The high cost of our health care system…

Adapted and updated from “Is US Health Really the Best in the World?” by  Barbara Starfield, MD, MPH   JAMA. 2000;284(4):483-485.

Medical care costs are considered to be excessive, but it appears to be accepted by the capitalistic assumption that better health results from more expensive care.   However, evidence reveals that as many as 20% to 30% of patients receive unnecessary medical procedures and 12,000 humans die each year as a result. (1)  What is the alternative?  “Alternative medicine” includes nutrition, plants, and loving touch. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports in “To Err Is Human,” that 44,000 to 98,000 people die each year as a result of medical mistakes.  (2)  Alternative medicine mistakes lead to not getting what you want.  Healing.  I could only find one instance of plant medicine leading to death in a patient with hepatitis B, which is a terminal illness. (2.5)  If he would have taken this plant medicine, there is a 15% chance that he could have cured his terminal illness. Imagine that.  Almost 2 people of every ten diagnosed with a terminal illness return to complete health, on average, if you take that formula of plant medicines for that terminal illness.

It’s a fact that the US does not have anywhere near the best health care in the world.

Thirteen countries with similar economies were recently compared. (3)  The United States ranks an average of 13th (dead last) for 16 available health indicators.  Countries in order of their average ranking on the health indicators (with the first being the best) are Japan, Sweden, Canada, France, Australia, Spain, Finland, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, and United States.  Rankings of the United States on the separate indicators are:

1. 13th (last) for infant mortality

2. 13th for maternal mortality

3. 13th for mortality from Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Disease, ages 30-70

4. 13th for mortality from hazardous chemicals

5. 12th for mortality attributed to household and ambient air pollution

6. 9th for mortality from suicide

7. 13th for adolescent birth rate

8. 13th for life expectancy at birth for females

9. 13th for life expectancy at birth for males

10. 13th for mortality from homicide

• #1 for government health care expenditure

• #1 for Universal health coverage

All numbers are updated for 2015-17 (4)

Common explanations for this poor performance fail to implicate the health care system. The perception is that the American public “behaves badly” by smoking, drinking, and perpetrating violence.

The data shows other-wise, at least relatively.  The proportion of females who smoke ranges from 14% in Japan to 41% in Denmark; in the United States, it is 24% (fifth best).  For males, the range is from 26% in Sweden to 61% in Japan; it is 28% in the United States (third best).

The data for alcohol consumption is similar: the United States ranks fifth best.  Thus, although tobacco use and alcohol use in excess are clearly harmful to health, they do not account for the relatively poor health of the UnitedStates. Poor diet is associated with an increase in mortality, but the United States has relatively low consumption of animal fats (fifth lowest) and the third lowest mean cholesterol concentrations  among 13 industrialized countries. (5)

Is it possible that meat and cholesterol are blamed for the hurt of the incredibly wealthy processed food industry and the billion dollar statin drug market?

Is it possible that the real explanation for the poor health in America is corporate capitalistic greed that creates a conflict of interest for medical and health care providers.

Dr. Stone can verify that!  He was terminated from insurance for healing a medical condition!

Decisions about how to care for sickness and disease are being made based on profitability rather than what is best for health and healing:

• 12000 deaths/year from unnecessary surgery • 7000 deaths/year from medication errors in hospitals • 20000 deaths/year from other errors in hospitals • 80000 deaths/year from nosocomial infections in hospitals • 106000 deaths/year from non-error, adverse effects of medications (6)

Surgery dramatically increases billable services.  Errors increase because experienced nurses are let go for new graduates and lower salaries.  Errors increase because hospitals are under staffed and over stuffed with patients.  Antibiotic resistance is a result of significant over-prescription of  antibiotics.

The AMA teaches our culture to fear Alternative Medicine.  Could it be because Pharmaceuticals are a Trillion Dollar per year industry!

The body count is 225,000 deaths per year from “iatrogenic” or doctor-caused-death.

That constitutes the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer.

That does not include adverse effects that are associated with disability or discomfort.

