5 Reasons To Make Classical Chinese Medicine Your Medicine Of Choice

1. Clinical effectiveness: Chinese medicine, particularly when it is practiced in a Classically-based manner, works. In my scant year of clinical observation, I have seen miracles transpire. I have seen people shackled by various conditions, sometimes all their lives, be simply TRANSFORMED after only a few treatments. Many of you have probably seen this as well. It works for patients - and that's what medicine is supposed to do.

Yes, I've read THAT study, too. Studies have flaws - THAT study has been roundly denounced by a number of people in a number of different ways. I'd be glad to discuss it in another post. Think also about this - Chinese medicine works in a manner entirely different from Western medicine. It's so different, in fact, that placebo controlled double blind studies may simply be ineffective for displaying what it is that Chinese medicine can do. Clinical studies are another matter, and many show the great effectiveness of Chinese medicine. Where those studies have been negative or inconclusive, I feel that it probably has something to do with the level of Chinese medicine being practiced in the study. That's why I'm hoping to do (and encourage others to do) clinical studies through Helfgott Research Institute. I'll certainly post about any future results.

2. Doctors who take their time: When you see a Chinese physician for the first time, you will probably be amazed by the intake process. The process is extremely detailed, and Chinese physicians take all of your concerns under advisement - not just those that fit neatly into a simple diagnostic category. Chinese medicine physicians will not dismiss your concerns as "irrelevant" or "psychosomatic," they will integrate each manifestation of disease into a full diagnosis that will guide a treatment to rectify the balance of your ENTIRE system.

3. Fewer environmental impacts than Western medicine: Chinese medicine doesn't employ pharmaceuticals or other chemicals in carrying out treatment or diagnostics. The pollutants dumped into our waterways by the pharmaceutical industry are a significant problem. That being said, there are real environmental issues that the CM profession must grapple with, including the problems inherent in importing herbal products from China. Although that is most certainly a post in itself - I want to point out that many American companies are working to find pesticide-free and sustainably produced herbal products. More of this is surely to come.

4. Good cost-benefit ratio: As we all know, the escalating costs of healthcare are leaving many Americans uninsured, causing nearly unbearable pressure on the hospital system and social services. That the wealthiest nation in the world leaves so many people without access to basic care is reprehensible. Natural medicine in general represents an answer to this problem. Many treatments by Chinese medicine physicians use food therapy and economically priced herbal supplements. Further, you will find that the average office visit for a Chinese medicine doctor is very reasonable considering the great depth of care you receive. Insurance companies are beginning to pick up the cost of these office visits, which is an encouraging sign.

5. Total integration: This medicine doesn't "rob Peter to pay Paul," as the saying goes. When your chief complaint is treated, it is treated in order to integrate your entire self - mind, body and spirit. So, for instance, your ongoing treatment for seasonal allergies isn't going to create dryness in your mucus membranes, difficulty sleeping and pervasive feeling of anxiety. This will reduce your overall discomfort, as well as keeping costs down - you won't need to buy medicine to treat the problems that your medicines produced!

There are certainly many more reasons you should make Classical Chinese Medicine your medicine of choice - but I hope this list will provide you with some food for thought as you contemplate your health care options. Remember - YOU DO HAVE OPTIONS!

Eric Grey is a third year student of Classical Chinese Medicine at National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR. He is also a member of NCNM's Presidential Ambassadors Leadership society, the President of his class two years in a row, and a repeat scholarship winner from every institution he has been in. He has recently started blogging on the topic of Classical Chinese medicine as a subject of study, as a group of practices for self-transformation and as a revolution. His blogging covers diverse topics such as personal development, herbal medicine, medical ethics, politics and health, social problems and solutions and spirituality.

http://www.deepesthealth.com

Socialized Medicine - Would it Work For the United States?

