I don’t want to settle for a broken healthcare system

Someone told me recently that I offended them because of my posts on social media. My hope is that collectively by sharing information and my journey that we can elevate our current sick care system and make changes so that we actually support providing health care. I truly believe lives could change.

I never share other medical practitioners posts or content as a way to jab. I honestly want to help as many people as I can after my own struggle. I share content with the Reading Rainbow thought, “the more you know”. I found in my own personal healing journey that I had to equip myself with knowledge to be able to advocate for my health. I quickly realized that no one was going to help me and that I was going to have to help myself if I stood any chance of regaining a quality of life I could settle for.  As my body continues to heal, I cannot help but think what is possible if I do not settle?

I could only hope that the content I share provokes other practitioners to think about things differently. I could only hope that it would force them to dig deep within themselves to ask if they are really getting to the root of the problem. I can only hope that it helps them understand the mechanical and chemical functions within the body. I can only hope that they can help patients decode their bodies leaving clues.

Practitioners are not held to different standards between hospital medical systems and private practice. We all take the same licensure examination and have the same state board requirements to continue to practice medicine. The difference is that some of us drew the line. Some of us refuse to settle for a broken healthcare system with productivity standards that diminish patient care. I do not know if it is right or wrong, but insurance companies also place limitations on what is a covered service or how many visits the patient is allotted. The ability to take the patient to the next level could be compromised in a system where insurance dictates care.

I see a lot of practitioners looking for ways out of patient care. Are they burnt out? Has their moral compass been challenged? I see a lot of practitioners as they are looking for a way out, expressing they still would like to make $100k/ year, and specifically indicating “do not tell me to open my own practice because I do not have time or money”. I cannot answer any of these questions. I only know what is right for me. But I do know, you always have a choice. 

I was forced to leave my employer because it was the source of my severe toxic mold and bacterial exposure that landed me in the ER and nearly took my life. I did not know where my next paycheck would come from. I did not know if I would ever be able to physically return to my profession. I did not know if any practitioner would be able to help me. But, I had a choice. 

I chose to keep searching for answers. I chose to keep learning. I networked with others who had connections to help me with my physical illness. I chose to design a website so I could begin blogging. I choose to test rental spaces to find a clean environment that would be safe to bring others into and where I could continue to heal. I found healing bit by bit. I chose to open my own practice. I chose what equipment I would need. I chose what continuing education and master classes would allow me to grow. I chose to keep learning when patients, with challenging symptoms, were told it was in their head, sent to pain management and felt like they had nowhere to go.

My patients will commonly thank me for explaining the body system in a manner that they can understand and breaking it down simply. I could not do that if I did not walk the journey I have been through. I think one of the issues with our current system is that we have made healthcare so complex. The way the body was designed to handle pathogens, inflammation and pain is basic and simple. You need to understand the mechanical and chemical relationships to understand the system as a whole. The human body always fascinates me.

And because of that fascination and my own personal journey, I choose not to settle.