But it is also perpetuated by people who actually believe it to be true.

Ultimately, the most powerful, predictable and cost-effective solutions for the current health care crisis will not come from a restructured health care delivery system. Instead, they will come from people taking responsibility for themselves by practicing self-care.

Why bother? Since health has no inherent value, the only manifest value associated with health comes from the utility of possessing good health. The degree to which you possess health is the degree to which you are able to do and experience what you want in life.

A reasonable, practical and cost-effective model for supporting implementation of self-care in our society could be free government-provided primary care and educational programs, and secondary care that is privately insured.

Effective self-care is easy to carry out, is relatively inexpensive, has measurable outcomes and produces predictable results. It optimizes genetic expression and function of body systems, minimizes need for secondary health care, and aids in maintaining vitality and independence throughout life.

The ideas presented here and how to utilize them for effective self-care are covered in more detail in Choosing Health: Dr. Force’s Functional Selfcare Workbook.

Integrating health care with self-care

I recommend long-term use of a yearly physical along with lab work to determine your health status, as well as regular quarterly functional health care to reinforce and give direction to your self-care. Natural health care used for primary care has some advantages, as it incorporates the use of the patient’s medical history, physical exams, lab tests, and strategies for restoring health and preventing disease. These strategies often include diet, exercise, stress management, acupuncture, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, herbs, as well as chiropractic care, cranioSacral therapy and homeopathic remedies.

Overall, the conversation for health care needs to be redirected to how we can minimize the demand for secondary medicine. This can be done through the creation of policies and programs that lead to a healthier populace that doesn’t need or demand exotic and expensive secondary care.

Components of self-care

• Breathing fully and regularly
• Drinking enough pure water
• Including natural salt in the die
• Eating a whole and unrefined diet
• Living in a nontoxic environment
• Using detoxification and fasting regularly
• Exercising daily, in moderation
• Having regular recreation and play
• Practicing daily meditation, contemplation and prayer
• Getting adequate sleep, rest and relaxation
• Establishing daily time for being present and doing nothing
• Being in healthy relationships
• Having a mission and purpose
• Making a contribution

Personal responsibility would be encouraged and rewarded by making those illnesses and injuries that directly result from lifestyle choices (as supported by research) not covered by public health care programs. Those people who have chosen to have illnesses due to personal habits will have to pay for private insurance to cover the costs or pay for care directly.

Ultimately, the degree of your health is primarily a measure of self-responsibility and self-respect. Practicing effective self-care is an act of self-responsibility that contributes to your immediate relationships, to others through your work, and to society as a whole.

Mark Force, D.C., is a chiropractic physician at The Elements of Health in north Scottsdale, Ariz. He practices functional and natural health care and is the author of Choosing Health: Dr. Force’s Functional Selfcare Workbook. 480-563-4256 or theelementsofhealth.com.

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