insurance Archives - Hormones Matter

Navigate Healing With Loved Ones

Published on March 25, 2024

6.3K views

How can you support the heroine in your life and navigate the healing process? Find your inner Chris Columbus.

Being ill is overwhelming. Anyone with ongoing illness is a heroine on an epic journey. This journey can be filled with plenty of bumps, roadblocks, U-turns, and forks (aka decision-making opportunities). There are some awe-inspiring moments as well.

Everyone’s experience of illness is different. Even heroines with the same diagnosis or symptom list will have different experiences of the illness or dis-ease; and the impact on their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being varies.

This unique journey your heroine is traveling is not a straight, engineered path moving from A to B to C, so this isn’t a process for a GPS-esque one-size-fits-most solution. The heroine needs a navigator. A valuable way to support the heroine in your life is to be her trusted navigator. Even Amelia Earhart had a navigator.

Because no two journeys are the same and there’s often uncharted territory, lists of things to do may or may not be relevant. No list can cover every circumstance. But anyone, in any situation can draw on inner resources and embody the characteristics of the navigator role. What navigator inspires you? Find a role model for yourself. As you support your heroine consider the traits of your role model and bring that essence into your being.

Here are a few ways to view this journey through the lens of a navigator and embrace your role in your heroine’s healing journey.

Identify the Destination

Most healing journeys have multiple destinations. Each encounter with a healthcare professional could be its own destination. There is the ultimate destination of well-being. The heroine determines the various destinations as the journey unfolds. Regardless of the destination, there are common characteristics to know you’re at a destination that supports your heroine. A destination that works:

Feels comfortable ‒ whatever comfortable means to the heroine
Strengthens and renews ‒ ultimately the destination is uplifting
Encompasses movement on some level ‒ stagnation is not OK

Discuss this with your heroine so you’ll know when you’re on course. If during an appointment the heroine is uncomfortable or not feeling understood, this is feedback that you’re off course.

Pay attention to when the destination shifts. For example, what starts as getting relief for physical pain could shift to identifying underlying emotional trauma that impacts true healing.

Scout the Landscape

Wow, where to start with so much landscape to cover in the world of health, healing and well-being? This is intertwined with knowing the destination. When the destination is relief from symptoms, the landscape could be anything from acupuncture, to dietary changes to pharmaceuticals. When the destination is eliminating the root cause, you’re likely in the territory of older traditions that have studied health for centuries: Naturopathic, Homeopathic, Chinese, or Ayurveda. Pay attention to the destination to know which direction to scout.

Regardless of the landscape, it is helpful to:

Curate information – narrow down the vast information into relevant pieces like a museum curator
Bring a sense of curiosity – explore options, ask questions like a child
Transform barriers into paths – go above, around, through, or chart a new path; a roadblock may be a sign to shift direction

Map the Cairns

Cairns are stone towers that have marked important places and travel routes for centuries. Your heroine may be struggling just to feel “normal” and have some sort of normal life, and feel how she used to feel. Even people who avidly journal or meditate may miss their own signposts. Having someone else note the journey, like a log book, can be valuable.

Cairns may mark straight routes, turning points, or places to pause and reflect; this could include:

Shifts in mindset – for example a new lens of the meaning of the illness
Noticing cause and effect – when the heroine feels different emotionally, physically, mentally or spiritually
Joy – with so much focus on not feeling well, celebrate even small wins

It can be challenging for friends and family to how to support their heroine. Finding your inner navigator equips you to be supportive moment to moment, and respond to your heroine’s evolving journey.

We Need Your Help

More people than ever are reading Hormones Matter, a testament to the need for independent voices in health and medicine. We are not funded and accept limited advertising. Unlike many health sites, we don’t force you to purchase a subscription. We believe health information should be open to all. If you read Hormones Matter, like it, please help support it. Contribute now.

Yes, I would like to support Hormones Matter.

Editors note: this post was published previously on September 2011 under the title, Find your Inner Chris Columbus: Navigating the Healing Process. It was re-titled for publication today.

Image by Cloé Gérard from Pixabay.

Women Are Less Satisfied with Health Care Than Men – Why?

by Elena Perez

Published on January 29, 2015

5.6K views

The New York Times reported that women are less satisfied with their health care than men, citing a study from Health Services Research.

