How about an Alternative Health Insurance Plan?

There has been much debate on the current health insurance crisis. People are trying to figure out how to come up with a health insurance that will cover everyone despite the enormous costs of healthcare. It seems the rising cost of healthcare is the number one issue with our nation. More and more patients are being admitted everyday and the health insurance companies are struggling to compensate the overwhelming number of hospital admissions, prescriptions costs and treatments. The problem lies in the nature of healthcare in our nation. Not in the health insurance companies or the healthcare system. Since our healthcare system has no preventive measures diseases have reached to epidemic conditions. Very little measures have been taken to fix the crux of the problem which is what people are putting in their bodies that are starting the diseases in the first place. Although poor nutrition might not cause immediate disease its long term effects are catastrophic. It can result in improper functioning of the body due to lack of nutrients and too much acidity in the body due to toxic foods and environment. Therefore, the health insurance plans should be focused on compensating for alternative treatments that prevent diseases in the first place and take a more natural approach. This is not a new concept. There is already such a health insurance plan called the Health Saving Account.

On December 8, 2003, President Bush signed a bill that would allow citizens to put away the left over spending from their high deductible health plan into a separate account called health savings account. Basically patients get to use the remaining amount that has not been spent on their health insurance for alternative and preventive health measures. The savings could be used for benefits such as dental, vision and chiropractic care; durable medical equipment such as eyeglasses and hearing aids; and transportation expenses related to medical care. Non-prescription and over-the-counter medications are also eligible

Nutrition Healing

This is where things get crazy and starts challenging your preestablished beliefs about how our body works and its healing capability. We have all talked about the potential benefits of nutrition, body alkalinity and superfoods in preventing diseases. But what about disease reversal? If these nutritious foods are taken in potent quantities in the body, doesn’t it make sense that the body might heal as well. One man who has shed light on this matter is Dr. Colin T. Campbell through his research called The China Study. According to China Study:

Dr. Campbell is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University and Project Director of the China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project. The study was the culmination of a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine.

Therefore, he brings a lot of credibility to the field of natural medicine. Dr. Campbell has been at the forefront of nutrition healing research for the past 20 years. Much of his research focuses on the benefits of nutrition in reversing major diseases and specifically cancer. His work has received so much attention that he was featured on the extra section of Warner Brothers. Check it out. The China Study would open up your eyes to all the other alternatives and possibilities that are out there for disease reversal.

So the question is why don’t we all know about the potential healing power of natural medicine? Practically, if this knowledge was widespread and well known then it would put the modern medical community and the media to shame. If alternative healing therapies exist, it makes sense that the pharmaceuticals and the media would try their best to suppress the success of these alternatives. Prescription drugs has been the leading cause of side effects and deaths in the United States according to Food Matters and many treatments such as chemotherapy, insulin injections, and gastric bypass surgery for chronic diseases like cancer, obesity, diabetes and heart diseases has been far from successful. Insulin injections are only a measure to manage diabetes but doctors blame age for such conditions and patients are made to accept their fate. Obesity and heart diseases are clearly caused by bad nutrition and deficiencies in our diet, regardless the doctors hand out pills to the patients and are told to go back home without proper nutrition advice. Chemotherapy has a success rate of 4% and this makes us wonder why the medical community is still offering it as the main treatment for cancer. About time patients start looking elsewhere and wonder if a better way is out there.

Superfoods

The following trailer is from Food Matters. It explains what is wrong with our food supply and how changing our nutrition base can make a radical change in our lives. It is all about making basic choices in our everyday lives concerning what we eat. The point is that food can make a big difference in our health as the old saying goes “You are what you eat”. Keep in mind our choices include just normal everyday food. But have you ever wondered what superfoods can do for your health?

