During the past Federal election here in Canada not one political party had the courage to bring up the subject of rising health costs, never mind offering a solution to this impending problem. Our population continues to age and it will obviously increase the demand on health care. In the US according to the latest statistics 16% of GDP is being spent on healthcare. We are not far behind in Canada at 11.7% of GDP with our government “rationed” healthcare.

A Health Care Crisis is Coming

Constant increases of healthcare spending will continue and create a huge problem for all of us collectively since the system is not sustainable economically. It is projected that by 2040, 40% of GDP will be consumed by healthcare. Clearly this is no longer a philosophical issue anymore but a question of practical economics.

The drug industry is clearly focused on treating illness and not promoting health. Drugs are not preventing illness or curing disease, at best they reduce isolated symptoms usually in exchange for another set of symptoms. Surgical procedures for the most parts are a costly way resolving health issues. At times they are indispensable of course and save lives. However, when we look at the rates of hysterectomies performed in US where ½ of women at age 65 no longer have a uterus, one has to ask the question, “Are all these procedures necessary?”

From birth to death we are surrounded by a sickness oriented medical system that is based on an interventionist approach to health. Instead of promoting wellness we are bombarded with daily barrage of messages about disease and illness. While the rates of cancer and other chronic diseases continue to escalate, we as a society continue to spend more money on a system that is out of control while getting less value for our investment.

A Change towards Self-Reliance & True Prevention

We desperately need to promote self-reliance when it comes to wellness and health. Most of us can take control of our health by changing our diets and even by making moderate improvements in lifestyle that will yield great results. The medical industry will continue to inundate us with messages of “prevention” in the form of screening for illness that we already have. However, the emphasis should be on prevention of illness in the first place. Early detection is great but prevention is the key!

Thermography for Risk Assessments

One of the methods that I have been advocating for years now is Infra-Red Imaging or Thermography. This non-invasive test does not use any radiation but rather measures the surface temperature of the breast providing a physiological assessment. This method can provide women of all ages with a risk assessment of their breast health and can identify areas of concern early in its development. Regular breast thermography examination can establish a baseline that can be a reference point for monitoring breast health over a long period of time.

Over the years, we have imaged thousands of women using infrared thermography. In many cases, we have clearly seen a connection between inflammation in the dental area and breast cancer.  Invariably, in some cases of dental pathology the symptoms could be very subtle or even asymptomatic for many years, but these cases slowly and continuously affect peoples’ health. With thermography imaging, we can identify areas of suspected inflammation and infection because they present with heat. People living with a chronic source of infection and inflammation will eventually find that their immunity is affected. The only way this problem can be resolved is by identifying and removing the cause.

By taking responsibility for our health and practicing “preventive” medicine we can change the course of events as a society. It is a risk to wait and see, start doing something to improve your health today.

http://www.healthydirections.ca/

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