Natural Medicine and Politics! Our current private health care climate...
The Flower of life is a powerful symbol and the one I choose to place here for this blog.... MEDICINE AND POLITICS. This is something we all need to address!
Herbalism is one of the oldest arts globally and all cultures have derived their medicines from plants. Plants are the foundation to our modern pharmaceutical medicine and herbalism is the core of internal medicine. Its historical and cultural everywhere.
The association with shamanism, witchcraft, alchemy, pharmacy, Doctors, healers, therapists, magicians and seer sayers has always been a controversial subject as science became more dominant and intuitive. There was a decline in the natural, home based arts of medicine as they were less practiced due to social changes and political, religious doctrines.
Now days in Australia we have such freedom... We have the choice of who to go to for what? We can take the best of medicines and whether we see a Physical therapist for body work, a traditional cultural healer such as Ayurvedic or Chinese traditional medicine, or we go the the local GP ( General practitioner) we are assured of a safe journey and a professional looking after us to meet our health care needs. Most health care practices are insured and run by professional bodies with an evidence based best practice model in place.
As naturopaths here we are a self regulated industry. What this means is that we have associations to create protocol and we have self funded patients who do not get rebates from the Government for coming to see us. Nor are our herbal and nutritional medicines we prescribe covered by any kind of government funding, except to some private health care insurance providers who offer this to their patients. This won't be an option in a few months as the Australian Government has withdrawn subsidies to Private health care insurers for many wellness alliance practices. This is a flawed and complex issue with more questions than answers.
My question is why would the government subsidise private health care in the first place? I don't see how that helps everyone? The gap between the public system and the private system will widen in future years as we go by the models already in place and set up in other Western countries. So, its a priority in my mind to develop self empowered health care structures, based on people being empowered and educated. Yes, thats us folks!
Segregating entire blocks of health care and giving fully legitimate and traditional therapies and cultural medicines the heave ho out. Aka, Ayurvedic medicine, Traditional western herbalism, naturopathy, massage therapy, body work. Yoga.... Boom. The Australian reviewers say there is not enough evidence for them to continue paying for these services... However they did need to chop $30 million plus out of the payments annually and everyone who is already registered was not reviewed nor questioned. Its questionable how naturopathy is evidence based in tother countries but somehow the Australian government didn't see it as legit here??? After all over 50% of the British pharmacopeia which is the basis for pharmaceutical medicines is plant based.... !!
We need to educate everyone. But the bottom line is that we now know chronic disease is manageable and reversible. We know that diabetes type two is treatable with dietary adjustments. We know that inflammation is the precursor to most chronic disease and we know that obesity, arthritis, cancer and many other so called chronic conditions can be avoided, and treated with nutritional medicine. Just do a google search. Look at the clinical trials, look at the peer reviewed studies and you will see for yourself.... We are capable as individuals to use natural solutions to create our own wellness.
This move by our government on private health care insurance, which is an area they did not need to be involved in as its private sector, will send the message that self empowerment in health care is useless to people who rely blindly on external sources to keep them healthy. Cheap Doctor visits, cheap pharmaceuticals etc. The toxic food industry sits back watching it all happen as trans fatty acids, high fructose corn syrup, additives and proven carcinigens are freely distributed amongst the public.
This political landscape is designed to feed the already strong big Pharma model and the model that the GP is the primary health care provider. It is sucking unnecessary money from the system that is predicted to be nearing 30% of our GDP by 2030. This is horrific as we will be taking money needed for community development, education, free health care and social requirements and putting it straight in the hands of the Pharma fat cats. This scares me.
People who are awakened to wellness advocacy and patients who are self empowered with health strategies and preventive health measures are not going to be effected by this so much.... Sure you may loose the rebates to go to yoga, pilates, massage and also the visit to naturopaths like me in our charged clinics. You might loose the 30% rebate on your vitamins and nutritional supplements. But over all, you will be ok.... Because you already understand what wellness and health is!
Its the masses of society I feel for now... The people who don't understand why they have diabetes type 2? The people who feed off toxic food cycles that they are persuaded to consume through media, ignorance, naivety or just plain peer behaviour.... How do we help these people? How do you sell a message to someone that what they are doing and consuming is creating the problem? Especially when the hand that feeds them.... Aka the Government benefits, subsidies and pay outs are telling them with their wallet that our services and practices are worthless?
Wow.... That is something we will be paying for for generations to come!
Whats the solution? I think we need to think global. Do what the world health organisation have been advocating for many years and strengthen traditional and cultural medicines and practices. We need to go from the people up and support local initiatives and therapists in our own areas.
We need to research and look at the amazing technologies that are available to us and read, read, read. We need to trust our local GP, our local pharmacist, our local therapists and our local yoga teachers. We need to trust that they are intelligent enough to have our wellness as a priority and that the ever growing machine of monopoly will quieten down and our Governments will start to educate in schools, empower in places of employment, charge taxes to the food industry for certain foods, the sugar tax is one example.
We also need to look at the pit falls other countries have experienced and not follow them straight down the rabbit hole. We need to empower everyone and stop the segregation in the health care industries and therapies. We need to get the government out of private health insurance and let the insurers decide what they support!
This blog was going to be about something else entirely.... Then this came through. I think I needed to write about this topic because of the political climate here atm. I'm honoured to be going to the UK in July to present at Two conferences on Naturopthay there and see that so much respect and empowerment with health care and global wellness is being represented in the UK and Europe. I just want that here in Australia too.
Our next Long Table Wellness day is March 3rd on Womens hormonal health. We welcome you to join us. Places limited as I like to keep these days super awesome and helpful for all attendees.
See you soon. We are at Eumundi Markets every Saturday and also I'm available for herbal body therapy and naturopathic consults... connect with me and we can make a plan to help you with your wellness.
www.medicineroom.com.au
phone us 0409765033
Our facebook pages are Dominique Livkamal and Medicineroom http://www.facebook.com/dominiquelivkamal
http://www.facebook.com/medicineroom
On instagram we are medicine_room
Check out our awesome herbal skin balms, oils and nectars online. We love making these for you and if you are out and about we will be at Eumundi Markets on Saturday.
You can buy my body products at Maple Street Co op Maleny. New Earth Cafe Coolum, Kunara Foods Sunshine Coast. the Wellness Mill in Nambour, Bliss you Wellness Caloundra, Brunswick heads health foods, Santos food Mullumbimby and Byron Bay. Happy Herbs Alice Springs.Lost treasures in Balmoral Rd Montville. If you want to be a stockist, call us or email sales@medcinineroom.com.au and let us share our little pots of happiness with you. !
Have a great day
Love and light Dominique Livkamal
MHlth public health/health promotion Bch Hlth Sc/ Complementary medicine ND, Nutritionist, herbalist . Adv Dip Nat. Dip Journ. Kundalini yoga teacher, Zen Thai Shiatsu, student of life and wellness advocate. Founder Medicineroom. High vibes on the mountain, herbal first aid services and programmer for Woodford Folk Festival…. always working with love, gratefulness, light and through the divine grace!
Book with me at Bliss you Wellness in Caloundra for personal sessions.... They are empowering, personalised and we focus on your outcome!
Love Dom xox
Blessings and love
Dominique