Chinese medicine and acupuncture can save you money. In the world of healthcare, a common misconception running around is that when compared to modern western medicine, alternative medicine is a more expensive treatment. The fact is alternative medicine is actually a heck of a lot cheaper than standard western medicine. In a couple of different ways is this true. One is that in Chinese medicine and acupuncture, the actual cost of treatment is strikingly less than Western medicine. Two, the preventative aspect of Chinese medicine and acupuncture is also much less costly than the actual treatment of a disease when it does develop.
A number of studies have actually been conducted as to how much money one can save by using acupuncture, not just about how well it works in the treatment of illnesses. One classic example of this was a study that was featured in the 1992 issue of the Acta Anethesiol Scand. It revealed that because of acupuncture, seven of the 29 patients who were to undergo surgery were able to cancel their operation which led to a $9000 in savings cost per patient.
Another example was a study published in 1994 in the medical journal Neurology. It showed that the acupuncture treatment in post stroke patients helped them reduce their hospital stay by half (from 161 days to 88 days) which led to each patient saving $26,000.
In 1980, the Journal Spine published a study which also showed how acupuncture can help people save money. In the study 18 out of the 29 people suffering from low back pain who were given the treatment were able to return to work compared to only four out of the 27 people who were given conventional treatment. The companies saved on money when their workers returned to work while the out-of-work patients also gained by having less debt.
When seeking acupuncture treatment you should always keep in mind that it leads to a direct cost savings for you. Fees can be as high as $265 if you’re consulting with a Western medical doctor and this can jump to as high as $325 if you’re visiting a specialist. A visit to an acupuncturist, on the other hand, may cost you a measly $60 to $70 on average. That’s a huge difference! You may be able to get around five visits to your acupuncturist for the cost of one visit to a specialist.
Acupuncture can also save you money because of its preventive approach to health. This very important aspect is usually overlooked and people pay very little attention to disease prevention and maintaining health. The aim of Western medicine is to fix things that are dysfunctional and broken. Drugs have become the most common way to treat illness which in the long run cost more, than preventing illness in the first place. In Western medicine, if you think you might be developing hypertension, diabetes, etc. you might be prescribed with low doses of the same drugs that they use to treat the condition when it is full blown all under the pretense of preventive medicine.
Preventative medicine to the acupuncturist is a very important aspect of healthcare. Chinese medicine at its highest level is basically about the prevention of disease. In China, there is an old saying that goes like this: the best physicians treat the disease before it has that chance to show up while the lowest level physician only addresses the problem once it has occurred. It is the job of the acupuncturist to determine where your body is getting out of balance and fix it before the imbalance turns really big. Illnesses and diseases start once the imbalance has gone on for a long time or has become too big. This balance restoration and prevention can be attained through lifestyle and diet recommendations, Chinese herbal remedies, acupuncture, and more. What’s really great about this is that food and exercise, acupuncture, and herbs are significantly cheaper than treating high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. Moreover, they have no side effects!
The main thing to remember is that the use of Chinese medicine and acupuncture is a lot less expensive than modern western medicine. And if you’re able to stay healthy, you need have to undergo medical treatments for illnesses. What’s more, the treatments are virtually free of side-effects. In dollars and cents, acupuncture and alternative medicine really make a lot of sense!
Amy-SuiQun Lui, L.Ac.
Asian Health Center
27059 Grand Army of the Republic Hwy
Cleveland, OH 44143
Tel: (440) 833-0983