Once the middle man is gone, we’ll have to rely on our ancient knowledge of plant foods and medicines… I’m sure your parents taught you all about that, right?! (Mine didn’t either…)
Doctors are feeling the cash crunch these days and some are even being forced to shut down their doors.
In a recent article I found (here), alludes to the fact that the doctor may be a thing of the past. Many doctors are finding that their practices are no longer sustainable and the list these reasons for it…
“…shrinking insurance reimbursements, changing regulations, rising business and drug costs among the factors preventing them from keeping their practices afloat.”
In these modern times if it gets any worse, the doctor may be displayed in a glass case next to the pterodactyl bones and an 8-Track.
Imagine a world without doctors? I could and I couldn’t.
Here are the positives and negatives of this economic strain on the reigning stewards of our health care system…
1. The Pharmaceutical Companies Become Direct Sales Representatives.
If the doctors continue to be pushed out of medicine, there will be no one to distribute medications. So who will do it?
People need their drugs right?
At least that’s what the pharmaceutical companies will argue…
So who’s going to distribute them?
My guess — and a scary one — is that it will be licensed health consultants that are paid (and licensed) by the drug companies.
So basically, the pharmaceutical rep, becomes the health care provider.
(I told you it was scary.)
Imagine a house call for antibiotics where the consultant (read: salesman or woman) gives you a glossy brochure of dozens of different possibilities. Once you’ve chosen one, he then tries to upsell you with pitches you on heart, cholesterol and pain meds — all based on your age group and statistics that show people who needed medication X, also were taking Y, and Z.
It makes prefect sense, in a not so pretty way.
As drug companies raise their prices for drugs and lower their commissions to doctors, they knowingly — or unknowingly — are pushing out the middle man so they can directly make more profit.
It’s ideal for them, but not for the patients.
Doctors at least have an ethics board to answer to — they can’t just sell you anything. This poses a very specific problem to the profits of drug companies because the doctors limit their revenues with “silly” ethics considerations — like limiting the amount of the drug that can be sold and controlling the patient’s intake carefully. Cutting the MD out is the first step to greater profits and wider marketshare — regardless of what the patient needs.
For those of you who dislike doctors and our current medical system now, you really will dislike the way this one operates.
2. More People Will Turn to Natural Cures and Prevention.
If doctors aren’t available for the general public, people will start turning to natural cures, herbalism, personal prevention plans and diet adjustments — simply because they can’t afford any other type of care.
They will grow their own herbs and medicines and new economical opportunities will arise for those who have the skills to do so (as long as the drug companies haven’t made this illegal.)
This is good news. More people will be flocking to free websites like Mercola.com, NaturalNews.com and others to find out how to do specific treatments and protocols on the cheap.
Unfortunately, the Internet is still like the Wild-West in terms of the type and quality of natural health information you can get, but I think as time passes the cream (unpasteurized, of course) will rise to the top.
This gives health providers with a knowledge of marketing their high quality products and services through the Internet a unique opportunity in the next 5-15 years.
3. Personal Health Care Finally Empowers the Consumer (You!)
If there are less (or, in fact, very few doctors), you will have to fend for yourself when it comes to getting your medical lab tests and knowing what you need to test for.
That actually is no problem, even these days.
Through services like DirectLabs.com and Personalabs.com, you can order your own blood tests and pay direct.
Also, Dr. Williams and I have taken the guess work out of reading blood tests as well with our “How to Read Your Blood Tests” program — this very specifically empowers you to take your health into your own hands and not have to give up all your power to a doctor who may or may not have the best answer for your situation.
No need to panic here, we’ve got you covered.
4. This Doesn’t Make it Any Easier for the Natural Health Practitioner, BTW.
Unfortunately, in a world where everyone wants cheaper and cheaper prices, the local natural health practitioner suffers just like the doctor.
If most people can’t even pay their co-pays to the MD, then there’s no way they’ll be able to pay the $75-$1000 consultation fee that a natural health provider charges.
Just last week, I caught a special on CNBC about how everyone is expecting lower and lower prices in the marketplace while at the same time demanding better customer service. (You can read more about it here… I can’t find a link to the full program.)
