by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
Given the way the health sciences have been taught in nursing and medical schools, it is perfectly understandable for physicians and nurses trained more than 25 years ago to think the placebo effect didn’t make sense and was instead a popular explanation for a sudden healing - a “spontaneous remission”. It is a leap for many to accept that a person could think or believe something and that simple act of belief could heal them?
Up until the last twenty or so years, research scientists did not have a grasp on how the brain and our emotions worked to create our reality. The subject of emotions has been and still is very much “uncharted waters” in behavioral science. However, what is well documented today is how the various brain waves function and what part of the brain each of the various brain waves control and stimulate and most importantly what emotions actually are. (This will be discussed in another segment.)
The “beta waves” which are the brain waves that allows us to focus on the words on this blog and comprehend, in the moment, what is intellectually being communicated. These waves are produced in the frontal lobe which is the seat of intellectual functioning. Thinking, analyzing, reasoning and so forth occur in this part of the brain.
The “alpha waves” which are the slower brain waves which originate in the mid-brain are the brain waves that allow us access to our unconscious thinking or what some refer to as the soul. All thought processes, be it from the beta wave or alpha wave region of the brain are actually chemical reactions that produce specific proteins which communicate with our immune cell membranes and other cell membranes of our body.
The specific thoughts we think and the region of the brain they originate in have an identifiable chemistry that has been shown to create dramatic changes in our physical bodies. In Dr Paul Pearsall’s ground breaking book “The Hearts Code” he tell many amazing mind/body stories but one in particular, that is a striking example of how powerful thoughts and images are, is the story he tells about a schizophrenic patient who demonstrated completely different disease states depending on the personality she was exhibiting. Ultra sounds, cat-scans, lab tests all confirmed that one of her personalities had a massive cancerous tumor and yet when she went into a different personality state all of her previous pathology disappeared as well.
Our brains are the ultimate manifestors of matter. The chair you are sitting on was a thought before if became that chair. Thought ARE “things” – that it thoughts in action are what manifest reality. For the woman in the study in Part I of this blog topic, who was cured of her stiffness after the sham surgery, her mind manifested a different set of thoughts through her hope and expectations for the outcome of the surgery. Her brain waves and proteins created positive chemistry which communicated with her immune system through its cell membranes. The results – she became healthier and could “stride across the room”
The idea of mind over matter is a powerful one. This science, and our understanding of its amazing chemistry, is in its infancy stage. In the future we will take the possibility of healing ourselves with thought and imagery for granted just as we now do about people having an organ transplant - which was thought unheard of not that long ago.
In the meantime, we can all improve our health, success and happiness but learning to improve our “self-speak” and reinforce our bodies and minds with positive words, thoughts and images.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Science of How What We Believe Becomes Our Reality - Part One
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
Ten years ago, Newsweek ran an article by Howard Brody, MD, PhD, author of "The Placebo Response: How You can Release Your Body's Inner Pharmacy for Better Health."
He begins the article by telling a story of a patient who experiences "a medical miracle". She was undergoing experimental brain surgery for her Parkinson's disease. She was so stiff before she had the surgery that she could barely take a step. When several months later a TV new magazine filmed the woman, she was striding easily across the room.
Now here is the exciting part of the story – the surgery she had was a fake. She was part of a fetal-cell transplant research study. The procedure consisted of drilling holes into the skull and placing fetal cells into specific targeted areas of the brain.
The woman was placed under anesthesia and holes were drilled into her head. But,she did not have any fetal cells implanted into her brain. This meant that her miraculous recovery was entirely what is called the "nuisance factor" by researchers, or better known as - the placebo effect.
In the conclusion of the study, it was stated that the patients who received the sham operation realized almost the same effects as the ones who received the fetal cell implants. This is a powerfully important piece of information with regard to understanding that we can "tell ourselves" or implant messages into our conscious and unconscious mind about what we want to realize about our health or our lives and can manifest those very messages into reality.
Beliefs are powerful things and what we tell ourselves and others tell us can make us better or worse. We all have "our story" and we tell it over and over again both to ourselves and to others. We believe it, we expect it and we project it. When we change our beliefs and our story, we change the outcomes.
One of the better known studies which demonstrates how changing our stories can change our outcomes (and our lives) is the 1980's breast cancer support group study that was written up in the journal Advances. All of the women had breast cancer that had metastasize before the study began. Their prognosis was poor but they became a group who listened to each others stories, supported each other, cared about one another and helped each other manage their symptoms and disease. They also helped each other change their story. It is not surprising that the women in this support group lived on average 18 months longer than breast cancer patients with the same degree of metastasis.
