The Simple Idea That Is Transforming Health Care (WSJ article, April 18, 2012))

The Wall Street Journal wrote an article called “The Simple Idea That is Transforming Health Care. I like simple ideas, so I read the article.  The simple idea is about clinicians asking patients how their health is affecting their quality of life.  Imagine that.

One patient in the article had severe asthma for over 25 years, with repeated hospitalizations, and she had never been asked questions concerning her quality of life, during the course of her medical treatment.

This question is especially relevant in the field of psychiatry, where medications often create more problems than they solve.  I remember that my first “orthomolecular” patient in 2002 was a young woman in her twenties who came to me loaded on medications.  Due to the side effects of her medications, she wore a diaper and had to sit on her hands to keep them from trembling.  In addition, her eyes constantly moved around and were unable to stay still.  Needless to say, she couldn’t date either.  She told me that the side effects from her medications were worse than her original illness.  I was desperate to help her in any way that I could, so I turned to nutritional supplements, and she got remarkably better.

Patients in my practice have significantly improved their quality of life since I’ve added alternative approaches to mental health.  I like that.  It’s fun and rewarding to see patients smile (or cry) in happiness.  Please see the original article by clicking on the link below:

The Simple Idea That Is Transforming Health Care