Awakening to a Flawed System
Nine years into my training—four years of medical school and on the brink of completing five years of surgical training as a head and neck surgeon—I began to peel back the layers of our Western healthcare system. The stark reality unveiled itself: Americans are only getting sicker. Our country’s health is on a downward spiral, and it’s perplexing, given the monumental resources we pour into this sector.
Upon deeper examination, I realized that every institution touching our health—hospitals, clinics, pharmaceutical companies, medical schools, and even insurance providers—thrives financially when we are unwell. This is a colossal issue. The healthcare system, often misconceived as philanthropic or nonprofit, is indeed a burgeoning business with profits tied to disease.
Incentives Misaligned
As a doctor within this colossal $4 trillion system, I was merely a cog in the machinery where incentives are starkly misaligned. My colleagues and I entered this noble profession to help, armed with good intentions. Yet, the pervasive influence of financial incentives corrupts our approach to health and disease, steering us away from root causes and interconnections.
This realization is why I took a sharp detour, striving to nurture health through alternative paths. Each patient must understand that the prevalent wisdom in healthcare is tainted by financial pursuits leading us astray, and this demands a transformative shift in perspective.
The Mirage of Medicine
United States and New Zealand stand unique, allowing the marketing of medicine in consumer-driven ways. Pharmaceutical industries have become the most corrupt entities, even overshadowing governmental and agricultural sectors, because medicine has strayed far from its true calling. Rather than healing, it perpetuates sickness—a cycle fueled by medication that engenders new ailments, obscuring the path to genuine wellness.
Yet, the sacred oath, “First, do no harm,” is breached time and again. We ought to prescribe lifestyle changes rather than drugs. The moral rectitude, or lack thereof, in this profession is glaring.
The Courage to Forge a New Path
Within this matrix of medicine, infused with investments both financial and emotional, it becomes challenging to discern its toxic elements. This system intertwines with industrial agriculture, school systems, and cultural norms, creating an unfathomable tapestry that’s arduous to unravel and escape.
Turning one’s back on this established order means forsaking years of commitment and security. It requires immense courage to defy the majority, guided by an unwavering spiritual intuition that calls for deeper exploration and authenticity. Investment in this corrupt edifice leaves many entrapped, while others, blessed with supportive networks, bravely step into the unknown.
Community and Spiritual Fulfillment
Fortunately, there exists a burgeoning community, a counter-culture within the sphere of functional and integrative medicine. For those spiritually attuned, not scratching this itch to understand oneself and our broken system can be spiritually draining. The dissonance here breeds burnout and despair not from the long hours, but from the chasm between our actions and true healing.
Doctors are revered, and it’s incumbent upon us to champion change and honor the spiritual fulfillment derived from living our short lives with purpose. Functional medicine is gaining momentum, a movement fueled by our inherent desire for truth and self-education facilitated by social media’s power to enlighten.
Beyond the Physical: Healing Energies
Bad energy versus good energy—it echoes both physiological and spiritual truths. With every cell a complex factory requiring adequate power and good energy, we foster health. The alternative is dysfunction, manifesting as brain diseases, liver maladies, and circulatory problems, dictated by metabolic dysfunction or bad energy.
As we embrace this holistic lens, distinguishing beyond the siloed view of disease, we recognize the core mechanisms at play. By healing the “trunk of the tree”—the metabolic dysfunction—we address the myriad diseases we mistakenly treat as isolated ailments.
In embracing this transformation in how we perceive power and energy within every cell, we shape a new narrative. The convergence of Eastern wisdom and Western science reveals a tapestry of health driven by energy, leading us toward genuine holistic healing.
If this resonated with you, delve deeper into our full exploration and start your journey towards vibrant health.