We are not talking about burgers, chilli cheese fries and soda pops that are filled with super extra calories to make you go the distance. Nor are we talking about genetically engineered foods that was produced in a lab and conceived to have miraculous nutritious benefits. Superfoods, boring as it might seem are the most natural forms of fruits, vegetables, beans, chocolates, meat etch that have the highest concentrations of nutritious value. Its offerings are vast and varied and can be found among a range of products. Already, the scientific community is bragging about its healing properties. WebMd is one of the highest ranked health websites and its views are mostly supported by the medical community without much input from naturopath doctors or alternative medicine. Regardless it claims that superfood can not only keep us healthy, but can prevent major diseases like cancer, high cholesterol and heart diseases. Check out the article and the various types of superfoods that are available out there.

The superfoods mentioned in the article above are regular choices we can make while choosing food at the groceries and preparing meals. But there are other superfoods out there whose names we haven’t heard of or we would not take them on a regular basis. Wheatgrass has been a popular choice among health conscious individuals. People are beginning to understand its benefits and healing properties. Being completely green it is composed of chlorophyll. The structure of chlorophyll is similar to the structure of Iron that makes our blood. Therefore, it builds up the blood quickly and is perfect for those who are anemic. As far as its nutritious benefits, it is nature’s most complete food. It has a complete amino acid profile and includes 20 essential vitamins and minerals. Try consuming wheatgrass daily atleast once a day. Popular juice shops like Jamba Juice has noticed its rise in consumer demand and started offering it as shots. Moreover there are many green superfoods out there with properties similar to wheatgrass. Try spirulina and blue-green algae, two natural algae with tremendous health benefits.

Criticisms of Multilevel Marketing

Despite the enormous potential of MLM, there has been a lot of controversy and criticism surrounding the legitimacy of this unique method of marketing. Like all industries, there has been a few dishonest company owners who structured their compensation structure to that of a pyramid. This has been ruled illegal by the Federal Trade Commission since it is an unfair compensation structure where the guy at the top earns the highest income. Due to such incidences many potential entrepreneurs think of all MLM companies as a ‘pyramid scheme’ and shy away from the opportunity. It is true that the compensation structure looks like a pyramid but with one notable difference that sets it apart. The distributor (business owner) who has the greatest number of recruits and depth makes more money than the guy who recruits him or her. He ends up earning higher since he has more individual recruits compared to his upline. Since the guy at the bottom makes more than the guy at the top, this clearly proves that MLM structures are not a ‘pyramid scheme’. The compensation structure varies across companies nevertheless. Usually, the variations are like how many distributors have to be recruited and sales has to be reached before a certain amount of income is attained. Competition in the MLM industry is intense, so many MLM try to attract prospects by offering a lucrative compensation plan.

Despite all the hype about the Wellness Revolution, the number of business owners who has made it to the top has been limited. The current industry success rate is below 10% and 99% of the owners fail to break even in the business due to mounting expenses of recruiting members and stocking up on products, a practice that is prohibited. So why is this the case? The problem does not lie in MLM itself. But it is a basic problem of how MLM is marketed. Business owners take MLM as a home based business and forget to apply the marketing principles of a regular business. The current marketing methods include group meetings, bringing prospective members to presentation, hyped up events and promotion of books and CDs that are supposed to teach new business owners how to succeed. What happens is that the new members end up spending on these so called ‘self education’ material getting no return on their investment. Making a profit becomes an uphill battle.

But there are a number of tech savvy entrepreneurs who have seen the potential in MLM and set themselves apart from the crowd by using the right and advanced marketing strategies harnessing the networking capability of the internet. The sad truth is that few business owners know how to use the internet to promote their business to multiple customers, a term known as ‘remote selling’. They are still stuck in the traditional method of pitching the benefits of their products to one person at a time hoping they get lucky and make a sale. Much can be achieved in this profitable industry if the proper marketing strategies are know. One person who has taken the initiative to teach struggling business owner how to really get off the ground is Ann Sieg. As a struggling distributor herself, she has learned things the hard way and made it to the top. Find out the proper way to market MLM using the networking capabilities of the internet, the greatest networking tool of all time.

