Melody Wu Fifteen minutes. That’s the average amount of time physicians in the United States spend with each patient. Those days, weeks, and even months spent in pain all reduced to a brief, fifteen minute visit. One medication, one quick reassurance, and you are sent on your merry way home. Except, you aren’t really merry. This is the issue with the US healthcare system.
You see, Western medicine uses a reductionist approach. Physicians are trained to analyze parts of the body, parts of a disease, parts of a virus, and so on. Every disease is broken down into separate symptoms to analyze, and medications are prescribed to treat each one individually. As a result of this, Western medicine consists of a lot of short term, effective solutions that create immediate responses. We’ve all experienced its benefits before. Popping a Tylenol to quickly ease a pounding headache. Swallowing a few allergy pills to alleviate the unbearable sinus congestion and aggravating itchiness. Quick and easy. These accelerated results prove Western methods to be highly effective for treating severe illnesses, as time is vital in emergency situations. Here is the issue, though. What happens after? Western medicine fails to address long term plans for patients to return to optimal health and prevent future occurrences. Even if it is mentioned, it is often brushed upon quickly with no follow up. For example, a patient comes in with insomnia. A Western doctor would listen to the symptoms, make a differential diagnosis, and prescribe the appropriate medications. The issue is this: the pills don’t resolve the underlying cause of the insomnia. The overanxious mindset, the external stressors of work and family, the lack of proper nutrition, whatever it may be. Those are the harder things to manage, but they are the most important. This lack of prevention leads to a large number of patients suffering unnecessarily from chronic diseases, without the tools to properly combat the root causes of their issues. According to the CDC, 70% of deaths are due to chronic illness. The cost of chronic care per year is $1.5 trillion, or 75% of all medical expenses; and yet only a small fraction of the medical budget is spent on preventative care. Though there is overwhelming evidence that prevention is key to minimizing costs and maximizing health, Western medicine still fails to prioritize it. The length of each physician visit is only getting shorter and shorter, as doctors struggle to bring in enough patients to cover the rising expenses of running a hospital or clinic. This is where Eastern medicine comes in. Eastern medicine employs a holistic perspective. It focuses on the person as a whole, and views health as a delicate balance between the body, mind, spirit and environment. Rather than targeting solely the initial complaint, the physician prioritizes equipping the patient with the proper tools and knowledge to better adapt to their environment. It is about strengthening the internal defense mechanisms to prevent the disease from even occurring in the first place. This all takes place through implementing healthy habits, being mindful and accountable, as well as consistent follow-up with patients. Visits with doctors are often an hour or longer, where the doctor really takes the time to get to know the patient as a whole. The physician takes into account all the different social determinants of health--understanding the patient’s family, job, economic situation, stressors, hobbies, etc. As opposed to the passive role in Western medicine, patients take up an active role in creating their own personalized treatment plan. Eastern medicine recognizes that everybody’s body does not respond to the same treatments in the same way. We’re all different, and we must take those differences into account. This all sounds pretty great, right? Why doesn’t everyone do this? We live in a society where immediate results are favored. Though Eastern medicine promises longevity and improved happiness, it takes a long time to see results. It requires discipline to maintain these habits -- eating healthy, exercising often, changing your mindset. In addition to this, creating these longer sessions requires a complete upheaval of the current US healthcare system. The sad reality is that the supply simply cannot meet the huge demand. It’s hard to change. But there are steps being made in the right direction through institutions like the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, among other integrative organizations. For us, the ordinary people, a great first step is to recognize the intricate interplay between our body, our mind and our environment. Be mindful about the factors in your life that affect your health. What stresses me out? What foods feel right for my body? What type of exercise is best suited for me? Through this awareness, we can begin to form our own individualized plans to optimize our health and happiness.
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