Medical rant

It's no secret that I am not a fan of the medical system in this country.  Yes, we have fine doctors who are terrific at treating symptoms and keeping people alive with procedures and drugs.  I don't deny that. But, treating symptoms with drugs more often than not creates a whole new set of symptoms that they like to treat with more drugs with more side effects, and it's no wonder we have so many unhealthy people in this country.

What we lack is a good system of preventive care and physicians who know how to use food and vitamins for healing the body's deficiencies naturally.  And when you can find them, most health insurance (including Medicare) won't pay for them.  Not because they are ineffective, because they are very effective.  But because our doctors are not trained in nutrition.  They are trained to treat symptoms and perform procedures.

If we had good preventive care and if health insurance would cover natural health doctors and the nutrients they prescribe, I think we'd be a far healthier country.  Of course, that would require the cooperation of the general public who would rather wolf down some fast food and take a pill to treat their diabetes or whatever, rather than eating a diet that could eliminate their diabetes (type II) for example. And granted, not all illnesses are reversible by diet and nutrients and in those cases, drugs and procedures are certainly called for. 

I got the results today from a slew of blood tests and x-rays.  The x-rays show some deterioration in the lower spine, which is likely causing at least some of the peripheral neuropathy the doc said was probably what was going on with me.  All I know about the blood tests is that they were 'good'.  I'll pick up a copy for myself tomorrow and make my own assessment based on past tests and medical opinions.  Still, the woman I spoke with at the doc's office said there was no treatment, but they could give me something for pain.  Sorry.  I don't go there.  First of all, I don't have pain, I have numbness and tingling.  Secondly, I've done my own research and there are several treatments, merely not drug-related treatments.  Stretching in certain ways helps (I've tried it, and it does help), as do several B vitamins.

I already take a good bit of Thiamine (B-1), but in my research this afternoon found that this form of B-1 is not as absorbable by the body as a newer form, Benfotiamine.   I've taken the Methylcobalamin form of B12, but ran out a few weeks ago and didn't order more.  I've also taken the P-5-P form of B-6, and recently ran out of that and didn't reorder. ($$, you know.)  There were others, but I couldn't afford all of them and these seem to be the best at doing what needs to be done in my body. So, I plunked down $50 and placed an order for these 3 B-vits at my go-to place for vitamins, Swanson.  I really couldn't afford that, but it's worth a try to see if my symptoms will alleviate once I begin taking them.  All of these symptoms seemed to return after I ran out of the P-5-P and Methylcobalamin, although it could have been a coincidence.  We'll find out.

End of rant, although I'll be continuing the effort to myself for awhile to come, no doubt.