There is no single “solution” that is going to be appropriate for everybody. A compassionate society should make health coverage a right for everyone that chooses this option. And a just, democratic society should also offer a number of options to meet as many needs as possible. I’ve always felt that freedom of choice is the highest value in a democratic society.

The problem, as I see it, is not in the “right” choice. Either choice is an extreme position – and the truth may not live at the extremes. The problem lies in the very system of allopathic medicine itself. Conventional medicine relies on taking care of the patient AFTER symptoms have arisen. Although, with the ACA legislature in full effect, preventative care has gotten much better. It is an emergency intervention that relies, primarily, on pharmaceuticals and procedures like surgery. Medical schools do not teach about environmental toxicity and nutrition – the two primary causes of chronic, degenerative disorders.

Doctors rely on drugs and procedures that inhibit certain physical pathways to suppress symptoms. Unfortunately, when you inhibit symptoms, then the root cause is never addressed. Couple this with the almost certain side effects of these chemicals and you get millions upon millions of people who are tethered to this system and can never get out of it.

They are constantly seeing the doctor to monitor their condition that will never go away with just drugs and to get new drugs for the increasing side effects. And it goes on and on and on. From the cradle to the grave should also be the catch phrase for our medical system.

Because I see this as a failed model, I truly believe that any decision within this model will be a failed decision.

We are all born with certain genetic predispositions that remain sub-clinical for much of our lives until certain triggers manifest clinical symptoms. These triggers can be the cumulative effect of heavy metals, chemicals, food additives, plastics, refined, “make-believe” foods, refined sugar, injury, death in the family, divorce, stress at work, etc. At some point these catalysts can be the “straw that breaks the camel’s back”.

There is a saying, attributed to a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctor, that states: “Genetics loads the gun, but environment pulls the trigger.” And when environment pulls this trigger it usually results in a case of misplaced immunity, where our own auto-antibodies attack and often inflame healthy tissue. We have seen that this trigger does not have to be pulled.

We cannot control our genetics, but we can control what we eat, what we drink, and to a certain extent, what we breathe and what constitutes our frame of mind.

There is a practice that is part of a small, but growing trend, in health care. It has been called concierge or boutique medicine. The name sounds elitist, but the concept is based on true preventative care. The concept is one that many concierge patients and doctors believe is the true key to a healthy population -- a huge change in attention to preventative care, where the emphasis in health care is on time spent with people who AREN’T sick.

Of course, this is counterintuitive to many medical providers working in a country where insurers compensate for treating the sick, not for listening and talking with those who are well. The health reform being discussed in Congress is focusing on making sure that everyone has coverage – not on stepped-up preventative care for people who may go or who don’t go to the doctor.

An interesting note about ancient China and India: There was a time in both country’s history where healthcare providers were given a monthly stipend as long as the patient was healthy. As soon as the patient became ill, the money stopped being paid until the patient was healthy again. This created an understanding in the medical community that doctors would only be rewarded for good health. It is the exact opposite in our societies today.

Doctors get rewarded for repeat customers. The more surgeries, the more drugs, the more office visits they have, then the more Mercedes, the more rounds of golf, and the bigger homes they have. If you ask me, the ancient paradigm seems much saner.

This concierge care could be a compliment to insurance. Broadly speaking, it could start off as a niche product for people who want to pursue this degree of prevention. Much of the time is spent listening to patients and learning about their daily lives. Does the patient have a lot of business dinners? Stress? Sleeping problems? What is the vitamin D3 level? What was the health of the mother and father? Did they live or do they live near an industrial plant? What does the diet consist of?

Even in Canada, often held up as a model for universal health care, patients have the option of buying into supplemental programs that charge premiums for stepped-up care.

The goal of this type of care is not only a more accurate accounting for root causes, but an increased ability to take millions of people out of the never-ending “sickness” model – thus, ultimately saving more money than could ever be imagined by the current proposals in Congress or by private insurance.
In the United States, this is truly a paradigm shift.

Not everyone could understand or adopt to this, because insurers compensate doctors for treating sickness, not for talking to patients, and preventing sickness.

In concierge care, the well-educated doctor is really a partner in wellness, not the medical authority or dictator. You would no longer go to him or her when you have a problem. You would jointly craft a way to prevent those problems. This would help you as an individual in enhancing your health and it would keep you out of a system that has no good solutions for its increasing burdens.

How can a hair analysis help one achieve better health? If we consider that diet is what we consume and nutrition is what we retain, then we can see that discovering what the body needs when it needs it is a valuable tool in creating health.

A hair analysis can determine which essential minerals the body is needing more of and which toxic elements it needs to eliminate. It also provides valuable insight into the body's metaoblism and what dietary changes would be most helpful for recovery.