Eliminate the Cause and You Eliminate the Symptom

Have you noticed the word ‘cure’ isn’t used much anymore?

Cure was once every health provider’s goal. An elimination of the problem. Complete recovery.

Now alleviating the symptom with the new miracle drug has replaced discovering the underlying cause of an illness. Without treating the root cause, complete recovery is virtually impossible. Here are the disturbing facts, proving that treating the root cause is a far superior strategy than the pill-for-every-ill mentality.

Treating Symptoms Maintains Disease

A study done in 2013 by the National Institute on Aging and the Mayo Clinic reveals a disturbing trend:

• 7 out of 10 Americans take at least one prescription drug daily
• More than half take two daily drugs
• 20% are on 5 or more medications
• Over age 65 lipid lowering drugs were given the most, then blood pressure drugs, antidepressants, and gastrointestinal drugs

Mayo Clinic study author Jennifer St. Sauver M.D. states:

“As you get older you tend to get more prescriptions, and women tend to get more prescriptions than men”

Drugs treat symptoms. The question we must ask: does taking more drugs (especially by older people) improve our health? Our country spends more money than any other country and is sicker than all the other developed nations (click here for stats Our Broken Health Care System). The obvious answer is NO.

The CDC National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows the following trend for cholesterol lowering drug (statin) use:

• 5% of adults took statin drugs in the late 1980’s
• 23% of adults were taking statins between 2007-2010
• 25% of adults over the age of 45 take a statin today

CDC’s death statistics show heart disease continues to kill:

• 1 in 4 Americans die of heart disease every year
• Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women
• Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death for the past 50 years

More people are taking statin drugs than any time in U.S. history. If lowering cholesterol treats the cause of heart disease, then CDC statistics would show heart disease deaths rates going down. Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death DESPITE more people lowering their cholesterol!

Treating symptoms maintains disease.

Would you use duct tape to cover the “check engine light” on your dash board? Or would you want to find the problem under the hood? Treating symptoms may be necessary to help with pain or avoid an imminent life threatening problem. We get caught up in the symptoms and have lost sight of the problem — despite evidence to the contrary. Treating the cause will eliminate the problem.

This cartoon on YouTube between a patient and their provider recommending Lipitor may look all too familiar.

Provider recommending Lipitor (cartoon on YouTube)

Integrative Medicine Treats the Cause

The core philosophy of integrative medicine is the body knows best how to heal. The job of the integrative medicine provider is to give the body what it needs to heal and remove barriers that prevent it from healing. This is the root cause of all problems! Symptoms become CLUES to what the body needs to heal. When we are guided by this approach, the root causes are treated and the body can obtain optimal health.

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