Tomorrow: Part Two - Understanding HOW THIS WORKS
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Ten years ago, Newsweek ran an article by Howard Brody, MD, PhD, author of "The Placebo Response: How You can Release Your Body's Inner Pharmacy for Better Health."
He begins the article by telling a story of a patient who experiences "a medical miracle". She was undergoing experimental brain surgery for her Parkinson's disease. She was so stiff before she had the surgery that she could barely take a step. When several months later a TV new magazine filmed the woman, she was striding easily across the room.
Now here is the exciting part of the story – the surgery she had was a fake. She was part of a fetal-cell transplant research study. The procedure consisted of drilling holes into the skull and placing fetal cells into specific targeted areas of the brain.
The woman was placed under anesthesia and holes were drilled into her head. But,she did not have any fetal cells implanted into her brain. This meant that her miraculous recovery was entirely what is called the "nuisance factor" by researchers, or better known as - the placebo effect.
In the conclusion of the study, it was stated that the patients who received the sham operation realized almost the same effects as the ones who received the fetal cell implants. This is a powerfully important piece of information with regard to understanding that we can "tell ourselves" or implant messages into our conscious and unconscious mind about what we want to realize about our health or our lives and can manifest those very messages into reality.
Beliefs are powerful things and what we tell ourselves and others tell us can make us better or worse. We all have "our story" and we tell it over and over again both to ourselves and to others. We believe it, we expect it and we project it. When we change our beliefs and our story, we change the outcomes.
One of the better known studies which demonstrates how changing our stories can change our outcomes (and our lives) is the 1980's breast cancer support group study that was written up in the journal Advances. All of the women had breast cancer that had metastasize before the study began. Their prognosis was poor but they became a group who listened to each others stories, supported each other, cared about one another and helped each other manage their symptoms and disease. They also helped each other change their story. It is not surprising that the women in this support group lived on average 18 months longer than breast cancer patients with the same degree of metastasis.
Tomorrow: Part Two - Understanding HOW THIS WORKS
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Monday, July 12, 2010
Genes and Gender
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
It's summer and my apple trees, with their sweet droppings all about the orchard, are producing an enormous population of fruit flies. Apart from being occasionally annoying and making a bit of noise, they would not seem to be a subject to capture one's attention. At least I never thought so, until I read a fascinating study about fruit flies that indicated our gender may be largely connected to our genes.
Geneticist Barry Dickson and graduate student Ebru Demir, of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, Austria made a small biochemical change to see what might happen. That is - genetically altering a gene that they then engineered into female fruit flies. This very specific gene alteration would always make male fruit fly protein.
These genetically altered female fruit flies behaved like amorous male flies - perusing other female fruit flies and wooing them with the species elaborate courtship display. This gene altering and its subsequent behavioral results were reported in the scientific professional journal Cell. The engineered females rejected males that tried to mate with them and began to imitate the multi-step male courting dance which is truly fascinating but a bit too racy to describe in this blog. (I am not kidding!) The two scientists hypothesize that the altered gene sets into motion a cascade of genetic changes to re-program the female fruit flies sexual behavior.
One of the most spell binding books I have ever read about behavior and gender is Melvin Konner's BRILLIANT, stunning book, "The Tangled Wing". His book is about humans and not fruit flies. So, if you are fascinated by how our amazing hormones and genetics create and effect our thoughts, behaviors and even sexual preferences, this book is a MUST read.
You know when someone asks the question "if you had to be marooned on a desert island for 2 years with someone, who would it be?" - I'd definitely choose Melvin Konner and pick his brain about all his research and amazing findings. Strongly recommended reading, fascinating subject.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
It's summer and my apple trees, with their sweet droppings all about the orchard, are producing an enormous population of fruit flies. Apart from being occasionally annoying and making a bit of noise, they would not seem to be a subject to capture one's attention. At least I never thought so, until I read a fascinating study about fruit flies that indicated our gender may be largely connected to our genes.
Geneticist Barry Dickson and graduate student Ebru Demir, of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, Austria made a small biochemical change to see what might happen. That is - genetically altering a gene that they then engineered into female fruit flies. This very specific gene alteration would always make male fruit fly protein.