The reality is that as business cut prices, their profit margins drop and — eventually — they have to outsource departments like customer support to stay profitable.
The old saying is: “you get what you pay for.”
In the new Internet world, the saying is a little different. You can get the same product for $30 dollars cheaper because there are so many places you can buy it (so you get better than you pay for), but if you need to make a return or have a question about how to use the product — good luck getting in touch with someone who can truly help and answer all your concerns (you get worse service than possibly imaginable.)
How does this all apply to your health care?
The cheaper it gets, the less service you get. We’ve relied on insurance companies to pay for our health care for so long that we don’t value the energy and costs that are required for good health care — natural or Western.
This is a big problem long term, since neither you nor I want to be getting discount rate health care services for our priceless body.
5. Finally, Maybe This is The Catalyst for Sweeping Change.
As doctors start to get squeezed, chances are they’re come together to figure out a new way to look at the system and start to make changes in a positive direction. There is already a large network of Functional Medicine MDs who are classically trained but use natural approaches.
This is great for those who can afford it, but the most concerning is for those people who aren’t able to privately fund their own health care. Who is going to subsidize this?
Right now, we can’t expect the insurance companies to do so — since they’re being crushed by the weight (almost literally) of our sick population — nor can we expect the pharmaceutical companies to do so either — since what they sell is almost in complete opposition to the approach that actually heals people from degenerative disease.
I honestly don’t have many solutions as to how we can begin to change the cost structure of this care, but I do know that starting at the core issues will create a ripple effect throughout the whole system.
Some of the core issues that need to be addressed are GMO food labeling, regulating junk food sales in poor neighborhoods, creating access to fresh fruits and vegetables regardless of geographical location, the end of factory farming, and the elimination of the use of artificial ingredients in food products.
This is just a start, but if these items are addressed appropriately, the entire population will likely be just a little healthier because of it. (They’ll also be a little heavier in the wallet to be able to afford the care that they may need — if, of course, they do!)
Your Question of The Day: Do you want to live in a world without doctors?
Live Awesome!
Kev
3:44 pm on January 10th, 2012
not if I get a broken bone
3:46 pm on January 10th, 2012
As the word gets around that when we change to a non-toxic diet our immune system is able to cure any illness and prevent us from ever getting sick again, we’ll only need doctors for accidents. Alas, there’s little money in health and trillions in sickness, so you won’t hear this from the media. The main poisons are cooked food, grains, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, mercury and fluorides because our body design firmed up in the paeolithic hunter-gatherer age.
3:52 pm on January 10th, 2012
I cannot help but comment… My husband is an MD and my father and brother sell health insurance. So I could write more than a few (probably biased) articles about this topic myself.
One thing you didn’t mention, Kevin, is what will happen to the doctors. The main flaw I see in what you are suggesting is that the drug companies will have their pharmaceutical sales reps peddling their drug. Not so. I believe it is quite likely they would hire the doctors to sell their drugs. And if we’re honest, in some cases they already have – indirectly so.
I just want to encourage people that there ARE wonderful doctors out there who take their patients complete (lifestyle) care very personally. My husband happens to be one of them and he functions much like a functional medicine MD. One has to search far and wide for such a doc, but when they find one, news spreads quickly in the natural community and it’s not kept a secret. We also support highly trained/experienced natural health practitioners in their work and are glad to have them in the health community!
Thanks for the intriguing article!
3:59 pm on January 10th, 2012
The scary thing here is do we want to return to a feudal system because our government is too involved in the system and has done a terrible job of its guidance of it. individuals at the government level are in collusion with the drug companies and this has existed for some time. the bonds are strong and powerful. the entire system is money based and in a word based on getting our money. But it is so pervasive that the average Joe has little to no option but to sit back and watch as the system destroys what is left of our world. bottling companies are taking over our water and selling it back to us at prices that would make the oil industry cry because the can’t even charge that much. hey but they don’t mind because they make all the bottles that leach toxins into the water. then there’s the cancer society, a government funded group that is supposed to disband once the cure is discovered. they like their jobs and are still pushing the same protocols on anyone who has cancer. and in the last 10-20 years not one thing has changed in the fight to cure cancer. survival rates aren’t any better then they where 20 years ago. As far as I’m concerned the systems have to crumble from the core so they can be rebuilt but I don’t think anyone in government has the compassion or the intelligence to do what is needed to correct the travesty that has been going on for so long.