Nutraceuticals: The Medicines of the Future?

Michael is a typical 9 to 5 employee who works for a construction firm. This means his work consists of heavy weightlifting and manual labor. Lately his right knee has been aching and all the lifting is not making the condition any better either. If the conditions persist, he might have to look for a job that is more sedentary and less strenuous. Regardless, he goes in for a visit to his physician. Diagnosis reveals that he has arthritis. The physician suggests that the only possible solution is going for surgery. Not having medical coverage on such a procedure, Michael cannot afford such an expensive procedure given his modest income. His friend suggests using glucosamine, a daily supplement that promotes healthy joints. A couple of months later the pain completely dissipates and he is lifting weights at full strength. His physician is confused as to what improved Michael’s condition. But the physician is worried too: if all his patients start taking glucosamine and experience the same success like Michael, he will soon be out of business since no one will require ankle surgery! Michael’s story is typical of the increasing number of people who are discovering the tremendous benefits of powerful health supplements everyday that are classed in a category called nutraceuticals.

So what are nutraceuticals anyway? There are many loose definitions of nutraceuticals since it is a new emerging field but an article in articlebase.com gives the best definition:

The nutraceutical industry is concerned with nutraceuticals, that is food or part of a food that offers medical and/or health benefits including prevention or treatment of disease.

The health benefits of food are packaged in higher concentrations and offered in capsules and other supplements so that they are effective in fighting diseases and maintaining an optimum state of health. I guess popping pills are not a bad idea afterall but sadly we have been taking the ‘wrong’ type of pills. Dr. Mercola runs the number one health site in the world. The majority of his product sales come from nutraceuticals. Click here to check out the various types of nutraceuticals that are available in the market today. Currently, the nutraceutical industry is growing at a rate of 6% with annual sales projected to reach 15.5 billions dollars by 2010 according to a report by The Freedonia Group. Although growth and sales might be due to aggressive marketing campaigns, it is still an indicator that nutraceuticals are gaining rapid acceptance as people are starting to realize its health benefits.

The Industry of the Revolution

Multilevel marketing also known as ‘word of mouth’ or ‘viral marketing’ has created a buzz in the wellness industry. The products these companies offer are varied and range from health supplements such as multivitamins, beauty cosmetics, and household products. A lot of these innovative companies are focusing on non toxic lifestyles as mentioned earlier and staking their share in the rapidly growing preventive medicine industry. The most successful companies that will emerge out of the H&W Revolution would be the ones that offer ideal solutions to our overly burdened toxic lifestyle. The potential of this industry has been accessed by the world renowned economist Paul Zane Pilzer in his groundbreaking book ‘The Next Millionaires’ which predicts that there will 10 million more millionaires created in the American economy by 2016.

The majority of these fortunes will be made by entrepreneurs involved in direct selling, technology, home-based business, product distribution, or an emerging trillion-dollar industry like wellness.

He believes that the traditional way of distribution that involves the middle man will make way for the direct selling method that takes out the middle man cost. This is exactly what is practiced by multi level marketing linking consumers directly to retailers. An overview of the marketing plan will make this more comprehensible.

It has a unique marketing structure and compensation plan that attracts a lot of venturous entrepreneurs to start their own home based business. Although different companies have different compensation structures it basically works like this. A business owner has two streams of income. One is from retailing his products. This is ideal for generating some quick cash. They can also recruit members who generate income from retail as well. This time the owner gets a share of the profit from the new people that have joined the business. Then the new owners recruit more members and so on. As you can picture, the original business owner starts developing a steady stream of income not from only his own retail income, but from the retail sales of his affiliates.

Combined with the phenomena of viral marketing/word of mouth marketing as your affiliates keep on retailing and recruiting more, this type of compensation structure can become very profitable. What is more interesting is that as your downline members become more active and successful, the business takes on a momentum of its own requiring limited activity and interference on your behalf. As a result, you start developing ‘passive income’ where the checques keep on coming regardless of your effort in the business since it has been established due to your efforts in the past and now it is up and running.

