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This week on the Worldview Wellness Health Matters podcast we discuss the principle of self-advocacy. Self-advocacy is quite simply the principle of speaking up for yourself and your self-interests. It is empowering to the individual and allows for personal independence through informed decision making. This topic can be applied to a multitude of different scenarios, but our focus today is how this can be applied to the setting of medical care.
In the past, the medical system in our county was largely privately run via clinics and hospitals owned by local physicians and others local to the communities in which they serve. This connection to the local community ensured that medical decisions were made in the best interest of the patient over secondary incentives, like profit. Over the past few decades this system, which worked for the good and health of those in the community, has been replaced with a corporate behemoth whose prime incentive is profit. The small-town doctor, or local doctor’s privately owned clinic or hospital that could work independently of top-down edicts from corporate boards is headed on a path to becoming extinct.
As this has happened, the focus on informed consent that resulted from the post WWII Nuremberg trials, and patient-centered care has largely gone extinct as well. The public at large has been indoctrinated to just “trust the science” and take the jab, the pill, the surgery, the radiation, or anything else the person in the white coat says. After all, they are the authority aren’t they?
Where has this left us? According to Beckers, a medical industry trade magazine that does it’s own independent research:
1) By the end of 2020, 70% of physicians were employed by hospitals or corporations rather than being self-employed at their own privately-run clinics.
2) In 2020 alone, 48,400 physicians left independent practice for employment by hospitals, corporately run health systems, or other corporate entities.
3) Physicians who work in these systems are largely unable to refer patients outside of their network and are forced to make decisions that may present a conflict with their own personal assessment of data or conscience based on corporate policy.
While this situation is alarming on its own, there is another consideration that needs to be shown in juxtaposition to this data. Most people are also surprised to learn of the drastic increases in all-cause mortality that have risen in the pandemic/post-pandemic era. The CEO of the OneAmerica insurance company disclosed that mortality in the 18-64 age group was 40 percent higher during the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2021. He also stated that a 10 percent increase would have been a 1-in-200 year event, and furthermore stated that most of the deaths were not attributed to covid. Although the most recent numbers do not seem quite as staggering, Think Advisor, an investment news and analysis journal, reported that in early 2022 the all-cause mortality rate was still up 29%.
If the fact that the vast majority of doctors are limited in their independent decision making abilities via their employment by profit-seeking corporations, combined with the steep increase in the all-cause mortality rate without a coherent explanation doesn’t make you question whether or not to take a more pro-active stance on your health, and how you approach healthcare, I don’t know what will. So, for your benefit I’ll list 7 practical things you can do to regain your independence and personal sovereignty as it pertains to your healthcare decisions.
1) Even if you are an introvert, timid, or type B, ask questions of your medical team until you understand your situation/condition. Make your voice heard.
2) Don’t be afraid to seek second, third, or fourth opinions when making potentially life-altering decisions. This even includes things as seemingly insignificant as whether or not to start a new prescription drug.
3) Do not let anyone in medicine dictate to you what treatment you will do. It’s your right to choose your treatment.
4) Understand the concept of informed consent and it’s components as illustrated in our last Substack and podcast.
a. The nature of the procedure (intervention)
b. The risks and benefits of the procedure (intervention)
c. Reasonable alternatives
d. Risks and benefits of the alternatives
e. Ensure you have a reasonable understanding of the above elements
5) Make a decision to take personal responsibility for your health, including having a pro-active stance on your lifestyle.
a. Be involved in the medical process when seeing a healthcare provider
b. Eat healthy foods – a good start is to eat “God food” and not “man food” and avoid processed foods, GMO’s, and sugars for the most part.
c. Stay hydrated with clean filtered water with good mineral content.
d. Stay active, exercise, and get regular sunshine.
e. Seek peace in your life by having good spiritual practices, getting good sleep and restful downtime. Seek what the Bible tells us in Philippians 4:7 is “the peace that surpasses understanding”.
f. Engage in mind-body practices like deep breathing, meditation, and cold-therapy, among others.
6) Prioritize your health through self-education. Do not let anyone in medicine tell you not to do your own research! We are ALL smart enough to engage our brains through reading and self-guided research. There are a multitude of options online that can help with this, like websites, podcasts, and blogs, and you will get better with your discernment with time. If you are reading this, you are already on your way! You may not be able to understand things on a post-graduate level, but this will allow you to ask informed questions and have a better understanding of the answers.
7) Trust your gut, and don’t EVER feel pressured by people who use fear to get you to do something you aren’t comfortable with. Medical decisions are YOUR decisions to make. You are the captain of your ship.
God bless you all,
Micah - Worldview Wellness
https://www.aier.org/article/all-cause-mortality-in-the-united-states-during-2021/
https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2022/04/11/all-cause-u-s-mortality-was-up-29-in-early-2022/