4:15 pm on January 10th, 2012
When you say ‘we’ and ‘our’, you mean America and American’s – you should specify. Not all your readers are from the States. Remain open minded. America’s (or your) health care system is different to the rest of the world.
4:16 pm on January 10th, 2012
I’m already my own physician, but very few laypeople have my knowledge. I would not, however, want to be my own orthopedist if I were to fracture a bone.
4:32 pm on January 10th, 2012
I am a Board-Certified Internal Medicine Physician with 20 years experience who has already written and self published (more than 2 years ago) a non-profit book to warn about this and the fact that it is coming. Primary care will become extinct (a chapter in my book). The book explains the story of the demise of Traditional Healthcare and the Patient-Physician relationship over the last 25 years or so and what the true core issues are. I have since left Primary Care and am considering leaving Medicine for good. If you would like some real insight from someone who has seen it unfold personally behind the scenes, you may want to consider getting my non-profit book (priced to break even with my POD Publisher at the time).
http://www.amazon.com/Only-Prescription-Healthcare-Reform-Perspective/dp/1449024408/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=125
4:35 pm on January 10th, 2012
I think I could handle most of the needs for myself and my family as long as the drug companies don’t get homeopathic remedies and other modalities outlawed. I have already started learning alternative methods and plan to continue. But I too would not want to be without emergency medicine. If I have an accident and have broken bones, I wouldn’t want to be without orthopedic care. I don’t think I would want to stitch up large gashes in myself or anyone else.
5:22 pm on January 10th, 2012
I’ve hardly ever been to see a doctor in more than 20 years. I occasionally take things like paracetomol but very rarely. I think that is called Tylenol in the US.
My view is that general health has a lot to do with lifestyle issues such as exercise and the food we eat. The whole medical profession, by which I mean doctors, nurses, dieticians and other areas, clearly has a role to play. Yet much can be done through natural means.
We need Doctors who care not those who are in the pay of one or other of the big pharma companies
5:28 pm on January 10th, 2012
You have to have brains to keep your health covered. Don’t think I’m underestimating anybody, it’s a fact. Thinking is a bit rare these days. People don’t like to think for themselves any more. They are used to get driven by the system, and that’s what it is all about. Like, people think they vote for somebody with their own will, but there is no your own will, as you get to choose between what you’re presented by them. How can anyone say that’s democracy??? To me, it’s just both funny and sad, and generally it is a thing that will influence this society so badly that I don’t really know how it will all end. God help us all. Says an atheist. When I say it, I really mean it.
5:55 pm on January 10th, 2012
It’s the medical schools who will have to adapt and teach their future doctors more valuable skills than simply to prescribe the latest drug regimen. They are the ones who need to shake the grip of drug companies.
We’ll always need doctors for diagnosis, surgery, clinical research and other specialties. Nobody can accumulate the knowledge and skills that all our specialized doctors possess. But if general practitioners would be taught to focus on health preservation rather than pushing pills on us after our bodies start to break down, then their value will not only be preserved but vastly enhanced. And that would force drug companies to produce products for crisis management rather than for diseases that can be prevented or reversed with diet and exercise. Right now, drug companies love our rampant “diseases of civilization” for the long-lasting profits they bring. That’s a disgraceful situation.
6:40 pm on January 10th, 2012
Anna: Where does your husband practice and is he taking on new patients?
I also want to address Mimi’s comment: Good point. I lived in the UK for 7 years and we went to our local health care practice whenever one of us needed to see a doctor. I don’t care what anyone else says about the health care system in England: we received fantastic health care there. Our local GP was absolutely wonderful. I taught other practitioners in England and they were shocked when I told them that a drug compnay can advertise prescription drugs to the public. In fact, they were so shocked they did not believe me until I showed them a few American magazine ads. Drugs companies rule here.
