Chinese medicine and acupuncture can save you money. A common myth that persists in the world of health care is that when compared to modern western medicine, alternative medicine is more expensive. The fact is, alternative medicine is actually much less expensive than Western conventional medicine. In a couple of different ways is this true. First, in terms of prevention, Chinese medicine and acupuncture is much cheaper than the actual treatment of a problem when it does arise. Second, in terms of actual cost, Chinese medicine and acupuncture is substantially less than that of Western conventional medicine.
Several studies are not just always about how well Chinese medicine and acupuncture work in curing disease, some have confirmed the fact that a substantial amount of money can be saved when you use Chinese medicine and acupuncture. One good example of this was a study featured in the 1992 Acta Anethesiol Scand publication. It revealed that because of acupuncture, 7 among the 29 patients awaiting surgeries were able to cancel their surgery which led to a $9000 savings cost for each of the patients.
In 1994, the Neurology featured a study showing that acupuncture treatment on post stroke patients resulted in an abbreviated hospital stay (from 161 days to 88 days) which meant a $26,000 savings cost for each patient.
A 1980 Spine publication of another study is also a great example of medical savings due to acupuncture. In the study, 18 out of the 29 people given low back pain acupuncture treatment ware able to return to work compared to just 4 out of the 27 individuals who were given standard treatment. A person getting back to work meant less debt for the patient and savings for the company.
When one seeks acupuncture treatment, there is a direct cost savings always to consider. Visiting a general practitioner can cost you as high as $265 and a consultation with a specialist may go as high as $325. On the other hand, a visit to an acupuncturist would only cost $60 to $70 on average. In terms of savings, that is certainly huge. For the cost of one visit to a specialist, you actually can get about 5 visits to an acupuncturist.
Another area where you can save more money with acupuncture compared to Western modern medicine is in the realm of preventive medicine. The main focus of Western medicine is to fix things that are dysfunctional and broken. There is very little being done in terms of preventing disease and maintaining health. The usual course of treatment of doctors is to eat right, lose weight, and take drugs for the “pre-” problems. (pre-hypertension, pre-diabetes, etc.) Drugs have now turned into one of the most popular ways of performing preventive medicine in the western medical world. If you think you might develop hypertension, diabetes, etc. You’ll most likely be prescribed with low doses of medications of the same drugs that are used to treat the illness when it is full blown all under the pretense of preventive medicine.
In conclusion, acupuncture and Chinese medicine is essentially about preventative medicine and the prevention of disease. There is a saying in China that doctors who catch a disease before it shows up are the best kind of doctors while the lowest quality doctor only addresses the illness once it has developed. It is the job of the acupuncturist to figure out what part of your body is imbalanced, and then rectify it before the imbalance gets too big. Once the imbalance has lasted for a long time or has become too big, then illnesses and diseases start. This restoring of balance and prevention can be achieved through exercise, a healthy diet, herbal remedies, and acupuncture among others. The beauty of this is that diet, exercise, herbs, and acupuncture is much less expensive than treating high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. Moreover, they have no side effects!
The most important thing to remember is Chinese medicine and acupuncture is much cheaper compared to western conventional medicine. Second, Chinese medicine and acupuncture can help maintain your health on a consistent basis, which means you need not have to undergo medical interventions for diseases. Last but not least, Chinese medicine and acupuncture are virtually free of side effects. With these two alternative therapies at your disposal, you have a win-win situation all the time!
Scott Paglia is a licensed and board certified acupuncturist in Bellingham, WA and provides master level pulse diagnosis, Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture in Whatcom County, WA.
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