These companies have already made their mark in society and the media. Some examples are Herbalife, a wellness based company that sells vitamin supplements and nutritional shakes. They sponsor the LA Galaxy soccer team and their jerseys bear the company’s name. The name Amway might sound familiar to a few people. Afterall, it is the oldest running MLM company with a complete range of health supplements, beauty and household products. Thousands of viewers tuned in to watch the LA Lakers take on Orlando Magic which was hosted by the Amway Arena in the last two game of the playoffs. Coincidentally, the owner of the company also owns the Orlando Magic basketball team. So it is no surprise the Magic home stadium bears the name of an MLM company. Other notable MLMs are: Usana, Shaklee, Forever Living, Monavie, Avon just to name a few.

Green Environment and Non Toxic Lifestyle

We have heard a lot about the green movement. It can be broadly defined as the conscious effort to make proactive choices in preserving the environment. What is so interesting is that going green is not merely a choice by consumers to purchase products with green labels. It is about changing our lifestyle and breaking old habits that we are so used to. It can affect everything from what we eat, what we wear, the type of cosmetics we use, and what we drive. But is making green choices all about saving the environment? Not at all. Going green leads to less toxic environment. Here is a common example: Organic farming has been around ever since the beginning of time. But we introduced chemical fertilizers and pesticides to increase crop yields. But what we haven’t realized is that using chemical fertilizers make our food more chemical based and therefore more toxic. Whenever we make non organic choices we are ingesting chemicals in our body that make our internal environment more acidic. The same case can be applied to air pollution since breathing in polluted air leads to a higher level of acidity in the body.

Why should be we worried about acidity at all? According to many health experts acidity is the leading cause of all diseases . Acidity and toxicity are synonymous concepts. Anything that is acidic is poisonous and therefore toxic. Our body flushes out toxins through everyday activity like breathing, sweating and through the excretory system. Even though our body is well capable of doing this, the long term effects of over acidity in the body leads to chronic diseases like arthritis, diabetes, obesity, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. One man who has greatly validated this claim is Dr. Robert Young. After many years of research examining live blood samples, Dr. Young has been able to describe the response of our body to acidity. His work has led him to the conclusion that an alkaline environment is ideal for the proper functioning of the human body.

So what are some of the choices we can make to lead a non-toxic lifestyle? Here are some of the options that would be a good place to start:

Food: choosing organic over non organic since it contains no fertilizer and pesticides among the vegetables and no hormones and antibiotics in the meat.

Water: drinking purified water with minerals. Never drink tap water that contains chlorine since it is acidic. The shower water is chlorinated as well. It readily seeps into our bloodstream when we take a bath. This problem can be easily solved by purchasing a shower filter that can be attached to the shower nozzle. It removes the chlorine from the water right away and you have a non-toxic shower!

Cosmetics, perfumes and hairproducts: All these products are toxic to some extent. That is why many people develop sensitivity like allergies. Although it is not possible to refrain from using them, it is a good choice to switch to more natural based cosmetics that are available at the shelves of organic markets like WholeFoods and Trader Joe’s.

Consumers are increasingly realizing the potential harmful effects of the products we use everyday. More people are switching to alternatives such as the ones mentioned above. Therefore, there is a great potential for monetizability by offering solutions that reduce our overly toxic lifestyle and allow people to live a long health life.