7:02 pm on January 10th, 2012
A world without Doctors? Who will do the initial diagnosis of the patient, so that “Big Pharma” knows what even give you in the first place? I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t like to take drugs as it is, even when the doctor prescribes them,let alone a drug rep. We still need doctors to mend broken limbs etc. etc., so my answer is no I cannot imagine livin in a world without doctors.
7:23 pm on January 10th, 2012
No at all. Knowing especially well those freaks, I discover every time many profound and humanly qualities that make me recognize that I am unfair with this profession. Some, as foreigners are underpayed, tired and despite this stressfull job, always optimistic, searching sincerely to help people, trying to find new ways to cure their suffering. When they succeed (it happens !) they are really happy. I admire them, their strong caracters, their fighting spirit. Along years, some of them become real human heart specialists, confessors, psychologists, chamans, idols !… I think that even if they cannot make miracles, they are great help, sometimes the unique emergency solution for people facing illness, despair and death. One of them always tells me : I cannot cure people from aging nor from dying, because we all are aging, raw or not, and all are going to die. Doctors maybe are the philanthropes of our time, and many of them are overwhelmed by this responsibility. I notice that themselves age quicker than the average. And are eager to retire ! We should all stand up and claim for more humanity and indulgence towards doctors ! Especially in the alternative health movement where they are considered as demons. But if some discomfort happens in their longlife quest routine, they quickly run into doctors cabinets, anxious and humble. “If we fail, we still have this extreme solution…” Against death… Because some rawfoodists are questing for the eternal and everyoung life… Vanité des vanités… Stand up for the doctors’ rights ! In danger of disparition like killer whales !
8:00 pm on January 10th, 2012
Hello keven! Tall men! Not only in hight also in the brains. What we will do without you and the Health Ranger. I keep all your blogs on and special folder.
You know what? When i was young living in my country… we use to go to La Botica, and the owner, el boticario, le daba medicamentos a la gente sin receta. We could not afford the only doctor in town. Hope you’re doing well now with your spanish lessons. How is it going? With you well, and I say hello also to Annamaria. This is Aida, Esther’s mother.
8:12 pm on January 10th, 2012
Very interesting article that should have us all learning about wholistic & natural healing. My parents certainly didn’t teach me about herbs for medicine, food for medicine or health for that matter. Nor are many people learning that today. It takes individual searching to learn more. Good news is IF anyone outlaws homeopathic treatments we should have what we need growing in our own gardens in addition to our own organic produce! For many reasons I hope that these issus will force change in a GOOD way.
8:26 pm on January 10th, 2012
It doesn’t matter what country you live in, the national health agenda everywhere is increasingly being set by US pharmaceutical corporations.
Powerful lobbyists already have the American government dancing to their tune and are now heavily involved in all US free trade negotiations. Their goal is to roll back the current regulations on pharmaceutical advertising, subsidies, price controls, patents etc in potential trading nations so that the US pharmeceutical free for all is extended worldwide.
Australia and seven other nations are currently being courted by the US to sign off on the Trans-Pacific Patnership free trade agreement. If past history is any guide, most of the US proposals will end up being accepted, despite advice from numerous health organizations here that they are not in Australia’s interests.
The negotiations are secret and not made public until the deal is complete. If a developed nation like Australia – with a relatively functional and equitable health system – struggles to resist the power of US pharmaceutical corporations, what hope for most other nations – the UK included.
8:40 pm on January 10th, 2012
I think many doctors just give you whatever drugs the pahrm company rep told him to. He doesn’t mind, as he’s getting lots of freebies for recommending them. Freebies should be banned.
8:59 pm on January 10th, 2012
in rule America especially in the south during the 30″s and 40″s doctors were rarely available, we got by. It was rare to see anyone sick, when someone did get sick people would come from miles to see and help, it was a big deal. my birth came nearly 3 months early weight was less than 2 pounds, with the help of a experienced midwife, and an old[very old] Indian lady, still breathing. spent 3 years in Nam, seen a lot of death and destruction, seen people recover from terrible injures with just wild plants and the will to live. the human mind and body is a miraculous thing, we could survive perhaps better.
