The importance of freedom of choice in healthcare

[Guest guest]

>Alternative Medicine in Portugal needs your help!!

>

>

>Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Osteopathy, Fitotherapy and Chiropractics risk

>extermination!

 

Admittedly, I am biased when it comes to the importance of freedom of choice

when it comes to medical matters. You see, if it were not for alternative

medicine and TCM in particular and having the freedom to try those, I

probably would be dead.

 

What is happening in Portugal is happening in varying degrees in every

industrialized nation in the world and in every state in the US. It's the

same old same of bribes, payola, revolving doors between government

" service " and private industry, influence buying, selfish agendas that put

profits before what's best for people, and medical policies based not on

what is scientific or what works the best at a reasonable cost but on who is

buying and paying the most for politicians and bureaucrats. Make no mistake

about it, healthcare is an industry. And a very profitable one.

 

Freedom of choice in healthcare matters is very, very important because no

school of healing has all the answers. Western medicine is best for some

things like trauma, TCM tends to be best for chronic conditions,

chiropractors and osteopaths can get positive results for things that are

beyond the scope of Western medicine or TCM, etc. Without freedom of

choice, people will not receive the healtcare which is best for the

individual.

 

Also, without freedom of choice in medicine, advancements in the only

officially sanctioned medicine tend to slow and then stop entirely. A good

example of this in Western medicine is the treatment of ulcers. For many

years - thanks to the powerful influence of the psychiatric industry in the

US and the West - it was believed that gastric ulcers were due to stress,

and the treatment for these ulcers were antiacids and anti-anxiety drugs and

in some cases, psychological therapy. But then some Australian researchers

stepped outside the officially sanctioned view of ulcers and discovered that

there is a bacteria which causes ulcers. It was discovered that in many

cases antibiotics can clear up many ulcers faster and better than previous

treatments.

 

If Australian researchers had not been free to look " outside the box " and to

consider alternative explanations and treatments, this advancement in the

treatment of ulcers never would have occurred. There are a lot of things

that can help people that will never be discovered if greed and a lust for

power are allowed to monopolize healthcare.

 

Any time any industry is allowed to establish what amounts to a monopoly,

not only are cheaper and better alternatives kept from people, the standards

within the industry or company holding the monopoly decrease drastically.

The company or industry no longer has to compete based on offering quality

goods or services for a reasonable price. The company or industry only has

to worry about influencing a few politicians and bureaucrats in key

positions.

 

So if anyone has any help for Rui Pedro and other Portuguese alternative

healers, please pass it on. The information you give Rui today may tomorrow

be used to help alternative healers in your country or state.

 

Victoria

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