Researchers could see an overall difference between men’s and women’s views, but these differences were even more prominent for particular questions. One question asked patients if they felt they received sufficient information for the medications they were prescribed, and the other question asked whether patients were satisfied with the cleanliness of the hospital.

In both cases, women were less satisfied with health care than men – significantly so. Now the question is, Why?

Perhaps women have just been paying attention to the news. Dr. Mark Hyman explains in the Huffington Post that postmenopausal women are being prescribed cholesterol-lowering medication that increases their chances of getting diabetes – by 71%.

This isn’t the only instance in which women’s health needs were overlooked:

Premarin was prescribed to postmenopausal women to prevent heart disease, but it increased their chances of having a heart attack.
Studies have found increased osteoporosis in postmenopausal women prescribed osteoporosis medication.
Women are prescribed medicine as though they’re men, yet they are more likely than men to have irregular heartbeats due to prescription cocktails.
Many doctors don’t realize that pain medication does not have the same impact on women as it does on men. Experiments show Ibuprofen did not reduce pain for women.
In fact, the Society for Women’s Health Research and Medco Health Solutions, Inc. presented a study that showed women are prescribed more medication than men, yet they are less likely than men to get the appropriate drug for their needs.
The Center for the Study of Sex Differences at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. explains that your gender can significantly impact how your disease should be diagnosed and treated. Yet the FDA only required that women be included in drug research since 1993.

No wonder women are less satisfied with their health care than men.

Women Are Less Satisfied with Health Care Provider’s Cleanliness

As it turns out, women’s immune systems are more resilient than men’s. Even so, women are more susceptible to certain illnesses and diseases than men are. Some experts suggest a woman’s stronger immune system is the cause for her susceptibility to autoimmune disorders, but the reasons remain unclear.

Sharyn Clough, a philosopher of science at Oregon State University, explained on NPR how society’s emphasis on a girl’s cleanliness could impact her susceptibility to diseases when she gets older, since she may not be exposed to the same bacteria as young boys.

While this may, or may not, be the case, it makes sense for a woman to be more aware of the cleanliness of her environment if she was raised to do so. It is even more reasonable for a woman to consider the cleanliness of her surroundings if she is more susceptible to disease – especially when she is in an institution that treats the sick.

It’s important that health care providers know that women are less satisfied with their health care than men. Voicing our opinions raises awareness, and these industries don’t want to lose half of their market.

It’s entirely possible that women are less satisfied with health care than men because women pay more for health insurance than men – health care that seems to be specifically geared toward the needs of men, not women.

This post was published previously in April 2012.

Will You be Left Without a Doctor?

by Lisbeth Prifogle, MFA

Published on July 30, 2012

3.6K views

The New York Times looks at a critical problem growing in rural areas of our country. Will you be left without a doctor or specialist in the near future?

“The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that in 2015 the country will have 62,900 fewer doctors than needed. And that number will more than double by 2025, as the expansion of insurance coverage and the aging of baby boomers drive up demand for care. Even without the health care law, the shortfall of doctors in 2025 would still exceed 100,000.”

Read the rest of the article focusing on one of the nation’s critical zone, the Imperial Valley of Southern California, here.

Is Gardasil Mandated in Your State?

by Lisbeth Prifogle, MFA

Published on July 30, 2012

8.1K views

Last week I reported on the controversy of the Gardasil Vaccine produced by Merck (it is important to note that GlaxoSmithKline also makes an HPV vaccine called Cervarix). Many women left comments which confirmed my statements and research with personal stories of their once healthy daughters who are now sick and disabled from this vaccine. This week I will look at which states are mandating that school children get the vaccine and one state that passed legislation for the vaccine to be given to children as young as 12 years old without parental consent.

As I stated in my op-ed piece on the Affordable Health Care Act, I am a libertarian. One of my main concerns about the government controlling our health care is mandated vaccines. To those who think that this could never happen, the simple fact is it’s already happening in our schools and in our military. While I’m a proud Marine, I’m ashamed of the fact that the government has been known to conduct ethically questionable experiments on our troops. In my opinion, vaccines are one of those experiments and rather than do they protect the patient, they ask will the people blindly take them?