The Scope of the Revolution

So lets get back to the Health and Wellness Revolution. The scope of H& W Revolution is huge. So much that my whole blog will look very disorganized and confusing if I don’t take the trouble to lay it down now. Throughout the next couple of months I will be discussing products and innovations that are arising as part of the H & W Revolution in the field of:

• medical technology
• consumer health products
• basic consumer and household products
• alternative holistic treatments (natural cures)
• nutraceuticals and naturopath physicians ( N.D.)
• direct selling/ word of mouth marketing
• multilevel marketing
• and even an alternative Health Insurance Plan

The list sounds like a bunch of keywords. Yes they are! These are just some of the hot keywords for capitalizing on the H & W revolution. I missed out on a whole new aspect, the suppliers of organic farming methods and organic groceries. This is a whole new market in itself as consumers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and looking for healthier options. Imagine the amount of revenue for organic farmers and organic farming method suppliers if giants like Wal-Mart switch to organic.

But why discuss the various problems of the current healthcare system, food industry and our lifestyle? From an economic perspective since I am an economics major, identifying more problems allows us to look for solutions. To be honest the bigger the problem, the greater the potential to monetize if you are able to offer a viable solution. But in this case the word ‘viable’ appeals to my humanistic sentiments since it is people’s health we are talking about here. In my opinion the solutions have to be effective. Here also lies a greater opportunity for monetizability by separating yourself from the crowd of ‘disloyal entrepreneurs’ who only wants to make ‘quick bucks’ by selling their vitamins. The one who actually focus on doing a lot of good will touch the bigger chunk of the revenue and that could be you. Basically, that’s how the greatest economic revolutions have taken place in the past. In the IT Revolution, Bill Gates have offered the solution to store massive amount of data in computers through his software and the Silicon Valley have managed to put the processing power of a large supercomputer in the laptops we use today. Therefore I will not only be talking about the various solutions but also the problems that persist so we can understand the scope and magnitude of the potential that lies in the H & W Revolution. In doing so, I will be exploring the various income earning opportunities that are emerging from this economic revolution.

The concept of the H & W Revolution has not appeared out of the blue. The phenomena has been identified by the world renowned economist Paul Zane Pilzer in his famous book ‘The Wellness Revolution’. At http://thewellnessrevolution.paulzanepilzer.com/index.php he talks about how he identified a greater economic movement taking place in 2002. Initially it was a 200 billion dollar industry that has exceeded expectations and surpassed 500 billion dollar today. With the current rate of growth it is inevitable that the wellness industry will be the next trillion dollar industry and even overtake its predecessor, the IT Revolution. This creates greater entrepreneurial opportunities for all of us. What is so unique about this industry is that anyone who can operate a computer or adept at direct selling can be a part of it. He identifies that the chunk of the revenue lies in the distribution of products instead of producing it. Thanks to the formation of numerous multi level and direct selling industries, this has become possible more than ever. More on this profitable industry and how you can be a part of it next. Che’s out for now.

Recent Comment to Herbal's Post

Dear Herbals,

Please forgive me for taking such a long time to get back you. I have a lot to say about your topic and the ‘common grounds’ we share. I can go on and on since this post would not cover it all. But that’s not a bad thing at all since we can discuss more in the future. It is indeed comforting to know that there are others like me who are passionate enough to write a blog on the issue.

I don’t think I would have been pro green two years back. Back then the term ‘green’ movement just sounded like a stereotypical movement ushered by tree hugging kids who longed for a sense of belonging in society. But as I observed more, I realized that the green movement is emerging as one of the driving force of our economy that is leading to products catering to this growing market. From my perspective of the Health and Wellness Revolution you are covering what type of products and choices consumers are making. But excuse me I am over generalizing your topic. I am sure you topic has far more depth and complexity which the audience will realize as time passes by with more posts. What is so great about your topic is that you point out the benefits of going green. There is the whole issue of how non green choices lead us to lead a more toxic lifestyle other than harming our environment which I am guessing you might be aware of. Obviously I will expand on this issue in my blog.

