Boomers won't bust us - Health care will

Boomers won't bust us - Health care will
Please click above link to read the CNN article.
Our economy appears to be suffering. The overall health of the future of american economy is described in CNBC article (http://www.cnbc.com/id/26001658) and the upcoming documentary, IOUSA.

Along with the trade deficits and the federal deficits are two culprits. A major portion of federal deficits, especially in the coming future, will be from Health Care. The U.S. government is the biggest payor of health care expenses including Medicaid and Medicare. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/nationalhealthexpenddata/ provides useful statitistics. In 2017, it is estimated that nearly 20% GDP will be dedicated to healthcare. That means nearly quarter of every dollar will be spent in health care.

What do we get from this very expensive health care system? The best in the world? No, not even close. http://healthcare-economist.com/2008/07/18/us-health-care-scores-poorly/ is an article that describes the health care system as sick. And this sick health care system is making our finances ill.

I believe that integrative medicine and preventive medicine can make a difference in the quality of care and quality of life. It is this firm belief that I chose to train beyond family medicine. I spent two years completing a preventive medicine residency and a master's in public health and another two years training with Dr. Andrew Weil at U of Arizona.

Integrative Medicine makes use of the Western diagnostic tools and also uses less invasive tools of healing for a problem before rushing to more invasive and more expensive modalities such as surgery. Preventive Medicine makes use of existing tools to prevent problems to become worse.

I hope that our politicians pay attention to the coming trends and attempt to correct the course before our financial future of the country will be threatened.

John Kim, MD MPH
Director
Georgia Integrative Medicine

UNM sets opening event for integrative medicine clinic

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2008/08/04/daily15.html

Above is the link for the news announcing yet another University Medical Center (U of New Mexico) creating an integrative medicine center. U of Arizona, UCSF, and Duke University have started integrative medicine centers recognizing the value of integrative medicine.

In my training with Dr. Andrew Weil at University of Arizona, probably the most important lesson was that Integrative Medicine's mission is to focus on patients' healing rather than to focus on tools and modalities.

Physicians and healers have a tendency to develop attachment to techniques that they have learned and invested their resources. For example, physicians tend to prescribe medications and chiropractors tend to perform adjustments and acupuncturists to acupuncture.

Rather than focusing on tools of healing, integrative medicine focuses on the needs of the patients and weaves a comprehensive healing plan setting priorities on methods that are less invasive to patients that have higher probability of success. The techniques where patient can enhance their own healing ability is also encouraged through nutrition, meditation, mind-body techniques, and physical activity such as Tai Chi.

This way, patients can be empowered for their own healing of the mind, body, and spirit.

John Kim, MD MPH
www.georgiaintegrative.com