So when you feel as passionately as I do about your health and your work, you expect the whole world to feel the same and take whatever steps and pay whatever costs to sort their health out as they know, like I do, that their health is the most important commodity that they share with their family!
Funny how it doesn't work like this!
I noticed a huge difference in the British approach to health on this last trip. I saw people with chronic health conditions, or far from healthy lifestyles stuck in a rut eating incorrectly or suffering unnecessarily with aches and pains. Unfortunately, people have learnt to accept that their less than adequate health is part of life and something to plod along with rather then do whatever it takes to get better.
Somebody told me recently that perhaps targeting the UK with my preventative health care approach would not be as lucrative as the US. Something I had not considered before this visit.
I certainly believe that the difference in the UK and US approach to health is that, for years, we Brits have not had to take responsibility for our own health. Having a predominantly free health service, we can safely put the onus and trust into someone else, namely the NHS. However, when you have to pay for your health care such as in the States, the public has to take more of an interest of how they are going to pay and who to choose as a health care provider. In addition, as North Americans are becoming more aware of the benefits of preventative health care they are prepared to invest time and money into looking after themselves NOW in order to promote a longer and healthier life.
I’m not saying that the UK is not ready for this approach, we have certainly caught up in recent years and the UK has a wealth of health resources and alternative means for the public to try, but I feel that we are behind as we still believe that spending money on our health as a preventative means before anything serious happens is an extra financial burden.
To me I can’t think of anything more interesting than establishing what is going on inside my body to help understand the reason for years of ill health and prevent disease. For example, if I were to find out that I am pre-diabetic or that my liver is not functioning correctly, this is, in my opinion, pretty much saving my life and most importantly preventing me from spending time & money in and out of hospital suffering from a disease in my later years.
I am confident that Functional Medicine will be common practice and weekend national newspaper middle spreads will regularly focus on the importance of natural preventative health. I just hope that those of you reading this now will have been in contact with me and will be able to write beautiful testimonials at how you now lead a life full of health, vitality and happiness.
Here is to the future of Functional Medicine!
