I'm the Captain of my Health Care Team

All my years and years of self-study and classes about how the body works and how different health treatments work really paid off this winter. I won't bore my readers with too many details, but I think I probably would have died if I had not known when to take matters into my own hands.

I'm not a big proponent of self-diagnosis and self-treatment in serious or chronic matters, but I learned the hard way a long time ago that the conventional medical establishment does not have all the answers. That's when I decided I had to be the captain of my health care team and I needed to educate myself. I also needed to evaluate any professional I hired to be part of that team as carefully as I evaluate a contractor or tax accountant.

Now don't get me wrong. I appreciate all the conventional medical establishment has to offer, but I learned that it is pretty much limited to testing, drugs and surgery. When I suffered a life-threatening infection this past winter, a big part of my recovery was knowing when to enlist the services of "alternative" health providers. Specialized detoxifying massages, electrical stimulation of damaged nerves, physical therapy and specific nutritional therapy were as important as tests and antibiotics.

Sometimes people tell me they don't consider alternative therapies because their insurance does not cover these services. That is false economy in my book. It is as silly as hiring an electrician when you really need a plumber just because somebody else is willing to pay the electrician, but they are not willing to pay the plumber. I know I ultimately saved money--and I probably saved my own life--by knowing how to assemble the right team for the challenge I was facing.

My medical doctor never suggested anything other than testing and drugs. I don't fault her for that, but I am glad I was aware of the limitations of her training.

I will continue to learn. I know education is expensive, but ignorance could have cost me my life.