"Socialized Medicine" is primarily an ideology championed by the Democrats. However, contrary to popular belief, a nationalized health care system has never actually been on the agenda for President Elect Obama. His agenda has always been to assist those who are rendered uninsurable and or are in need of assistance in obtaining health care coverage due to low income. Part of his plan is to expand the role of SCHIP and State Insurance Risk Pools so that those who are rendered "uninsurable" on the individual major medical market have access to guaranteed insurability.

Many states already have established Risk Pools. However states such as Arizona and Florida do not. These states desperately need such Risk Pools. Unfortunately, until now they have not been able to receive enough Federal funding to expand this much needed role. President Elect Obama wishes to provide more Federal funding to these existing risk pools to drive the premiums down, thereby making this option more affordable for those rendered uninsurable.

One of the reasons a "nationalized" health care system has never been on Obama's agenda is most likely due to the terrible failure of such programs in countries such as France & Canada. However, proponents of "socialized medicine" often use Canada as a template in which the U.S. Health Care System should follow. Those living in Canada know full well that their government run health care program is most certainly not working. As a matter of fact, many Canadian citizens choose to hire high priced brokers to find them quality health care right here in the United States because of the terrible bureaucracy that controls all forms of health care in Canada. For facts about the current Canadian Health Care System and how it correlates to the current state of health care in the United States watch the short but informative documentary videos embedded in the first article of my health care blog located at the end of this article.

The truth of the matter is we already have an enormous amount of entitlement programs available to those who find themselves unable to pay for their health care. Often times these entitlement programs are offered to those who are here legally and illegally as was the case in the State of Illinois. Most recently, the State of Hawaii tried to emulate the Medicaid Expansion programs that were enacted in Illinois. It took less than 7 months to render their program bankrupt.

All things considered, the best way to offset the high cost of health care in the U.S. is to adopt the initiatives set forth over a decade ago by Senator Bill Archer (R) of Texas. The HSA (Health Savings Account) commonly referred to as a "Medical IRA" coupled with an HDHP (High Deductible Health Plan) is a unique option that maintains high quality health insurance coverage for the policy holder whilst also building a tax deductible, tax deferred interest bearing account for the insured to use for future medical expenses. Many medical expenses that would not normally be covered by a traditional health insurance plan would be a 100% tax deduction when the insured owns a tax qualified HDHP. The list of IRS approved expenses can be found on the HSA section of the IRS web site.

Even if one can not qualify for the aforementioned HDHP option due to underwriting restrictions. There are still several other options now available to those who have been rendered "uninsurable" in the individual health insurance market. These options are as follows:

1.) The aforementioned State Insurance Risk Pool Coverage provided under HIPAA which provides seamless continuation of coverage once an insured has either lost employer sponsored group or has been offered Cobra continuation coverage and then exhausted it. To find out the states that have risk pools visit: http://www.naschip.org/states_pools.htm

2.) Small Group or Employer Sponsored Health Insurance which contains the all important "Guaranteed Insurability" clause. A Small Group policy can be purchased by as little as two people (often husband and wife working under the same corporate tax ID number).

3.) Gauranteed Issue HIPAA certified "Defined Benefit" Health Insurance policies issued on an individual basis to anyone regardless of medical history. Whilst these plans offer limited benefits, they will cover pre-existing conditions such as Cancer and Diabetes from day one providing the applicant can produce a Certificate of Creditable Coverage from their former carrier showing at least 18 months of continuous coverage with no lapse of more than 63 days.

In the end consumer education and retention of existing Federal entitlement programs (via a legitimate needs assessment test) will go a long way towards not only maintaining our current health care system, but also towards keeping the bulk of our nations risk where it belongs namely, with the private health insurance sector. In light of the recent $7 Trillion "Bail Out" and many other failing corporations coming to the table with their hats in their hands (and their private jets on the tarmac) the last thing our government should do is start cutting more blind "bail out" checks in an effort to "reform" the U.S. health care system.