While in the Marine Corps, I was vaccinated against every possible disease that there is a vaccine for not once, but twice, sometimes even three times (somehow my shot records never made it to my medical records, which I understand is common in the service). This includes the HPV vaccine, Gardasil. When I say it was mandated, I do in fact mean that I was forced to get these vaccines. Per the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) my body was property of the US Government when I was in the service. You probably think I’m kidding; I’m not. During safety briefs before summer holiday weekends we were told to wear sunscreen (check out the dangers of sunscreen here) because if we got a sunburn while off-duty we could be charged with destruction to government property. Now, that was a little extreme and I don’t know anyone who was actually charged over a sunburn (although it wouldn’t surprise me), it was still true – we were government property. I tried to avoid the Smallpox vaccine and successfully did until we were at the airport terminal boarding the plane for Iraq, I was informed by our unit’s corpsman administering it, “If you don’t get this shot you can’t deploy.”

I sarcastically replied, “Okay,” only to turn around and see the Executive Officer (XO) standing behind me.

Not amused by my sarcasm, he said, “If you don’t get the shot I will charge you with disobeying orders Lieutenant.” He was dead serious.

Thankfully, I have not had any major complications (although the more research that I do, I think I have some ongoing side effects from the Gardasil vaccine).

State Mandates

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) school vaccine requirements are determined by individual states, a right which might be revoked now that states are mandated to enforce individuals to purchase insurance per the Federal government.

In 2006, the Michigan Senate was the first to introduce legislation (S.B.1416) requiring girls entering sixth grade to have the vaccine. The bill was not enacted. According to NCSL, “Since 2006, legislators in at least 41 states and D.C. have introduced legislation to require the vaccine, fund or educate the public about the HPV Vaccine and at least 21 states have enacted legislation, including Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.”

In February 2007, Texas Governor bypassed state legislation and made an executive order that all females going into the sixth grade had to get vaccinated with Gardasil. In May 2007, state legislators introduced and passed the bill H.B. 1098 to override the executive order.

The Virginia legislature also passed a school vaccine requirement for Gardasil in 2007. To see what legislation related to the HPV vaccines and information has been introduced to your state, see NCSL’s chart here.

No Parental Consent Necessary

Can it get worse than mandating parents to give their kids a vaccine that causes severe side effects and does nothing more than an annual pap can do to prevent cervical cancer? Of course it can. On January 1, 2012, California’s Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill AB 499 into law. It states:

“Existing law authorizes a minor who is 12 years of age or older to consent to medical care related to the diagnosis or treatment of an infectious, contagious, or communicable disease if it is related to a sexually transmitted disease. This bill would additionally authorize a minor who is 12 years of age or older to consent to medical care related to the prevention of a sexually transmitted disease. Time-critical preventive services for sexually transmitted diseases include the hepatitis B vaccine, post-exposure prophylactic (PEP) HIV medication (which must be administered within 72 hours of exposure), and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which, if given prior to exposure, may significantly reduce the risk of certain cancers.”

How did we get here?

This is the easy part. Look at who is benefiting the most -follow the money. In this case, the makers of the vaccines are obviously going to benefit if their product is mandated by use of all children the age of 12-26 years old. Similar to when Texas Governor Perry passed the law to mandate the HPV shot shortly after Merck contributed $6000 dollars to his campaign (amongst other ties to Merck); in California, Merck donated $39, 500 to legislators voting yea on AB 499 according to Cal Watch Dog.

The cost of one shot is $120 and the vaccine is a series of three given over the course of a year. That’s $360 for every girl and boy who gets the vaccine. In most states insurance is mandated to cover this vaccine and there are numerous state and federal programs for those who do not have insurance. With all the side effects and even deaths from this shot, why wouldn’t politicians put those tax dollars to use providing un/under-insured women access to pap smears, a screening test that can catch HPV before it develops into cancer far enough in advance that fairly simple steps can be taken to stop cancer before it even develops? Why, because Merck and GlaxoKlineSmith can’t profit from preventing cancer that way. And how much has Merck made from the Gardasil vaccine? According to CNN Money, Gardasil grossed over $1.1 billion in the first nine months on the market. Unfortunately for Merck, the initial sales momentum has flattened out and is declining. The American public are obviously not buying this vaccine, so Merck and others are going to legislators and to have it mandated instead.

What can you do?

As I always say, GET INVOLVED. Get educated. Complacency, apathy and ignorance are how we got to this point (and Citizens United). Be wary of a bill that puts a private company’s profits above the safety and well-being of the individual, especially one that involves the health of your child. It is incumbent upon all of us to assess the safety and risks of any medication or vaccine before taking it.

