It is not unusual for price to come up as a primary concern when talking to prospective patients. Not only do you have to pay for my time and the tests we run, but the supplements I prescribe and the changes we make to your diet can cause a little bit of sticker-shock for many. Don't get me wrong, for most people the difference in the way that they feel is priceless and well worth these fees... But in today's economy money is on everybody's mind.
So, how could I possibly suggest that doing what I do might actually save you money? Because it very well could.
In a recent news segment on WRAL, a local channel here in North Carolina, they highlighted a case where a woman's prescription drastically increased in price. The price of her prescription for her autoimmune disease went from about $90 to $1000 for a 90 day refill! Can you imagine going to fill your prescription and finding out that it had gone up in price more than ten-fold? More importantly, how confident are you that something like that won't happen to you in the future?
This is the risk we take putting our health in the hands of the pharmaceutical industry. They've got us in a headlock and they know it. We've all become so hopelessly dependent on drugs to manage our chronic illnesses that when something like this happens we have little to no choice but to hand over our credit card. If only there was an alternative...
Wouldn't it make more sense for us to get to the root-cause of our health concerns, address them using natural means, and learn to maintain our health through diet, exercise and lifestyle choices? That is what I do with my patients with functional medicine. My goal for each of my patients is to help them feel better and then, perhaps more importantly, learn how to take control of their health and keep making improvements well beyond what we do in my office. Sure, I might make you go gluten-free and take some supplements, but at least you'll have more control over and a better understanding of your health than if you just took a pill for the rest of your life.
The world of pharmaceutical symptom management has a lot of pitfalls- cost being just one of them. Along with their "iffy" effectiveness and their high rate of side-effects, drugs may no longer be the most cost effective means of dealing with many chronic diseases. Functional medicine may very well offer answers and hope to those who lost all hope in the medical system long ago.
Stay healthy, NC!
So, how could I possibly suggest that doing what I do might actually save you money? Because it very well could.
In a recent news segment on WRAL, a local channel here in North Carolina, they highlighted a case where a woman's prescription drastically increased in price. The price of her prescription for her autoimmune disease went from about $90 to $1000 for a 90 day refill! Can you imagine going to fill your prescription and finding out that it had gone up in price more than ten-fold? More importantly, how confident are you that something like that won't happen to you in the future?
This is the risk we take putting our health in the hands of the pharmaceutical industry. They've got us in a headlock and they know it. We've all become so hopelessly dependent on drugs to manage our chronic illnesses that when something like this happens we have little to no choice but to hand over our credit card. If only there was an alternative...
Wouldn't it make more sense for us to get to the root-cause of our health concerns, address them using natural means, and learn to maintain our health through diet, exercise and lifestyle choices? That is what I do with my patients with functional medicine. My goal for each of my patients is to help them feel better and then, perhaps more importantly, learn how to take control of their health and keep making improvements well beyond what we do in my office. Sure, I might make you go gluten-free and take some supplements, but at least you'll have more control over and a better understanding of your health than if you just took a pill for the rest of your life.
The world of pharmaceutical symptom management has a lot of pitfalls- cost being just one of them. Along with their "iffy" effectiveness and their high rate of side-effects, drugs may no longer be the most cost effective means of dealing with many chronic diseases. Functional medicine may very well offer answers and hope to those who lost all hope in the medical system long ago.
Stay healthy, NC!
If you or somebody you know is interested in working with a functional medicine doctor please call my office at (919) 238-4094 and see if we are the right fit for you. Infinity Holistic Healthcare is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, part of the Raleigh-Durham "triangle" area.
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