These genetically altered female fruit flies behaved like amorous male flies - perusing other female fruit flies and wooing them with the species elaborate courtship display. This gene altering and its subsequent behavioral results were reported in the scientific professional journal Cell. The engineered females rejected males that tried to mate with them and began to imitate the multi-step male courting dance which is truly fascinating but a bit too racy to describe in this blog. (I am not kidding!) The two scientists hypothesize that the altered gene sets into motion a cascade of genetic changes to re-program the female fruit flies sexual behavior.
One of the most spell binding books I have ever read about behavior and gender is Melvin Konner's BRILLIANT, stunning book, "The Tangled Wing". His book is about humans and not fruit flies. So, if you are fascinated by how our amazing hormones and genetics create and effect our thoughts, behaviors and even sexual preferences, this book is a MUST read.
You know when someone asks the question "if you had to be marooned on a desert island for 2 years with someone, who would it be?" - I'd definitely choose Melvin Konner and pick his brain about all his research and amazing findings. Strongly recommended reading, fascinating subject.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease GERD
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
GERD, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, is one of the top 5 most prevalent gastrointestinal conditions in adults. Considering that digestive complaints comprise the number one emergency room complaint, that is a lot of tummy aches! GERD is typified by heartburn, nausea and regurgitation and is most common when a GERD sufferer lies down at night.
The cause of GERD is the failure of the lower esophageal sphincter or LES mechanism, meaning it does not close properly to keep stomach acid from regurgitating into the upper esophageal region. When acid finds its way there (we've all burped up stomach acid and it hurts!) burning, sometimes nausea and even vomiting can occur. Unfortunately, if it becomes chronic a wide number of conditions can occur, including esophageal ulcer and cancer.
Why do people get this? From a medical perspective it’s a condition caused by a mechanical failure of the LES and the diaphragm (there can be a hiatial hernia involved) to keep the pressure on the esophageal sphincter; or there is "slow stomach emptying" that can be the cause. Using antacids, Prilosec, anti-histamines, eliminating foods that can provoke the GERD (chocolate, mint, alcohol and coffee) or reducing the amount the patient eats and the times they eat are all treatments for GERD. In severe cases, surgery is often recommended.
From a Whole Person Health perspective how would a practitioner support a client with GERD? Let's look at the mechanisms involved to give us clues to the cause and effect of this condition:
> esophageal sphincter is not working properly
> diaphragm is not working properly
> acid is escaping into the upper esophageal area
> obese or significantly overweight individuals have a higher occurrence of GERD
These symptoms suggest that the innervations of nerve stimulation of the esophagus and diaphragm may be under functioning due to either structural/neurological causes or that stress, which constricts the diaphragm and decrease internal muscle function.
In the medical literature, GERD appears to be more related to structure and function than to pathology. Unfortunately, the traditional treatment for GERD is Prilosec, which by suppressing the stomach acid also reducing the body's immune function as stomach acid is a front line immune defense against bacteria and viruses entering the body. This medication comes with a caution for many unpleasant side effects, including cancer, which is a result of the decreased immune function of the stomach acid which kills micro-organisms that can make us sick or even kill us.
How would a Whole Health Practitioner facilitate their client's recovery from GERD?
> educate the patient about HOW GERD occurs and invite them to identify what could be the causes for their dysfunctional digestive system. If you ask most individuals what they think is wrong; 9 times out of 10 they have the answer.
If they understand the role their stress plays in this condition they can do something about it and take greater control over their health.
> provide information about how to relax the diaphragm both manually and thru breathing exercises to assist is reducing the GERD symptoms
> assist the person in identifying how various known foods and over eating of these foods can contribute to the problem
> providing information about calcium as a natural anti-acid
> identify how yoga postures can make a marked difference in GERD symptoms
> offer information about acupuncture, chiropractic and osteopathic as options to treating the neurological component of GERD rather than only relying on drugs
> explain how losing weight can greatly enhance recovery
> share exercise information that can help strengthen their diaphragm
> most importantly, let them know they are in charge of their body and they can take control over their symptoms
Even if a person is taking medication, there are many things they can do to improve and even eliminate GERD. I have seen this happen almost miraculously once a person is fully engaged with clear, demystified health information and is empowered to take control, feel better, be healthier and happier.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
GERD, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, is one of the top 5 most prevalent gastrointestinal conditions in adults. Considering that digestive complaints comprise the number one emergency room complaint, that is a lot of tummy aches! GERD is typified by heartburn, nausea and regurgitation and is most common when a GERD sufferer lies down at night.