9:00 pm on January 10th, 2012
Hey Kevin,
On a future episode, why don’t you line up an interview with Dr. Richard Schulze? Regarding the elimination of doctors, many of your commentors pointed to the broken bone issue. I agree with them. It would be nice to have a doc around for that. ER treatment in case of an accident is another place where doctors seem to be importantly needed. Overall though, outside of those two areas I think we need to all start educating ourselves and in a way start becoming our own physicians.
9:28 pm on January 10th, 2012
I’ve lived in Cambodia since 2006. Dealing with illness and injury here has really opened my eyes to some things. There’s everything here from traditional healers to Western doctors and with my large family I’ve seen them all. Too many stories to mention in a short comment, but I am now more inclined to see a Chinese doctor trained in both herbal and allopathic medicine or a traditional healer than a Western or Western trained doctor.
What worries me about America is that it seems like pharmaceuticals are being literally forced down your throats.
10:13 pm on January 10th, 2012
Very interesting article and comments that followed.
When I was growing up, there was no health insurance. When you needed to see a doctor, you went and paid for it, because the price was reasonable. When insurance began to rear it’s ugly head, the doctors had to put on more staff to meet the demands of billing the insurance, and medical prices began to sky rocket. I heard an interview just yesterday from a doctor who was saying that he knows of doctors that are jumping ship, as it were. They are leaving the clinics and opening their own practice, and not accepting any insurance. They will give you a receipt so you can get reimbursed, but they do not do the billing. Their prices are very reasonable (in some cases an office visit is $35.00) and they are not tied to the drug companies. This sounds really good to me.
I agree with a couple of the comments that stated that this may be a good thing. We may have to tare this whole system down, in order to build one that is sane. It is unbelievable to me what has happened to this country in my life time. We should not be told what to eat, nor should we have to worry about what we are choosing to eat. Worrying about if the food is a GMO, or heavily sprayed, or if the cattle, chickens and pigs are fed improperly preventing their meat, eggs and milk from being healthy. This is all so wrong. One may choose to not have the healthiest diet – but that is their choice. However, we should not be in a position of our food being turned into something that is not really food, and is not nourishing our bodies on a cellular level – and then be lied to about it. It is all wrong.
Thanks for the great article, Kevin!!
10:33 pm on January 10th, 2012
Uh…ah hem…all this about healing oneself…did you all forget the Creator YHWH and His Son Yahshua of Nazareth? He’s been around for a very long time and He’s got all the answers! He’s a pretty darn good Healer, too, quite supernaturally! Why not schedule a visit with Him sometime soon? He actually does house calls and is always available….
10:57 pm on January 10th, 2012
HI Kevin! Read the Institute of Medicine report: the future of nursing
I could live in a world without doctors if it were run by nurses, nurses are holistic, even if they don’t readily realize it—
also the IOM report on patients charting the future, read that one too
I do think we are going through a shift, a much needed one and it is really great- Hoping that when my son is my age it isn’t sick care anymore but health care that we pay for!!
11:04 pm on January 10th, 2012
also look at what this doctor does, AMAZING, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DiwTjeF5AU
8:49 am on January 11th, 2012
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for the article. I beleive that the dilema going on with the pharmaceutical companies is another episode of greed and misuse of power.
On an individual note I suggest we all turn off the pathetic TV programs and start learning about our health, who we are and how we can contribute to society in a creative, peaceful and encouraging way.
2012 is a decisive year….which way will we swing? We need people power!! Doctors are all human beings, most of them just trying to do their jobs. Let´s wake up to a peaceful transition and say no to manipulation. We can do that by choosing what we buy and how we participate in life.
9:15 am on January 11th, 2012
What is going to happen when Obamacare kicks in. The government will be allowed to take your money to pay for the system and it is not considered a tax. Then they will dictate your treatment.
10:04 am on January 11th, 2012
@Maca: please tell me where the freebies are located. I am missing out!
12:50 pm on January 11th, 2012
Well, a lot of people die because of the doctors’ ignorances, and a lot will die without the doctors’ knowledge.
Today, I’d take the surviving FDA and ADA and AMA leaders and repeal their pensions, and put whomever can still function, to hard labor.