C. Steven Tucker, is the President of Small Business Insurance Services, Inc. and has been a Licensed Mult-State Insurance Broker serving the small business and self-employed market for over a decade. Mr. Tucker believes an informed insurance consumer makes the best health insurance purchasing decisions. Mr. Tucker has written several articles that focus on small business health insurance, which can be read on a number of web sites around the web. He also serves as a health insurance subject matter expert for the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Business Magazine, The Nashville Business Journal, Real Estate Executive Magazine, The Tennessean and other business journals around the country.

You can learn more about the state of health care and how to avoid insurance fraud by visiting his health blog here: http://www.sbisvcs.com/blog.htm

If you have general questions regarding health insurance, or you are in the market to purchase a health insurance plan, you can also call Mr. Tucker toll-free at 1-866-SBIS123 (724-7123)

Asian Generic Medicine Producers

The United States FDA or Food and Drug Administration described a generic drug as "identical, or bioequivalent to a brand name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics and intended use." Simply put, generic drugs have the similar pharmacological effects as their brand counterparts counterparts. People who buy generic drugs chose for a cheaper alternative to more commercialized medicines. An sample of a generic medication is metformin, used for diabetes. Its branded variant is Glucophage. There's also metorpolol, the pill for hypertension with Lopressor as the brand medicine.

Generics vs. Branded

Generic drugs are not sold at lower prices because they have lower quality. As a matter of fact, the US FDA requires all generics to work safely and effectively. Since they have similar chemical compositions, generics have the same effects as their brand-name counterpart. Most branded manufacturers are also related to 50% of generic drug production. These manufacturers also offer copies of their patented products in order to sell them for less without the brand name.

Generic meds are sold at significantly cheaper prices because they are no longer protected by patents. Since competition in the generics market increases, the medicine is offered at an affordable price in order to give it some advantage. There are less costs incurred compared to creating the original patent, so the drug manufacturer can maintain profit selling at a low price. Branded drugs on the other hand are offered at higher prices due to the expenses incurred from inventing with the actual drug. New meds introduced in the market have to attain a ROI||return of investment because of the costs incurred through research, development and marketing the product. The patent gives protection to these expenses and gives the developer exclusive rights to sell the product. Patent protection lasts for 20 years which starts from its date of submission. Towards the expiry date, the producers can apply their generic forms to the FDA.

Asian Generics

The increasing number of patent expirations and the people's need for low priced drugs has aggravate the manufacturing of generic medication in Asia. In India, many pharmaceutical companies are responsible for generic forms of in demand drugs. Some foreign firms are even creating generic versions of biotech meds. The Philippines also plays a huge role in the generic medication market, with an expanding share of thirty one percent led by three to four worldwide manufacturers.

Indian pharmaceutical companies play the biggest role in the generic meds market, having sold hundreds of generic medicines to American consumers. In 2008, the FDA said that India's major drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories submitted fraudulent laboratory test results for generic drugs that were given approval for sale in the US. Even though this is a huge cause for concern, the director of compliance from the FDA, Deborah Autor says that this development is not related to the safety or effectiveness of the drugs from Ranbaxy. Several tests prove that there are no infected Ranbaxy pills. Deputy drug director Dr. Douglas Throckmorton says that "there is no reason for anyone to believe that the drugs in the US from the Ranbaxy plants pose a safety problem."

The course of action taken by the FDA against the company does not harm the quality of imported generic drugs. As a matter of fact, it reveals the high standards that the FDA has for all types of drugs. Generic pills manufactured in Asian countries have the same components and go through similar measures as drugs produced in more developed nations like US or Europe.

Americans who buy medications from India or China does not need to worry as these manufacturers are required to fully specify the drug's chemistry, production steps, and quality control measures. The generic pills or medicines must also meet the terms of the American Pharamacopoeia, the association that sets the standard for drug pureness in the US. The drug manufactured should stay potent until its expiration date and follow the good processes of the FDA. A full description of what the company uses to create, process, test, package, and label the pill is submitted also. The FDA also performs inspections to confirm if the manufacturing facilities are following with their standards.

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