What fascinates me even more is the phenomena you described as ‘green washing’. I was aware of this issue but never concerned till I read your blog. Greedy investors will always capitalize on the latest consumer trend. But in this case, there is the risk of being fooled by companies that bear ‘organic’ or ‘eco friendly labels’ on our products. Right now the ‘green’ and ‘organic’ market is relatively new. Despite the high price of groceries and products we are confident what we are paying for won’t harm our environment and our bodies. This reassurance is threatened by ‘green washing’ which you bring to the forefront. It is something we should all look out for as consumers and not be fooled. Another advantage of organic farming has always been supporting local and national farmers. With ‘green washing’ the livelihood of local farmers are threatened. A classic example is how ‘Silk’ soy milk was bought over by a large multinational firm Dean Foods who cancelled all their soy contracts with local farmers shifting to soy from China instead. Take a look at http://www.alternet.org/environment/141134/why_silk_soy_milk's_parent_company_is_throwing_american_farmers_and_consumers_under_the_bus/ . Your example of how the Tom’s of Maine was bought over by Colgate is similar to this situation. To be honest I am worried right now about the future of eco-friendly products falling in the hands of the very tyrants who have polluted our body and the environment for years.

Wait a minute! Does this mean all Doctors are bad?

This really sucks! About time I hit the hammer on the nail and discuss what the Health and Wellness revolution is really about. But before I proceed, my complaint about the current sad state of health and what’s wrong with the current medical system has led my colleagues wondering about stuff like how the heck you can fix a broken leg with natural and holistic methods like sleep and rest. And what about treatments like chemo and antibiotics. That is confusing indeed. Let me make the distinction here. There are two sides to modern medicine. It has made great strides in the field of surgery, operation and emergency care. When a person is involved in an accident and has suffered from critical wounds, no amount of sleep, rest and nutrition will heal the individual. Even though these actions will try to restore the individual to a healthy state the loss of nutrients and blood are occurring at too fast a rate. This is where all the innovations in medical technology such as CT Scan, MRI, ultrasound, operation theatre techniques are at the cutting edge of medical science and it is fair to say that all the investments made into this field have come to serve us for the greater good. But on the other hand we have drugs and pharmaceuticals which in my opinion have failed miserably due to the reason I mentioned earlier. For chronic and degenerative conditions there are better ways to treat patients which I will definitely discuss later. (Damn it! This blog is limited to 500 words!)

Despite my past ranting about the sad state of the medical system I will have to clarify my stance on this issue. The doctors that we come across in our everyday lives despite being part of the very system I speak against are not completely at fault. Many of them have just followed the system going through the cutthroat medical school in the hope of practicing medicine and helping people get better. There are many doctors who have the best intentions at heart. Their work should not be discredited. One of the prime examples is Dr. Deepak Chopra who is a M.D. with a medical degree. But seeing the need for a better way of healing he has branched out to alternative healing methods exploring the connection between the mind and the body. His background in the medical field through his M.D. indeed helps to understand his work better in his current field. To learn more about his work check it out at http://www.chopra.com/. He also clarifies why our healthcare problems persist and how we are looking for a change in the wrong place in the following article: http://deepakchopra.com/default/san-francisco-chronicle-why-health-care-reform-wont-reform-health-care/. This helps to shed some light on my previous post where I explain that our current healthcare industry is actually ‘the sickness industry’ and why ‘we have got it all wrong’ when it comes to healthcare. Hope this article answers some of the questions that arise from my last post. Che’s out.

Trifecta

The Sickness Industry

We have all heard about the healthcare agenda. Obesity is rising among the American population. Cancer is widespread than ever with 1 in 3 people. Cardiovascular diseases are going up. Lets not leave out all the political healthcare debate. The rising costs of healthcare. Medicare and Medicaid. The healthcare expanding our budget deficit. And finally the president’s plans to cut costs of healthcare by ensuring less frequent patient admissions. The list goes on and on with all the healthcare agenda and issues. So what happened to all the fuss about ‘Hope’ and ‘Change’? Right now the future looks grim for healthcare with an elderly population that outweighs the middle age income groups. My friends! We have got it all wrong! What we call the healthcare industry is the exact opposite. ‘Hope’ and ‘Change’ are the two most crucial elements we need right now. And I can be honest with you, you will see plenty of it as you keep on following my blog. Let me show you how the rapidly emerging ‘Wellness Revolution’ plans on paving the way. The trick is to look for it in the right place.

