A typical response to the first sign of sickness is to reach for medicine. And who can blame us? Treating symptoms so that we can immediately feel better makes sense. After all, who has time to be sick and who wants to feel under the weather?
But a closer look at what’s happening in our body shows something remarkable: there’s an internal fight to restore homeostasis and balance. Our symptoms tell us our body is at work.
There are two ways to treat symptoms: conventional medicine treats with pharmaceuticals, while holistic medicine supports the body’s efforts to fight infection and disease.
Conventional medicine (also called pathogenesis) is the approach taken by our country’s current healthcare model. It looks at disease origins and causes and tells individuals how to manage or eliminate their sickness.
Disease prevention and treatment are the focus of this type of health-care.
Common sense tells us that the absence of bad behavior is not evidence of good behavior. In the same way, research shows that decreasing a negative state does not automatically increase a positive state. When it comes to health this is doubly so.
Salutogenesis differs from pathogenesis by enhancing and improving physical, mental and social well-being. Incorporating lifestyle habits such as a proper sleep schedule, regular exercise, nutrition, adequate vitamins and minerals, body work, stress reduction techniques and mental health strategies increase that positive state.
The goal of salutogenesis is to maximize an individual’s health potential.
Holistic practitioners and chiropractors trust in the body’s wisdom to heal and function as it is designed. Chiropractors, especially, work to enhance the performance of the nervous system. Since the nervous system controls all functions of the body – including our immune system – chiropractic increases health.
In one study, when people saw a chiropractor as sporadically as once a month:
- 60% saw a decrease in hospital admissions
- 59% saw a decrease in hospital stays
- 62% saw a decrease in outpatient surgery
- 85% saw a decrease in pharmaceutical costs
Imagine the healthcare savings if more people used chiropractic. Now imagine how much more enjoyable our lives could be if we focused on increasing our health rather than treating disease.
Is there a place for pathogenesis? Of course. Both are necessary and important, but the need for treating disease would decrease if boosting immunity through lifestyle choices and holistic care became our healthcare goal.
————————-
Do you spend too many hours at doctor’s appointments trying to feel better? Health costs in America are out of control. We believe it’s time to get back to basics. To feel better and improve your health, you only need to focus on one thing: give your body what it needs so it can heal itself. Click here to schedule your free consultation and get back on the road to health.
Leave a Reply