Changing the Ecology of Health Care: Green Medicine (pt 2)
Economic Failure to Thrive
You’re the same person that knows that consumerism – buying stuff as a type of therapy – is bad for the environment. At the same time you live in a country that consumes more “health care” – that is, drugs and devices – than any country in the world, even other industrialized countries where people are healthier and live longer. Americans line up for White Castle medicine as if on a shopping spree, in spite of statistics showing that cities with the highest medical utilization have the poorest health outcomes. (Dartmouth Report)
Retail therapy, whether it’s for clothes or drugs, provides a short-term high that is not only bad for you, but crippling for the economy. It is a medical model that, barely 130 years old (aspirin was synthesized in 1880) drains money from more fertile fields such as education and infrastructure. Economically, whether talking Medicare, Medicaid or general healthcare access, the current medical model, costing three trillion dollars a year, has been pronounced unsustainable.
Additional White Castle Costs: pollution
Besides its astronomical costs and general ineffectiveness, the medical-industrial-complex is one of the most polluting industries; manufacturing chemicals, packaging waste, discarded pills down the sink and into the water table. White Castle medicine is another reason the pond became a toxic blight.
Green Medicine
Medicine that is supported by scientific principles and works sustainably with the environment is Green Medicine. It follows the principles of ecological balance rather than corporate chemistry. Green Medicine, also known as naturopathic or holistic medicine, is the amalgamation of thousands of years of native healing traditions. It fuses scientific knowledge, employing the best of folk medicine, nutrition, biochemistry, organic farming, and other disciplines that are part of the greater web of scientific understanding. This whole-science web supports health, of you and the pond. Continue reading →
Changing the Ecology of Health Care: Green Medicine (pt 1)
by Tom Ballard, RN, ND
Have you measured your medical carbon footprint?
“Carbon footprint” may be new to you or maybe you’ve been walking in ecological shoes for years. Al Gore or Rachael Carson might have turned you on to the complexity and vulnerability of the planet. Whether new to it or an old “nature buff”, you think of yourself as having “Gone green.” But, what about your medical carbon footprint?
Many of us have health issues that need as much attention as the environment, yet we’re not applying the same standards of care. It’s often off our radar to think about how our health care choices impact the world. We may spend more time with our recycling than in choosing a doctor. But, our bodies are an ecological system just like any river, wetland, or pond we’ve worked to save. Continue reading →
Tom Ballard, ND's blog 
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: ecology, green medicine, holistic medicine, medical deaths, naturopathic, white castle medicine
Economic Failure to Thrive
You’re the same person that knows that consumerism – buying stuff as a type of therapy – is bad for the environment. At the same time you live in a country that consumes more “health care” – that is, drugs and devices – than any country in the world, even other industrialized countries where people are healthier and live longer. Americans line up for White Castle medicine as if on a shopping spree, in spite of statistics showing that cities with the highest medical utilization have the poorest health outcomes. (Dartmouth Report)
Retail therapy, whether it’s for clothes or drugs, provides a short-term high that is not only bad for you, but crippling for the economy. It is a medical model that, barely 130 years old (aspirin was synthesized in 1880) drains money from more fertile fields such as education and infrastructure. Economically, whether talking Medicare, Medicaid or general healthcare access, the current medical model, costing three trillion dollars a year, has been pronounced unsustainable.
Additional White Castle Costs: pollution
Besides its astronomical costs and general ineffectiveness, the medical-industrial-complex is one of the most polluting industries; manufacturing chemicals, packaging waste, discarded pills down the sink and into the water table. White Castle medicine is another reason the pond became a toxic blight.
Green Medicine
Medicine that is supported by scientific principles and works sustainably with the environment is Green Medicine. It follows the principles of ecological balance rather than corporate chemistry. Green Medicine, also known as naturopathic or holistic medicine, is the amalgamation of thousands of years of native healing traditions. It fuses scientific knowledge, employing the best of folk medicine, nutrition, biochemistry, organic farming, and other disciplines that are part of the greater web of scientific understanding. This whole-science web supports health, of you and the pond. Continue reading →