Despite continuing discussions about delivery of health care in the United States, many people with chronic illnesses can attest to the fact that the system does not adequately meet their needs. Some people have opted out of the system altogether. Although that strategy sometimes can be dangerous, I understand the frustration of those who pursue it.
U.S. physicians spend four years each in undergraduate and medical school and then two to eight years in additional training, all of which prepares them to diagnose and treat acute illness. However, chronic illnesses, which include heart disease and diabetes, account for 70 percent of all deaths in the United States, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is 10 percent above the worldwide average, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
MedicineNet.com defines acute illness as “a disease with an abrupt onset and usually a short course.” Chronic illness, however, is “an illness that persists for a long period of time.” Physicians trained to spot acute disease often fail to notice factors that lead to chronic illness until irreversible damage has occurred. Thus, poorly treated illnesses that can be prevented, according to the CDC, escalate the cost of health care and place it out of reach for more and more Americans each year.
A WHO survey released in 2000 found that the U.S. spent the highest portion of its gross domestic product on health care but ranked 37th in system performance among 191 nations. That’s behind the United Arab Emirates, which ranked 27th in 2000. Since then, the UAE has established nine preventive medicine centers in the country and has made rapid progress in reducing mortality among children under 5.
So, how do you get treatment for the early stages of a chronic illness in this country? Next week I’ll give some pointers on how to do that legally, safely, and cost effectively.
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I like your site theme. What template did you use ?
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Unfortunately, physicians in this country are not trained to deal with chronic illness. They have an acute illness mentality. If they can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. By the time the conditions that lead to chronic illness have existed long enough for physical damage to occur, it’s usually too late to do anything.
Doctors in this country also are trained to dispense drugs. Chronic illnesses respond to lifestyle changes. We are on the verge, however, of a major revolution in health care.
In addition to calls from the CDC to change the system by starting with the medical schools (click this link for more details), the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), a division of the National Institutes of Health, has just completed a study to incorporate CAM into medical school programs across the country. Research shows that CAM, including lifestyle changes, works better than drugs in many cases.
My new eBook, titled Secrets of Getting a Diagnosis Unmasked, should be available this week or next week. It deals with finding a practitioner who can help as well as other issues specific to getting chronic illness care. Stay tuned to this blog for the release notice.
I hope that you’ll cover why some Primary Care Physicians won’t take on or keep patients with multiple chronic illnesses. I guess it’s a money and time issue?
I had a PCP for years before my chronic illness dx’s. He helped me in the beginning of my first dx but as I was getting dx’d with more illnesses, the office (or him) was making it more difficult for me to get the medical care I needed.
I ended up “firing” him, but now I’m unable to find a PCP. How can we as patients address this issue?
Sorry. I only exchange links with related sites. Thanks for the encouragement.