Options in Health Care

Hello!

Welcome to the Holistic Health Center website and my acupuncture blog. I'll use this space to share health tips, ideas about healthcare, what I'm doing at Asari Acupuncture that might be of interest to you. I'm not above putting in a good joke or cartoon, either!

One of the best parts of life is learning new things, and in health care that is always both possible and necessary. In the 'old days' being as good as possible with a limited amount of information or tools was required. Now we have access to information from all over the world as well as from history. We must learn what is useful (or not) about a diversity of information, tools and techniques for taking care of our health. Making good decisions about diverse and unfamiliar choices is difficult, but being able to do so can improve your quality of life and health.

Here are a few tips on getting along with our modern world of health care. My questions are only a starting point; you should ask your own questions too!

First, take some time to think through what your health situation is. Do you have health problems that have to be treated now? Do you have health problems that you know you should do something about but aren't really feeling threatened by them right now? Do you have insurance?

Second, be very honest with yourself about how important your health is to you. Do you want the optimum possible out of life? Does your livelihood depend on your good health or can you get by if you gradually lose your health? Do you have family that depends on you being healthy for their well-being? Are you more interested in doing other things and don't really want to think about it? When you are honest about how important health is to you, it is easier to make decisions about how to invest in health care.

There is no right answer! There is only what is best for you.

Third, get some information about health care that you are interested in. Use the internet, and ask friends who have used these therapies or practitioners, and best of all, talk directly to the practitioner. Do not use all information equally! Infomercials on TV are not a useful source of information, nor are catalogs marketing products for everything that ails you. Triangulate your information to figure out what is probably true.

This means take information from at least 3 sources and see where they converge or agree. That area will be the most likely to be true.

Fourth, make a plan for your health. If you want or need to do something to improve your health, choose practitioners that are open minded, are willing to listen to you and that you feel comfortable with. Be willing to shop around for the best practitioner you can find and compare costs.

That's a lot to do! But a few minutes spent figuring out these questions may make a big difference over time in how you make health care choices.

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

-Albert Einstein

Be Safe, Be Happy, Be Well;

Susan

Susan Cushing
Asari Acupuncture LLC
acupuncture@hhcviroqua.com
608-637-7272