Hormones Matter^TM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with Gardasil and its counterpart Cervarix. If you or your daughter has had either HPV vaccine, please take this important survey. The Gardasil Cervarix HPV Vaccine Survey.

Further Reading:
Gardasil: Miracle or Deadly Vaccine?
What about the Pap?

The Match Game Of Healthcare That Works (Part II)

by Deb Andelt, JD

Published on October 22, 2011

5.2K views

“What is the sign of a healthy person? Such a person is happy anywhere. He or she is relaxed everywhere – always at ease and in peace, within and without. Even in hell, such a person will be at ease. A healthy person hates no one, dislikes nothing. Total love, universal love emanates from within. There is no tension anywhere, no stress or friction. These are the signs of real health.”

Swami Satchidananda

Make healthcare truly about you – your personal definition of “health”

From Part I of this Match Game series you have a sense of how a payment system (health insurance) has been setting the playing field determining what constitutes health and well-being for millions of Americans.

To experience healthcare that works for you, we have to change the nature of the game – “reset” our current paradigm. This reset starts with your personal worldview of health and the relationship, or lack of relationship, between the physical, mental and emotional bodies (see related article). This worldview will naturally integrate with your definition of health and well-being.

Crafting your personal worldview of health likely resulted in one of two primary worldviews:
• Newtonian – from the namesake of Isaac Newton. Very simply, in this worldview the world is seen as a mechanical machine. The physical body is like a machine, divided into parts to be worked on like a machine. Mind and emotions have little, if any, impact on the physical being. Healing is rarely considered. Practitioners treat illness or disease in separate parts of the physical body.
• Quantum – from understanding the world through the lens of quantum physics. Very simply, at a quantum level everything is interconnected. Physical, emotional and mental aspects of our being influence each other. Our outer world and inner world are also connected. Consciousness matters. This worldview encompasses healing. Practitioners treat the person, not the disease.

You may have a blended worldview, or a different lens for different circumstances. Whatever your result, keep this in mind as you explore the nature of “health.”

What is health? What is well-being? And, where does healing fit in?

Health does not mean the same thing to all people. Reflect on the nature of health described in the opening quote of this article. It is basically about one’s “being-ness.” No mention of disease or of physical vitality.

Healthcare physicians, practitioners, all have a different view of what constitutes health, which has been influenced by their field study and experience. Physicians can only engage with you from their framework of knowledge and understanding. As a result, for example, you can now see that talking about well-being from a quantum lens with a physician with a Newtonian framework is a mismatch on many levels. It’s likely both of you will be frustrated. Having a mismatched partnership is not a good foundation for well-being and healing.

You deserve health and care that fits YOUR unique being, your worldview. These are very personal decisions. To find people for your healthcare team requires matching healthcare providers concepts of health to your beliefs and principles. The starting point is not a list provided by an insurance company. The starting point is your worldview of well-being and your personal definition of health.

Every medical science, from ancient sciences to current sciences, has a definition or a guiding principle of what “health” means. Just like worldviews, these generally fall into two categories.

Newtonian health science

The current dictionary definition of health is “freedom from disease.” This is the view followed by most allopathic doctors (M.D.s). This is the mechanical worldview. The physical body is a machine made up of parts. Think about that list of practitioners found in health insurance paperwork – it’s a list that divides the body into parts. This health science focuses on disease management. Osteopathic medicine (D.O.s) uses the same tools, treatments and technologies of medicine as M.D.s, so for these very general purposes, they fall in the Newtonian field.

If your worldview is generally Newtonian, you will likely be satisfied with allopathic specialists. For each symptom you may need to seek a new “mechanic” to address different parts of your body. You may be the one coordinating care between the various pieces.

Quantum health sciences

While quantum physics is considered a new science, the ancient medical sciences viewed “health” through a quantum lens ‒ systems of health in which everything is connected. Side effects don’t exist in these older sciences. There are only “effects” because these sciences have studied well-being and the impact of all their treatments and medicines on the entire mind/body/spirit system for hundreds and thousands of years. These health sciences focus on healing, eliminating the root causes of suffering, and balance.

