Your Life – Your Health – Your Choice!

In recent years, people have become more serious about living longer healthier lives.  In their quest for optimal health, many have discovered alternative modalities to heal called holistic medicine.  Seniors have been searching for something that provides health benefits, and alternatives to using prescription medications. Holistic medicine is a form of healing that considers the whole person — body, mind, spirit, and emotions — in the quest for optimal health. Some of the more popular forms of holistic medicines include: Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Foot Detox, Naturopathy and Cupping.  Most of these healing modalities are considered Eastern or Oriental medicines.

Holistic medicine focuses on treatments that address the whole person, rather than treating an illness or disease as an isolated incident. Any malady that occurs is viewed as a dysfunction of the person as a whole. Holistic physicians take into consideration physical, nutritional, environmental, emotional, spiritual, and/or lifestyle factors that may be contributors or causes of ill health.  One of the preeminent Holistic Healers in Metropolitan Atlanta is Dr. Malcom Johnson, who holds three doctorate degrees; as an Oriental Medical Doctor O.M.D., a Homeopathic Medical Doctor H.M.D, and he has a PHD in Acupuncture.  

Dr. Johnson enthusiastically promotes using alternative non-western medicines.  “Holistic medicine supports your body systems and does not have any deleterious effects on the body.  You have to keep your body on-line.  Whereas western medicines take your body functions off-line and when you take your body functions offline your body becomes lazy and the chemicals direct and cause your body to perform.”  Most western doctors are not trained in natural medicine. They are taught to see the body as a collection of organs that are independent of one another and thus, must be treated as such. This is why most of the pharmaceuticals used in Western medicine cause so many nasty side effects. They only focus on healing one particular part of the body, while neglecting the body as a whole and even causing damage to other parts of the body.  Johnson states by using the western medical approach, “What you’re doing is suppressing the symptoms – not working on the root cause of the problem.”  

Modern western medicine is often characterized by greedy pharmaceutical and insurance companies, and overseen by government regulation agencies run by industry insiders.  Unfortunately, the primary focus of these companies and agencies is often profit, rather than the actual well-being of patients.  Dr. Johnson goes on to comment, “Western medications are toxic and that is evident in the commercials that you see on TV.  When they say, if you have a problem take this medication, and oh by the way you may experience these side effects – but they are main effects.  Companies use the words “side effects” to try not to alarm John Q Public too much.”  Pharmaceutical companies have convinced people that side effects are just a normal part of medicine, when the fact is they should not be.

 A lot of western trained physicians do not take the drugs they prescribe for their patients.  These doctors make a lion share of their money from prescribing drugs and by prescribing tests to be done on their patients.  The insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies are giving doctors inducements to push certain kinds of drugs. Dr. Johnson admits sometimes it’s challenging.  “Those of us in the wellness holistic business are confronted with advertisements by American western health care systems and the drug companies.  They have marketing muscle.”  The relentless slew of pharmaceutical advertisements affects patients’ healthcare decisions.  Johnson states, “You have to be very conscious of the impact that western medicines have on your system in the decision making process.”

For many senior citizens a steady diet of pharmaceuticals leads to disastrous side effects. Dr. Johnson concurs saying, “Prescription medications suppress the symptoms and does not solve the problem. Prescription medications also toxify the system and adversely affect liver functions, and it makes your system become more acidic.” The physiological process of aging often leads older adults to be more susceptible to adverse side effects than younger people, and for this and other reasons, the use of alternative medications are becoming more and more popular among senior citizens. 

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about 40 percent of Americans today utilize some form of treatment that is not officially taught in Western medical schools.  Many people utilize mainstream medicine for diagnosis and basic information, while turning to alternatives for what they believe to be health-enhancing measures. Studies indicate that alternative approaches are often used in conjunction with conventional medicine.  Wisdom dictates, as with any medical regiment, seniors need to exercise caution, particularly when combining homeopathic cures with prescription drugs; Complications can arise.  It may be advisable to do some research and read “Before You Take That Pill” by Dr. J. Douglas Bremner.

The World Health Organization, estimates that between 65 to 80 percent of the world’s population (about 3 billion people) rely on naturopathic or homeopathic medicine as their primary form of health care. The Medical Director of GODOBE is seeing a trend, “Everybody is gravitating to holistic medicines because they are becoming aware of the fact that taking these western medications is a life-long thing. Folks don’t want to take those chemicals and they want to get resolution of their conditions.”  Many Americans actually want to cure their ills and improve their health. 

Johnson offers a non-traditional form of examination, “At the holistic level, I can look at your eyes, fingernails, skin and tongue and I can tell what’s going on in your body.”  A variety of natural holistic modalities are offered at GODOBE Healthcare Services.   They provide these traditional Chinese medicines which are designed to bring body systems into balance. 

Acupuncture – is a 5,000 year old Chinese healing art that is being used to alleviate pain and dysfunction in the body. This service makes use of tiny needles that are placed in the skin at specific points to relieve pain and affect energy flow in the body.

Homeopathy – involves administering highly diluted substances taken orally to trigger the body’s immune system. This practice leads to healing without the use of drugs.

Chinese Herbology – uses plant elements, and mineral substances to stimulate innate biological functions that help the body heal itself. 

Far Infrared Sauna – designed to naturally relax the body while providing pain relief, improved cardiovascular health, detoxification, and weight reduction.

Massage – techniques involving the manipulation of muscles to stimulate blood flow and relax tension. 

Some insurances do pay for natural holistic medicines.

Senior citizens have a level of consciousness that has largely relegated their healthcare to the western medical system.  Your body tells you when you should or should not do things.  The foods we eat play a large part in our health outcome.  The lack of sleep, lack of hydration and constipation adversely affects the body.  Johnson states:  “People don’t always place the importance on their body systems as they do their cars. Your emotional real estate affects your overall body systems.  If you can remove the toxic stress from your life, sleep as you should and poop as you should you are doing yourself a lot of well-meaning good things.” He goes on to say the “people with high Spiritual IQ’s are typically healthier than people who don’t have high spiritual IQ’s.  Those people who have a relationship with GOD and the Creator are usually healthier.” Mind, Body and Spirit. It’s Your Life – It’s Your Health – It’s Your Choice!

In Fond Memory of  Dr. Malcolm Johnson – GODOBE Healthcare Services