The cause of GERD is the failure of the lower esophageal sphincter or LES mechanism, meaning it does not close properly to keep stomach acid from regurgitating into the upper esophageal region. When acid finds its way there (we've all burped up stomach acid and it hurts!) burning, sometimes nausea and even vomiting can occur. Unfortunately, if it becomes chronic a wide number of conditions can occur, including esophageal ulcer and cancer.
Why do people get this? From a medical perspective it’s a condition caused by a mechanical failure of the LES and the diaphragm (there can be a hiatial hernia involved) to keep the pressure on the esophageal sphincter; or there is "slow stomach emptying" that can be the cause. Using antacids, Prilosec, anti-histamines, eliminating foods that can provoke the GERD (chocolate, mint, alcohol and coffee) or reducing the amount the patient eats and the times they eat are all treatments for GERD. In severe cases, surgery is often recommended.
From a Whole Person Health perspective how would a practitioner support a client with GERD? Let's look at the mechanisms involved to give us clues to the cause and effect of this condition:
> esophageal sphincter is not working properly
> diaphragm is not working properly
> acid is escaping into the upper esophageal area
> obese or significantly overweight individuals have a higher occurrence of GERD
These symptoms suggest that the innervations of nerve stimulation of the esophagus and diaphragm may be under functioning due to either structural/neurological causes or that stress, which constricts the diaphragm and decrease internal muscle function.
In the medical literature, GERD appears to be more related to structure and function than to pathology. Unfortunately, the traditional treatment for GERD is Prilosec, which by suppressing the stomach acid also reducing the body's immune function as stomach acid is a front line immune defense against bacteria and viruses entering the body. This medication comes with a caution for many unpleasant side effects, including cancer, which is a result of the decreased immune function of the stomach acid which kills micro-organisms that can make us sick or even kill us.
How would a Whole Health Practitioner facilitate their client's recovery from GERD?
> educate the patient about HOW GERD occurs and invite them to identify what could be the causes for their dysfunctional digestive system. If you ask most individuals what they think is wrong; 9 times out of 10 they have the answer.
If they understand the role their stress plays in this condition they can do something about it and take greater control over their health.
> provide information about how to relax the diaphragm both manually and thru breathing exercises to assist is reducing the GERD symptoms
> assist the person in identifying how various known foods and over eating of these foods can contribute to the problem
> providing information about calcium as a natural anti-acid
> identify how yoga postures can make a marked difference in GERD symptoms
> offer information about acupuncture, chiropractic and osteopathic as options to treating the neurological component of GERD rather than only relying on drugs
> explain how losing weight can greatly enhance recovery
> share exercise information that can help strengthen their diaphragm
> most importantly, let them know they are in charge of their body and they can take control over their symptoms
Even if a person is taking medication, there are many things they can do to improve and even eliminate GERD. I have seen this happen almost miraculously once a person is fully engaged with clear, demystified health information and is empowered to take control, feel better, be healthier and happier.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Saturday, July 10, 2010
When You Hear Hoof Beats Think Horses Not Zebras
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
It was an interesting week in my practice, as there were an unusual number of patients coming in with extreme symptoms that were addressed and resolved using the "when you hear hoof beats, think of horses and not zebras" practice model. If you are a practitioner and don’t know this one, it’s worth while exploring.
Having been in medicine and healthcare now for almost 40 years, (I’m as old as trees as my children like to tease me), there is no doubt that medicine is focused on looking for the zebras. That is, looking for the pathology, the disease, the exotic condition, something to diagnose instead of recognizing that most "hoof beats" are made by horses. This simple, practical and common sense approach to practicing health care has been lost within today’s fast paced, “expert” based practices and has even begun disappearing from "alternative" health care practices, as well.
Here is an example from one of my recent patient visits. A very gifted, integrative health practitioner called me up after having intractable muscle pain for a week. He could not lie down, could not sleep was in great discomfort and was also concerned about what this could mean. He had spoken to a wide variety of practitioners who normally deal with musculo-skeletal conditions and at the end of his exploration was still in pain and becoming rapidly more concerned.
When this happens to us we start to think, "do I have something really wrong with me?", if you're older you think "this must be what getting old is about", or if you are an active, healthy person who takes care of yourself you might ask, "how could this be happening to me, I take care of myself." This individual said he called me because he "didn't know where else to turn" to understand his pain and condition and isn't this what I did in my practice – figure things out about cause and effect?"