Ancient sciences include:

• Ayurveda is the traditional medicine from India, the sister science of yoga. You may be familiar with this from Deepak Chopra. Ayurveda is the science of life, with a very precise definition of health. “Health is the state where the Tridosha, digestive fire, body tissues and components, and physiological processes are in perfect unison; and the soul and the sense organs and mind are in a state of total satisfaction and content.” While this seems to be a complex definition filled with Sanskrit words, the point is for 5,000 years this science has focused on what a healthy mind/body system is, and how to measure, attain and maintain health.
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is derived from Ayurveda, and so there are similarities. Like Ayurveda, it is based on the notion of harmony and balance. Health is viewed as a means to a good life – when an individual lives in harmony with her community and her physical and spiritual environment. Many people are familiar with acupuncture, a primary TCM treatment to create overall balance.

Mid-millennium sciences include:

• Homeopathy, which is about 200 years old, believes one has a state of health when you experience freedom and creativity. It’s interesting to consider how this seemingly simple definition effortlessly integrates physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of well-being. Disease is considered a breakdown of vital forces and can only be known according to symptoms – so all “symptoms” are of equal importance in treating the whole person.
• Naturopathy evolved from homeopathy. Naturopathic medical schools include curriculum a range of medical sciences including TMC, homeopathy and herbal medicines.

If your worldview in primarily quantum, you will likely enjoy a positive relationship with doctors practicing these sciences to experience the essence of health you desire. You may still need (or want) a team approach. You’ll generally find physicians in the quantum sciences understand something about other quantum sciences, so you can actually achieve complementary care (meaning practitioners, treatments and medicines work well together, not in opposition to each other).

Your definition of health is what equips and empowers you to live your best life

Declaring “I want to be well;” or “I just want to not feel bad and get back to my life;” may seem like simple statements to make when requesting that a medical professional be your partner in well-being. As we see from the viewpoints above, it’s not so simple.

This is why it’s really important to know at a very deep level what you’re seeking. Be as clear with yourself as possible. Research the essence of health, well-being, vitality, healing. This article just provides some basic guidance to get you started. Take your time. And also be willing to evolve or change over time. What starts as a quest for pain relief in a very allopathic sense of suppressing symptoms in a particular location may evolve to wanting to experience peace and freedom, regardless of physical challenges.

Being clear on what health and well-being mean to you puts you in the driver’s seat of this healthcare match game. You have now declared your personal “reset” of the vast and complex healthcare system. You can now confidently:

• Identify practitioners who actually fit your needs.
• Know when you have a mismatch and feel comfortable firing medical professionals who don’t resonate with your needs.
• Communicate effectively with your chosen professionals and develop strong partnerships with them.
• Know when to shift approaches if a particular physician or medicine/treatment isn’t working to support your journey to well-being.
• Spend your time, money and energy wisely, in a way that lets you experience your best life.
• Analyze what payment system (insurance) will work for your health, and make decisions based on what care fits your needs. For example, if TCM or homeopathic is a fit for you, seek a payment system that pays for the care you use. Alternatively, be confident that it’s okay to pay for care rather than contributing to an insurance corporation’s profit for “benefits” that don’t fit your needs and therefore you don’t use. .

Resources you may enjoy to explore this further:
–The Quantum Doctor by Amit Goswami, PhD
–The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton
–Other inspiring people who offer a range of views for your exploration: Deepak Chopra, MD; Larry Dossey, MD; Greg Brayden and Stephen Schwartz

Note: This is part an ongoing series to equip you with a process, a path, to identify and experience healthcare that works for you.
— Foundation: The heart of healthcare that works: know your personal worldview of health: https://hormonesmatter.com/the-heart-of-healthcare-that-works-know-your-personal-worldview-of-health/
— The match Game of healthcare that works series ‒ Part I: Understand the landscape set by insurance companies: https://hormonesmatter.com/the-match-game-of-health-care-that-works-part-1/
— The match Game of healthcare that works series ‒ Part II: (current article)

Deb is co-owner of Experience In Motion, which equips organizations with tools to curate meaningful experiences for customers and employees. Deb’s personal journey from decay to wellbeing inspired an emphasis in improving healthcare experiences for patients and practitioners by focusing on experiences that heal, and self-caring as a way of organizational being. www.experienceinmotion.net.

insurance

Identify the Destination

Scout the Landscape

Map the Cairns

We Need Your Help

Related posts:

You might be interested in

Women Are Less Satisfied with Health Care Provider’s Cleanliness

Related posts:

You might be interested in

Related posts:

You might be interested in

State Mandates

No Parental Consent Necessary

How did we get here?

What can you do?

Related posts:

You might be interested in

Related posts:

You might be interested in