Written by Brooke | Dec 19, 2024 11:43:38 PM
The modern medical world is almost entirely focused on treating symptoms. Symptoms are byproducts of an illness, much like a flat tire might be the symptom of dry rot in your bicycle tire. You could patch the tire, and that will work for awhile, but you haven't necessarily fixed the problem. Discovering the root cause of your health issues is like inspecting your bike to see what caused the issue. Maybe a burr or a nail popped a hole through the rubber. Perhaps you replace your tube entirely. Then you get another flat, only to discover that the issue is actually that the rim of your tire has broken, creating a sharp piece of metal which is going to cause every new tube you put on that wheel to go flat. You've just discovered the
root cause, and are now prepared to appropriately address the issue. The same holds true with your health - physical, emotional and spiritual. Western medicine is all about patching the tire. You can keep putting a patch on things and hope it holds, or we can take the time to discover the underlying issues and resolve them in a more permanent, meaningful way. However, this can be incredibly difficult to do as an individual patient. The reality is that doctors, hospitals and insurance companies simply are not designed to look at health in a holistic fashion. As your
Root Cause Wellness Advocate, you'll not simply
work with Dr. Wards to discover these underlying issues, she will help you navigate the larger healthcare community in general. Through relationships with other
functional medicine doctors and holistic practitioners, you'll begin to form a full picture of what is and is
not working with your body, at which point actual healing can begin.
History of Root Cause Wellness Advocacy
Organizations like the
Root Cause Coalition are attempting to create actual, meaningful change in our nation's healthcare system. Such change can -- and frankly has -- take decades to come about. Most of us don't have another twenty or thirty years to wait for Western medicine to decide that we should have more input and control over our health. It's necessary for us to start taking the reins now. You could search the Internet all day, and get 100 different answers to the same question. That's where Dr. Wards comes in -- as a trained medical professional, she can provide you with the proper guidance to separate the meandering foot trails from your actual path to wellness.
What is Root Cause Wellness Advocacy?
Who, what, where, when and why. We all learned this in elementary school. It's the driving force behind journalism. And it's what root cause wellness uses to repair -- not just patch -- the physical and mental issues holding you back from living your life to its fullest potential. And most importantly, answering these questions allows us to answer the most important one of all:
how to treat your particular condition. Also known as
holistic patient advocates, root cause wellness advocates are here to help you navigate the healthcare system to get to the root cause of your issues. This may include:
- Running labs to analyze your body's current health and vitality.
- Looking at your eating habits to see where nutritional improvements can be made.
- Discuss other aspects of your particular case and proceed as is appropriate.
We treat the whole patient, not just their disease. At times, holistic care can feel foreign, almost like a magic that can't possibly be as effective as what we've been conditioned to accept as "medicine." For those of us who've attempted to navigate this traditional system, though, a few things quickly become obvious:
- Pills, pills, pills. Western medicine would have you believe that nearly every symptom can be treated with a pill. Pills are the ultimate bandaid, but bandaids don't actually heal the wound - they just prevent us from seeing the symptom. Pills can absolutely mask our symptoms, which is precisely why they're so popular. You no longer have your symptom, your doctor has reason to believe that they have "fixed" the problem, and the pharmaceutical industry continues to rake in the $1.5 trillion in revenue they now generate. Sweeping your symptoms under the rug does not actually remove the mess, though.
- Our healthcare system is overwhelmed. There are countless doctors who got into medicine, and continue to practice it, out of an earnest desire to help people. However, between insurance provider limitations, limited medical staff, impediments created by the corporations that own our hospitals and employ our healthcare providers, and simply an inability to completely address every issue via Western medicine, patients soon realize that their doctor does not have the bandwidth to adequately care for them. It can be difficult enough just to get a timely appointment, let alone feel like you are a real person who deserves care and not just another booking to complete.
- Western medicine is overwhelmed. If it ever feels like your doctor is playing a guessing game with your care, that is likely because there are simply not enough resources for healthcare providers to adequately attend to their patients. Try asking a few deeper questions about what is causing your symptoms, and you'll undoubtedly begin to see how many canned answers are provided. If you inquire about alternative or holistic methods, you may be met with condescension or agreement, but in any case you'll find that your insurance provider is unlikely to cover it. Your case is assumed to be similar to everyone else who has ever been in your situation, and can only be treated like everyone else has been treated. This overburdened system in the United States is now estimated to cause 210,000 deaths from preventable harm, specifically caused by medical error, each year.
Take preventative screenings, for example. You may have a family history or other reason to believe that you would benefit from certain screenings at an earlier age than is typical. However, in the eyes of your insurance provider, this is
never the case. You are not seen as an individual with individual needs, but must instead fit
your health into a broader box intended for most people. While holistic care may not be what you grew up accustomed to, it is far from magic. At Infinity Wellness, we use science-based findings to discover the root cause of your symptoms, and then take proven steps to treat those conditions. While your insurance may not cover much of what we do, if you were to sit down and consider how much time and money you've spent putting temporary patches on your health, you'll likely discover just how valuable -- and affordable -- our services are. The health and wellness of your body is the basis of everything you have, and taking care of it should be your number one priority. Which is exactly what it will be to us, when you become a patient and allow us to become your root cause wellness advocates.