Being a Whole Person Health Care practitioner, I started with the basics:
> what specifically had he been doing prior to this onset?
> where is the specific discomfort?
> what makes it feel better?
> what makes it feel worse?
> did he experience any other symptom along with this pain?
He explained that he just joined a gym and was working out for the past week, but that he wasn't doing that much exercise to cause this discomfort and it wasn't just in one muscle, it was all over his body. He is in very good physical condition so the idea of the mild exercising causing this full body pain didn't resonate.
He reported that he hadn't changed his diet, work habits, taken any unusual supplements, changed beds, changed shoes or had any upset or stress over the past week. He tried a series of natural remedies and treatments to no avail. He was both personally and professionally stumped and so were the practitioners he had spoken with about his pain.
Having been called the "Sherlock Holmes of Whole Health", I knew the task at hand was to find out the missing piece of information that would unlock the cause of the problem. So we discussed his new membership at the gym. Logic told me that there was something connected to his activities at the gym that was the casual factor in his pain experience because it was after joining the gym that his pain began. It was just a matter of putting our finger on it.
After a few minutes of detailed review, one factor that surfaced seemed the right solution to the problem. After his work out, he went for a swim in the gym's pool. Interesting.
Now some of you who are practitioners reading this might think, "Ah ha, he has a virus from the pool water", or " His immune system must have had a toxic reaction to the chemicals in the pool". Sorry, but no cigar - these are all zebras.
Having a comprehensive, evidence-based, whole person health education is critical to truly serving our patients and clients and being able to empower them with the knowledge they need to take control of their health.
What does chlorine do to our body? It leaches minerals, most importantly calcium and magnesium. Because chlorine has double negative bonds it is wildly attracted to double positive bonds, as found in calcium. What minerals are significantly involved in muscle function? Ca & Mg - correct!
I recommended that he go to Whole Foods and purchase A to B Calm calcium and magnesium powder, take a dose and see if that helped. I received an e-mail about 24 hours later with the subject title "WOW" - it completely took away all his discomfort, he got a great night sleep and felt excellent. He is swimming away, but mindful to take his calcium/magnesium after each swim.
This is the perfect example of thinking horses and not zebras in our practices. I do hope you found this helpful ~
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
It was an interesting week in my practice, as there were an unusual number of patients coming in with extreme symptoms that were addressed and resolved using the "when you hear hoof beats, think of horses and not zebras" practice model. If you are a practitioner and don’t know this one, it’s worth while exploring.
Having been in medicine and healthcare now for almost 40 years, (I’m as old as trees as my children like to tease me), there is no doubt that medicine is focused on looking for the zebras. That is, looking for the pathology, the disease, the exotic condition, something to diagnose instead of recognizing that most "hoof beats" are made by horses. This simple, practical and common sense approach to practicing health care has been lost within today’s fast paced, “expert” based practices and has even begun disappearing from "alternative" health care practices, as well.
Here is an example from one of my recent patient visits. A very gifted, integrative health practitioner called me up after having intractable muscle pain for a week. He could not lie down, could not sleep was in great discomfort and was also concerned about what this could mean. He had spoken to a wide variety of practitioners who normally deal with musculo-skeletal conditions and at the end of his exploration was still in pain and becoming rapidly more concerned.
When this happens to us we start to think, "do I have something really wrong with me?", if you're older you think "this must be what getting old is about", or if you are an active, healthy person who takes care of yourself you might ask, "how could this be happening to me, I take care of myself." This individual said he called me because he "didn't know where else to turn" to understand his pain and condition and isn't this what I did in my practice – figure things out about cause and effect?"
Being a Whole Person Health Care practitioner, I started with the basics:
> what specifically had he been doing prior to this onset?
> where is the specific discomfort?
> what makes it feel better?
> what makes it feel worse?
> did he experience any other symptom along with this pain?
He explained that he just joined a gym and was working out for the past week, but that he wasn't doing that much exercise to cause this discomfort and it wasn't just in one muscle, it was all over his body. He is in very good physical condition so the idea of the mild exercising causing this full body pain didn't resonate.
He reported that he hadn't changed his diet, work habits, taken any unusual supplements, changed beds, changed shoes or had any upset or stress over the past week. He tried a series of natural remedies and treatments to no avail. He was both personally and professionally stumped and so were the practitioners he had spoken with about his pain.