It’s estimated that 18% experience adverse effects after receiving outpatient medical care.  Wow! Two people out of ten are hurt from using medical care!? Side effects of medical care result in 116 million extra physician visits, 77 million extra prescriptions, 17 million emergency department visits, 8 million hospitalizations, 3 million long-term admissions, 199,000 additional deaths, and $77 billion in extra costs (equivalent to the aggregate cost of care of patients with diabetes). (7)

We pay 77 Billion per year for the side effects of pharmaceuticals.

Doctors give pharmaceuticals for the side effects of pharmaceuticals?!?

The high degree of income inequality also contributes to the poor health of America.  Science documents the clear adverse effects of low socioeconomic status on health. (8) Among the 13 countries included in the international comparison mentioned above, the US position on income inequality is 11th (third worst).  Sweden ranks the best on income equality, matching its high position for health indicators.

The United States ranks low on both income inequality and health.

If we desire improved health we must consider:

The health care system.  What a manly concept to fight disease.  Feminine wisdom teaches us than nothing has ever healed from fighting.  Silly boys.

Health care is not supposed to cause medical problems.  Medicine and Pharmaceuticals try to recreate the effects of Plant Medicines in a laboratory using modern synthetic chemistry.  Roughly half of all pharmaceuticals produced in the last 30 years are derived from plant medicines. I have read hundreds of studies of plant medicines and rarely see a warning or caution about side effects.  There are certain plants you cannot take under certain circumstances, such as pregnancy, but try to find a documented case of plant medicines causing death. Thirteen people died in 2016 from ingesting poisonous mushrooms.  Healers don’t use them as medicine.

Yet, receiving the correct pharmaceutical for your condition results 106,000 deaths per year!?  290 people per day.

Perhaps something is lost in the translation to synthetic chemical.  Side effects, warnings and cautions were invented by trying to recreate nature.

Is the cost of side effects paid off with improved results?  Better Medicine??

Pain, Inflammation, and Arthritis medicine accounts for 16,500 deaths per year.  Frankincense, Ginger, Turmeric, and Devils Claw are plant based medicines that were rated better than Celebrex and Advil in side by side testing.  Plant medicines cause an average of zero deaths per year.  (9)

Xanax is considered to be more addictive than heroin and Lexapro comes with a suicide warning.

Skullcap, Lemon Balm, Passion Flower, St. John’s Wort, and Ashwaghanda are proven to work for anxiety and depression, with no side effects.  In fact, there are several listed side benefits! (10, 11) Dandelion, Peony, Cinnamon, Yarrow, and Sage create a Traditional Chinese Medicine that has been used for over 1800 years for female tumors and fibroids.  It has been tested by clinical trial over 20 times and proven to shrink tumors and fibroids. (12) Yi Gan San is a Japanese Medicine that was formulated 5oo years ago for overly sensitive and easily upset children.  In 2009 it was tested against “treatment resistant Schizophrenia” and significantly relieved “anxiety, tension, depressive mood, hostility, suspiciousness, motor retardation, uncooperativeness, and mania.” (13)

Nature offers safe and effective medicine for Heartburn, GERD and acid reflux, but Pharmaceutical companies profit 14 billion per year for medicine that increases heart disease and dementia. (14)

Nature offers more effective medicine than Vancomycin and Valtrex for chronic viral infections, yet the Pharmaceutical versions of medicine earn over 300 Million per year. (15) Heart Disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, followed by Cancer, Medical Care, and then chronic Respiratory Disease.  Astragalus and Red Clover have proven multiple times that they reverse the inflammation and lung damage of COPD and Emphysema. (16)

Nature cannot reverse Profit Over People.  People have to become Aware.

Nature has safe and effective medicine for allergies, thyroid disease, diabetes, chronic venous insufficiency, cystic acne,  cold and flu, menopause, PMS/PMDD, and insomnia.

The relationships between income inequality and conflicts of interest from corporate profit in hospitals, insurers, and pharmaceutical manufacturers explains our last place finish in health and healing, and first place ranking in insuring and profiting.

We have to acknowledge the harmful effects of medical care, and that it accounts for a substantial number of deaths, expense due to side effects and contributes to income inequality.

When did Natural become the “Alternative” Medicine!?

It looks like about 100 years ago.  Nature ruled healing for 5000 years, and then the Pharmacy was created. Dr.Stone