Until recently, wellness was not really on most doctor's agendas, because they get their money by treating the sick. Most people would prefer to stay away from the doctor, and are increasingly taking their health into their own hands.
Looking for something else?
What if you get ill, or have a chronic disorder? Do you trot along to your doctor and ask for a prescription, or just try and soldier on regardless?
Getting well and staying well
NHS doctors are over-worked and have very little time to spend on each patient, so often they will just listen to a quick description of your problem, write a prescription and send you off to get another dose of chemicals. Many of them realise that they are just scraping the surface, treating the symptoms instead of the cause, but through lack of time, training and resources, they see no way out of the situation.
What sort of products is your doctor likely to prescribe?
Antibiotics are pretty limited in their usefulness, even though many doctors prescribe them routinely. If your symptoms are caused by a virus, intolerance to a food you eat regularly. or many other problems, antibiotics won't do anything for you at all. Viruses usually clear up within about 5 days without any medication (unless your immune system isn't working very well because you are run down or lacking in essential vitamins, minerals or both). Food intolerance won't go away until you stop eating whatever you are reacting to. If you have a bacterial infection, antibiotics may help - if you finish the course - if you don't you are contributing to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. Another possibility is a fungal disorder or yeast infection - these are actively encouraged by antibiotics. There are alternatives in the herbal pharmocopoeia, some of which actively work against the disease organism, and some which work by boosting your immune system (these also work against viruses).
Steroids aren't just used for muscle-building (this is illegal). If you're suffering from some tough to treat ailments like psoriasis and other skin disorders, you may receive a prescription for steroid creams, and asthmatics and COPD patients are also prescribed tiny amounts of steroids to alleviate their breathing difficulties. If you do suffer from asthma or COPD, you need to stay with whatever your doctor gives you until/unless you find out what your triggers are, and whether it is possible to avoid them altogether. But many of the things for which steroid creams are handed out don't respond well to this treatment, or only briefly. Alternative treatments may turn out to be better, and are also less likely to cause longterm health problems. Steroids are also likely to lead to Vitamin D deficiency.
Painkillers are a stopgap. Unless you are suffering from a chronic or terminal disease, it is always better to treat the cause of the pain, rather than the pain itself. Of course, you may need to take painkillers until you sort the problem out, but be aware that longterm use of these can cause problems, besides which, they have less and less effect over time as your body becomes accustomed to them.
Anti-depressants have become almost an epidemic since Fluoxetine (marketed as Prozac™) came onto the scene. Although these new drugs originally seemed not to be addictive, recently some doubt has arisen about this point. Depression is often caused by repressed anger about some circumstance that seems out of the depressive's control. Counselling may help, and staying busy keeps the pain at bay for a while. There are also alternative anti-depressant treatments available, such as St. John's Wort, which is actually prescribed in some countries. In the UK, you will need to buy it from a herbal supplier or health store.
Tranquillisers and sleeping pills are often prescribed for anxiety. Obviously, there are two types of anxiety, one caused by current difficulties, and the other seemingly built-in. In the first case, again, try and solve the underlying cause. In the meantime, there are herbal tranquillisers and sleeping products that may be helpful.
Obviously, sometimes you will have to go to see your overworked doctor. Some problems are just so serious that you need to get into action to sort them out as quickly as possible. But for normal everyday ailments, your doctor is not going to be of much help. There are plenty of alternative treatments for simple illnesses that you can buy for yourself and use when you need them, without going through all the hassle of ringing up to try and get an appointment.
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