Before we move on lets take a look with whats wrong with the current healthcare system? The purpose of a well functioning healthcare system is to make sure that the population of the country is healthy as a whole. So far our system has failed to do that. In fact it has done the exact opposite: set up a system that ensures frequent doctor visits and drug prescriptions. This is one of the highest in the United States.

The biggest reason for our healthcare problem lies in our mindset. What we call the ‘healthcare industry’ is actually the ‘sickness industry’ but we have failed to notice this because we have been conditioned by the media and society to fail to notice the obvious. No one wants to be a part of this industry. No one wants to visit doctors and hospitals unless we are sick. Yet we go to these institutions looking for a healthier life. It is ironic that we have placed the longevity and vitality of our lives in the medical community. It is about time we start looking elsewhere.

Few of us have been told that drugs just mask the symptoms of our disease and does nothing to treat our condition as a whole. Doctors just expect our body to recover. Our body heals through nutrition, rest and sleep. These are the natural processes by which we get back to shape. Surprisingly none of the doctors are trained in nutrition and completely fail to advice the patients on recovery. No wonder we have so many repeat visits to the doctor. The current trend has been a shift of patients to alternative medicine visiting Naturopathic Doctors who prescribe natural, herbal and homeopathic remedies. These treatments don’t compromise our overall health and speeds up the process of healing. Naturopathic treatments will be one of the growing fields of the ‘Wellness Revolution’. As a matter of fact a new health insurance system has been established that favors individuals who prefer holistic healing and a healthier lifestyle. Check it out at http://www.herbanwisdom.com/?p=76 . My first appointment with a naturopath took two hours to go over everything about my health. I mean everything! Just to show you how comprehensive and holistic the naturopathic approach is.

Voice Critique: What is Real Wellness and Why Bother With It?

article link: http://trusted.md/blog/donald_b_ardell/2009/08/31/what_is_real_wellness_and_why_bother_with_it

The title of the article is engaging and already makes the reader reflect about Health and Wellness. It raises such questions as: What is the difference between wellness and ‘real’ wellness? And Why not bother with our health? It is our health! Shouldn’t we all bother with it? It seems that the author asks a rhetorical question. But every reader of the title would wonder ‘does he really ask a rhetorical question?’ and read on to find out more. Afterall, what is all the fuss about health and wellness anyway. There is so much stuff on it these days on the internet and magazines. The author sets the tone for the article with the title and we get a vague impression of his character already.

Since we are all wondering what real wellness is according to the author he defines it as:

A conscious, self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential in a multi-dimensional, positive and affirming manner that encompasses lifestyle and mental well-being, as well as a concern for the environment.

The definition was acquired from the National Wellness Institute. In reaction to such an extended definition, the author’s voice is comical and reacts in affirmation with what we are thinking:

Wow - that's a mouthful and a bit much for many regular, down-to-earth folks to digest.

His sentiments reverberate with the reader and this establishes a strong connection with the readers from early on.

Considering the wellness topic is a serious issue since many people read such blogs to improve their quality of life and look for suggestions to diets, exercise and supplements, the voice of the author is almost whimsical and comical in the first five paragraphs that talks about our predetermined concept of wellness. The reason for having such tone is well explained by the author:

I do NOT waste time writing about wellness. I have given up on wellness. It is beyond repair. It's boring, medical in nature and focused on issues that others already address quite well enough (e.g., exercise and eating wisely).

The author considers the current wellness industry a mockery that is filled with

exploitation by product promoters, spa foo foo entrepreneurs, medical quacks or corporate worksite risk reduction managers.

His choice of adjectives such as ‘spa foo foo’ and ‘medical quacks’ derides and ridicules the fancy entrepreneurial efforts of individuals who stand to profit in the name of wellness. He prefers the type of wellness where such deception is absent.

