I am not trying to scare you into not going to your doctor but, with all of the risk involved in today’s medical system we need to be more proactive in our health care. We need to be knowledgeable of our treatment options and take more control of our treatment programs. A lot of us these days seem to go to the doctor unnecessarily for minor symptoms such as the common cold. We need to stop relying so heavily on doctors for everything and take advantage of other options. There are many different options available to us for our health and wellness that don’t consist of going to the doctor such as CAM (Complimentary Alternative Medicine). However, if you are truly ill and need a doctor, go.

If you do need to go to a doctor remember to quiz them, after all it is your health. Ask them about their diagnosis and what it means. Ask them about their prescribed treatments and pharmaceuticals, especially about possible side effects and reactions. Most importantly, ask your doctor about alternative treatments. Once you have quizzed your doctor, research for yourselves any treatment and prescriptions you might have been given. This is very important.

At the beginning of 2009 I was diagnosed with high cholesterol. My doctor prescribed a statin drug to lower my cholesterol level. With all the hype about high cholesterol, and its devastating and potentially deadly potential, I immediately went out and bought the statin drug. Thankfully, my wife talked to me and advised me to research high cholesterol and the drug before I took them. With just a little research I found out several things. The first was that my cholesterol level was not really that high and I did not need to be on statins. Simple diet change would have been sufficient enough to lower my cholesterol to an acceptable level. The second thing I discovered was that statin drugs commonly cause a lot of adverse conditions such as liver damage and muscle deterioration which my doctor did not mention. I soon realized that, for me, the risk potential of taking the medication far outweighed the risk potential of having an elevated cholesterol level. After a little more research I also found a lot of information and several studies by doctors that show there is no evidence that high cholesterol lead to heart problems like that of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon, Dr. Dwight Lundell and his book “The Great Cholesterol Lie.” According to his research high cholesterol levels leading to heart risk is a lie based on faulty facts.

The main thing is that we need to make smart educated choices for our own health care. Complimentary Alternative Medicine is a smart choice. The different modalities available to us give us the benefit of living healthy lifestyles while cutting down on our excessive use of doctors and medication. There are a wide range of CAM modalities for us to utilize as part of our health care. Services range from Reflexology and Acupressure to Herbalism and Energy Healing. They are all services that are designed to keep us healthy as opposed to traditional medical services which treat us after we become ill. Although these services are best if used as preventive measures they are also very effective at helping to cure ailments after we become ill.