What would you guess to be the third leading cause of death in the United States?
You might say, cancer, heart disease or diabetes.
You’d be wrong.
New research estimates that as many as 440,000 patients die in hospitals from preventable harm, says John T. James PhD in A New, Evidence-based Estimate of Patient Harms Associated with Hospital Care.
The estimate is based off of four studies of “adverse events” by scanning medical records with a Global Trigger Tool. However, the tool only finds error that is actually recorded—about 210,000 deaths in 2007. James estimated there was double that number in reality.
It seems the consent forms we sign in a hospital are there for a reason—we honestly might not come out again alive.
Don’t misunderstand–modern technology and medical advances are wonderful and have saved and prolonged many lives. When there is an emergency, there’s no better place to be than in a modern hospital.
But we need to be wise about when that care is needed. We have to remember that medical doctors are not health care providers; they are specialists in disease. Their training and way of thinking are not toward health but the management of ailments.
Often, many medical interventions can be avoided through simply asking basic questions instead of blindly following the opinion of the first doctor present.
These questions can include:
-What information will we get from this test?
– What other tests or procedures are available and less invasive?
– How will treatment change based on the results of this test?
– What will happen if we choose to not test or treat at this time?
-Will the test or procedure be available to us later?
There also has to be a paradigm shift with patients. Often, we look for an immediate release from symptoms instead of dealing with the root cause. If we can simply remove the gallbladder, we don’t have to take the time and energy to try healing it.
Insurance can also be a contributing factor towards hospitalizations as people opt for things they wouldn’t necessarily if they had to pay for it out-of-pocket.
Chiropractors, midwives, naturopathic and osteopathic doctors, as well as others in the natural medicine fields, are health care providers because they are dealing with achieving and maintaining health rather than dealing with diseases. This changes the way everything is viewed and therefore treated.
We can also strive to live our lives in ways that prevent germs from gaining a foothold in our bodies, using a combination of disciplines for a healthy life.
The basics of good health are good nutrition and exercise, which prevent most things, but especially the things that plague Americans, such as obesity, diabetes, heart conditions, digestive disorders, food allergies.
When we look at more primitive cultures, they work hard, eat very basic diets and the disease level is minimal.
There is no treatment or drug that cures. The body has an innate knowledge to heal itself. It just needs the resources and opportunity.
Chiropractic plays a role in opening communication for this innate knowledge. The brain projects and image of health, sending it along the nervous system to the rest of the body. This is how the body knows to heal anything from a minor scrape to a serious illness. However, a blockage or subluxation along this nervous system’s pathway disrupts this message of health.
Here are a few examples of how you can keep yourself healthy and out of the hospital:
Home births vs. Hospital births. Reducing a newborn’s exposure to a number of common and deadly hospital infections. is as simple as giving birth in the comfort and cleanliness of your own home. You can be sure that the last person wearing your nightgown was not dying from MRSA.
Diet Changes vs. Gallbladder Surgery. Proper nutrition, supplements and cleansing flushes can be very effective in healing a gallbladder.
Natural Hormone Management vs. Hysterectomy surgery. Before resorting to surgery try providing the right nutrition and supplements to aid the body in producing and regulating hormones, or use natural hormone replacement. Chiropractic can help improve the communication between the brain’s hormone factory and the rest of the body.
Natural Solutions vs. Appendectomy surgery. You gotta go! There are many solutions to eliminating waste and keeping a healthy gut clear of the blockages that can lead to appendicitis. A healthy diet, fiber supplements, regular exercise, colonics or enemas, and chiropractic can help to keep you regular…and out of the hospital!
If you are interested in learning more about gaining true health, call Dopps Chiropractic NE to schedule an appointment.