Having been called the "Sherlock Holmes of Whole Health", I knew the task at hand was to find out the missing piece of information that would unlock the cause of the problem. So we discussed his new membership at the gym. Logic told me that there was something connected to his activities at the gym that was the casual factor in his pain experience because it was after joining the gym that his pain began. It was just a matter of putting our finger on it.
After a few minutes of detailed review, one factor that surfaced seemed the right solution to the problem. After his work out, he went for a swim in the gym's pool. Interesting.
Now some of you who are practitioners reading this might think, "Ah ha, he has a virus from the pool water", or " His immune system must have had a toxic reaction to the chemicals in the pool". Sorry, but no cigar - these are all zebras.
Having a comprehensive, evidence-based, whole person health education is critical to truly serving our patients and clients and being able to empower them with the knowledge they need to take control of their health.
What does chlorine do to our body? It leaches minerals, most importantly calcium and magnesium. Because chlorine has double negative bonds it is wildly attracted to double positive bonds, as found in calcium. What minerals are significantly involved in muscle function? Ca & Mg - correct!
I recommended that he go to Whole Foods and purchase A to B Calm calcium and magnesium powder, take a dose and see if that helped. I received an e-mail about 24 hours later with the subject title "WOW" - it completely took away all his discomfort, he got a great night sleep and felt excellent. He is swimming away, but mindful to take his calcium/magnesium after each swim.
This is the perfect example of thinking horses and not zebras in our practices. I do hope you found this helpful ~
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Friday, July 9, 2010
Should Doctors Take Back Control of Health Care?
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc., DC, PhD
For those us of old enough to remember Marcus Welby, MD and Dr. Kildare, the beloved TV docs we grew up with, we also remember a time when the physicians ran health care. They set policy, budgets, insurance coverage guidelines and pretty much, back then, "everything healthcare".
The insurance carriers, growing tired of paying for questionable procedures and surgery, warned physician groups running the show that if they did not clean up the medical abuses taking place, the insurance industry would take away their decision making by enforced second opinions and limited pay outs for procedures that were being unnecessarily performed. Back in the 1970's, there were millions of hysterectomies, 66% of all those performed were after the fact deemed "unnecessary" by what has become today's Medical Review Boards.
Now in the U.K., to quote an article in latest English.news.cn "The new British coalition government revealed on Friday that it planned to put doctors in charge of funding for frontline services in England's National Health Service (NHS), in a change hailed as the biggest in 60 years."
This is big! If this were to be enacted in the U.S., we could see a return of physician driven health care that is provided, determined and distributed by the same type of physician groups that were unable to police themselves just 30 years after the establishment of the American Medical Association and the mainstreaming of the pharmaceutical industry.
Granted, we currently have in place excellent peer review boards and medical review requirements, but this works because of the lack of conflict of interest with the way these structures function.
The health care reform bill has yet to flex its muscles and most of us feel pretty much in the dark about what we can expect. No surprise since an overwhelming majority of politicos who voted on the bill had little to no idea what the bill contained!
The issues we see with today's health care delivery simply reinforce the Whole Health vision of taking control of our bodies, preventing disease with common sense health hygiene and limiting the use of acute care medicine that we as Americans are blessed to have available to us when a health crisis occurs.
Every day the news contains articles identifying the long term use of even over the counter medications and cautions us to realize we cannot repeatedly put these chemicals into our bodies (and there are many other chemicals in our environment, food and air) and not experience consequences.
Chronic disease, which is the bulk of what is treated in healthcare today, is preventable and cost effective. Let's create our own healthcare reform with self-directed health-care. This means taking care of our whole health, living well and living long.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
For those us of old enough to remember Marcus Welby, MD and Dr. Kildare, the beloved TV docs we grew up with, we also remember a time when the physicians ran health care. They set policy, budgets, insurance coverage guidelines and pretty much, back then, "everything healthcare".
The insurance carriers, growing tired of paying for questionable procedures and surgery, warned physician groups running the show that if they did not clean up the medical abuses taking place, the insurance industry would take away their decision making by enforced second opinions and limited pay outs for procedures that were being unnecessarily performed. Back in the 1970's, there were millions of hysterectomies, 66% of all those performed were after the fact deemed "unnecessary" by what has become today's Medical Review Boards.