4:05 pm on January 11th, 2012
It is disgusting the way medicine is practiced in America now. Increasingly, diseases are invented because the drug companies have created a drug for them. Example: look at all the different classes of PMS now: there is PMS-D, PMS-A and so on. And yes, a different drug to treat each one. Imagine how difficult it must be for people to go through medical school now. They attend a school whose buildings have mostly been paid for by the pharmaceutical companies and then they are told they MUST practice a certain way or risk losing their licenses. Even more evil is the pretense, by the drug companies, that they are such benefactors: “if you are unable to afford your prescription, Astra Zenica can help” or so the commercials say. Well, great – they get you on the drug long enough to get your body hooked on it and then they yank the funding. Now you are at great risk if you go cold turkey off that med, but you have to pay the full price. In my perfect world, we have hospitals that practice emergency medicine the way it is practiced now (because this is something that current medicine excells at) and then, once someone is out of the ICU, they are handed over to a doctor who practices in a naturopathic fashion, to help the body detox from the drugs that were a part of the treatment and to help the body to heal from the ordeal. Outside the hospital, we have Naturopaths, Nurses and Nutritionists, and Herbalists etc. to go to for our day to day health care needs. The only pharmaceuticals used are those to deal with the short term critical care needs. Herbs take care of everything else. No statin drugs, blood pressure drugs, diabetes drugs and so on. There are herbs to treat all of these chronic issues.
5:19 pm on January 11th, 2012
“Anna: Where does your husband practice and is he taking on new patients?”
Sarah – My husband practices pediatric medicine in Northwest Arkansas. Live nearby? He is absolutely taking new patients.
7:34 pm on January 12th, 2012
As long as the medical industry, The Government, Big Pharma, Doctors, Hospitals, Insurance Companies, etc are in bed together to make money instead of working toward teaching people how to create health for themselves and their kids; As long as the public refuses to take responsibility for their own health…We will be a sick society. Oh, I forgot the Advertising Cos. Packaging, Corp. Farmers, Grocery Stores, Restaurants etc. You can add to the list.
When I first got on the Raw Vegan diet…and I went to meet this doctor I have now..I asked him how he felt about working with me? I was afraid that I was going to die because of some of my symptoms. He ordered a lot of tests and suggested/prescribed a couple of medicines. I asked for some paper work to study and that I was concerned abt some of the side effects. I started weening myself off the meds I was on and started losing some weight. As I did, I started feeling better. The next time I saw him, I told him I was afraid to take the medicine. He got a little angry, but eventually actually told me that “you don’t want to get involved with doctors and especially want to avoid hospitals. Whatever you can do to improve your health and keep out of hospitals and away from doctors, the better.” I had never heard that from an MD. I could see that his job of trying to fix damaged people had got to him too. It’s what he does, but he has learned that it’s not the right way to exist. Not for anyone; the patient, or the provider. If I were a doctor, I’d be screaming in frustration at everyone, ” Take care of yourselves! Eat fruits and vegetables. No you don’t have time.” “You can do it.” and many other unmentionables. I told my sister, “They just don’t know.” She said..”They don’t care.” Which is it? We can change it.
10:38 pm on January 12th, 2012
I truly believe in these comments…I have been in the medical field in a variety of positions…am aware of the “kickbacks” from the pharmaceutical companies….am holistic and challenge physicians in their treatment and the meds they suggest…I take herbal supplements and have attended natural healing lectures….
4:21 am on January 16th, 2012
Great article – maybe we’ve gone towards drugs and chemicals as they’re easier than giving kindness and love, and more lucrative. I think love is the biggest healer of all – problem is society is so stressful these days. Yes I definitely agree with back to basics, grow veg and herbs and plenty of time to chill… incidentally, it’s funny that in Cuba you can only buy veg on the black market so if you ask for veg in a public restaurant they act as if you’ve just asked for some cocaine!! Apparently you’re only allowed veg that you’ve grown yourself
9:01 am on January 18th, 2012
About insurance companies “crushed by the weight (almost literally) of our sick population”, I would agree and disagree. Yes the system is seriously strained, but that hasn’t stopped absorbitant executive salaries, very high stakeholder returns and a huge lobby to protect their interests. Thanks for the good work you do.