Our "rights"

Last night I was at a friend’s house when her mother came over to join in the girly gathering. I don’t know how it came to be, but we ended up talking about the taboo subject of gun control. In a somewhat dramatic display, the mother announced that it is “our right to bear arms and we should”. There was absolutely no coming back from that. It was not an argument, but a statement. Her sentiment, meant to be the end of the conversation. And it was. But I can’t really see it as a “thinking persons” argument. I mean, if we are going to talk about something, shouldn’t it be a conversation? Anyways, I am getting off point. Where I wanted to take this is that such vehemence about the “right” to bear arms surely would be better placed with an equal vehemence about our “right” to affordable, quality health care?

Is it not true that without our health, we would have nothing? Then why are we not standing up in more numbers and saying where we want our tax dollars to work?

In the meantime, let’s face it – we simply don’t get the face time we need with our doctors. Doctors are frequently over worked, and don’t have the time to talk about everything we might want to.

Enter Acupuncture. Because we spend so much time with our clients, we get to build up a bigger picture of their health. And because we have that bigger picture, it makes it a lot easier for us to say to a client “next time you are at your doctors, please ask him/her to do the following tests or rule out…”. There is a place for us as Acupuncturists to support and compliment the Western medical tradition. Not only that, but we also stand on our own as a viable, effective and holistic form of medicine that can help a range of disorders from headaches and migraines to allergies, neuropathy and chronic pain.

My message, if you are still reading after my rambling, stand up for your “rights” as a patient and get the health care you deserve. Advocate for yourself, and if you need help doing that, ask us.