Real wellness is

about mindsets and lifestyles that reflect a reasoned existence of exuberant life quality founded on personal freedom and social liberty.

The contrast in the voice becomes apparent from this point onward as the author talks about his concept of ‘real wellness’. The tone is engaging, courteous and professional. He justifies why he believes in his definition of wellness:

Who would not be interested in that? Compared with the blah blah generalities of the wellness definition summarized above, my REAL wellness definition seems rather straightforward, specific and consequential.

The author frankly compares his definition to the general definition of wellness that we all believe in. In doing so he challenges our society’s concept of wellness. Is it all about exercising, maintaining a healthy diet and consuming supplements? Maybe we should all consider about including psychological and moral principles in our own definition of wellness.

Blog Profile: Wellness Revolution

Dr. Dennis Da Ponte is the editor to an insightful blog posted on the Harrisonburg summits. The summit was a platform for exchange of ideas. Interestingly it was set up by the mayor of Harrisonburg Kai Degner. The blog touches a range of of issues related to the overall wellbeing of the citizens of the community. This posting was engaging and an eye opener since Dr. Dennis calls for a change or a ‘revolution’ in the current US healthcare system. He refers to one of our founding fathers: “It was our beloved native Virginian, Thomas Jefferson who once said,

Every generation needs a new revolution.” Indeed, a revolution in our Health Care paradigm may just be the calling of our generation. Bugle horns have been sounding off all across America that something just isn’t right.

As a Doctor himself it is apparent that he is radical from his peers who just refuse to comment on the sad state of healthcare and just pass their days practicing in their chambers and prescribing pills. Although the blog is detailed and informative it is a one time post and maintains a low profile with insignificant technorati ranking.

Regardless, the blog is higly relevant to my topic of the emerging Wellness Revolution. Since I plan on talking about the new technologies and healthcare solutions to our current healthcare problems, the blog addresses what is actually wrong with our current system. It justifies why a revolution must take place and this makes my blog highly relevant and meaningful. Although the author does not describe the Wellness Revolution or its nature he does a good job of addressing the current problems. He describes the grim state of health in our society:

63% of Americans are now overweight, 1 in 8 women will fight breast cancer in their life, and The American Heart Association suggests 80,000,000 Americans are living with some form of cardiovascular disease. To make it even worse, the World Health Organization has ranked our Health Care System 37th in the world, behind Costa Rica and Columbia, and it is the most expensive of all countries, almost doubling second place.

He admits that the current system is not working and a revolution is in order.

Furthermore he does a great job of pointing out where the problem lies. We have relied too much on medicine and our doctors for our own health and Dr. Da Ponte is apparent in his comment,

For too long, patients have seen healthcare as a passive process in which their health was completely in the hands of their doctor, and his/her ability to prescribe the right medications. In general, having the mindset of just managing symptoms, Doctors would effectively deal with whatever complaint that walked into their office, and pay less attention to the general well-being of the patient.

Our healthcare system is missing the holistic approach to healthcare that is treating the patient as a whole instead of just masking the symptoms with medicine. If we only treat the surface of the problem instead of the whole body then there is bound to me more health problems and frequent visits to the doctor. One of the main topics of my blog will be whether this is what the doctors and the medical community actually want. Afterall, more visits translate into more income through drug prescriptions and visits both for the doctors and the pharmaceutical firms.

Dr. Da Pointe’s voice echoes and reverberates the sentiments of a revolutionary. His blog appeals to other like minded people who believe there is a better way to treat people and patients don’t have to suffer from the greed of large pharmaceutical corporations who refuse to treat patients with holistic and natural methods. The shifting of our mindset to the holistic approach of healing and wellness is already apparent in our population in small numbers. These people represent the ‘seed’ of the Wellness Revolution that will eclipse many other industries as the numbers keep on growing.