Now in the U.K., to quote an article in latest English.news.cn "The new British coalition government revealed on Friday that it planned to put doctors in charge of funding for frontline services in England's National Health Service (NHS), in a change hailed as the biggest in 60 years."
This is big! If this were to be enacted in the U.S., we could see a return of physician driven health care that is provided, determined and distributed by the same type of physician groups that were unable to police themselves just 30 years after the establishment of the American Medical Association and the mainstreaming of the pharmaceutical industry.
Granted, we currently have in place excellent peer review boards and medical review requirements, but this works because of the lack of conflict of interest with the way these structures function.
The health care reform bill has yet to flex its muscles and most of us feel pretty much in the dark about what we can expect. No surprise since an overwhelming majority of politicos who voted on the bill had little to no idea what the bill contained!
The issues we see with today's health care delivery simply reinforce the Whole Health vision of taking control of our bodies, preventing disease with common sense health hygiene and limiting the use of acute care medicine that we as Americans are blessed to have available to us when a health crisis occurs.
Every day the news contains articles identifying the long term use of even over the counter medications and cautions us to realize we cannot repeatedly put these chemicals into our bodies (and there are many other chemicals in our environment, food and air) and not experience consequences.
Chronic disease, which is the bulk of what is treated in healthcare today, is preventable and cost effective. Let's create our own healthcare reform with self-directed health-care. This means taking care of our whole health, living well and living long.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Thursday, July 8, 2010
NIWH Whole Health Moves Into Health Care
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
If you have been following this blog you may have been wondering where I've been for the past few weeks. I am happy to report that the lack of posting has meant big things are happening at NIWH!
There has been a Whole Health revolution going on across the country. It seems that millions of people and thousands of organizations have caught on to the NIWH vision of Whole Health and what it can mean for all of us.
> NIWH is serving on the national leadership Steering Committee along side members from Duke University, Harvard Institute of Coaching, Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota, HealthCorp - led by Dr. Met Oz, Wellcoaches and others to craft and implement health and wellness coaching standards and a national certification.
> NIWH just signed a collaboration agreement with Massachusetts General Hospital Community Health to provide our Whole Health Education program to staff nurses for the purpose of evaluating how the model enhances their work with patients.
> NIWH has recently been approved by the Department of Defense to provide Whole Health program to over 3 million active military spouses around the globe through the Military One Source, My Caa program.
> NIWH, an endorsed program of the American Holistic Nurses Association, and AsOne Coaching under the direction of Linda Bark, RN, PhD, MCC, which is also an AHNA endorsed program, has partnered to bring health coaching competencies to the Whole Health externship and practicum experience.
> NIWH and Wellcoaches, one of the leading coaching competency organizations in the world, endorsed by the American Academy of Sports Medicine, have partnered to bring Whole Health Education to the coaching community. NIWH will be adding Wellcoach’s courses to the NIWH externship and practicum components.
And, there are more collaborations on the horizon! I will keep you updated on all the most current Whole Health developments.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
If you have been following this blog you may have been wondering where I've been for the past few weeks. I am happy to report that the lack of posting has meant big things are happening at NIWH!
There has been a Whole Health revolution going on across the country. It seems that millions of people and thousands of organizations have caught on to the NIWH vision of Whole Health and what it can mean for all of us.
> NIWH is serving on the national leadership Steering Committee along side members from Duke University, Harvard Institute of Coaching, Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota, HealthCorp - led by Dr. Met Oz, Wellcoaches and others to craft and implement health and wellness coaching standards and a national certification.
> NIWH just signed a collaboration agreement with Massachusetts General Hospital Community Health to provide our Whole Health Education program to staff nurses for the purpose of evaluating how the model enhances their work with patients.
> NIWH has recently been approved by the Department of Defense to provide Whole Health program to over 3 million active military spouses around the globe through the Military One Source, My Caa program.
> NIWH, an endorsed program of the American Holistic Nurses Association, and AsOne Coaching under the direction of Linda Bark, RN, PhD, MCC, which is also an AHNA endorsed program, has partnered to bring health coaching competencies to the Whole Health externship and practicum experience.
> NIWH and Wellcoaches, one of the leading coaching competency organizations in the world, endorsed by the American Academy of Sports Medicine, have partnered to bring Whole Health Education to the coaching community. NIWH will be adding Wellcoach’s courses to the NIWH externship and practicum components.
And, there are more collaborations on the horizon! I will keep you updated on all the most current Whole Health developments.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
