As I mentioned in a previous post, I am enrolled in a certification program called the Wellness Inventory.  It will provide a structured system of assessing and guiding clients through a practical way to address key areas in their lives that they may feel motivated to change.  For many years now I have recognized that a major paridigm shift is needed, and is about to occur, which will move us from a disease/symptom management model to a wellness model of healthcare. In all my years of research, I believe the Wellness Inventory is the most practical method in which to incorporate this approach into someone’s life.

I recently discovered a well written article that gives a great analysis and historical context for how we have approached health and medicine in our culture.  I especially liked the following section of that article:

Natural approaches to health and the importance of lifestyle is part and parcel of the American spirit, going back to our earliest years. In fact, the concern among certain of our founding fathers of the potential danger of a monopoly of one system of medical thinking was so great, that Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Physician to George Washington said these prophetic words:

“Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship….To restrict the art of healing to one class of men and deny equal privileges to others will constitute the Bastille of medical science. All such laws are un-American and despotic and have no place in a republic…….The constitution of this republic should make special privilege for medical freedom as well as religious freedom.”

To read the full article, click here.

To learn more about recent Senate hearings where they are discussing how to implement wellness models into healthcare reform legislation, visit this U.S. Senate webpage.  Shown in the video link  are testimonies from Dr. Memhet Oz, Dr. Dean Ornish, and Dr. Andrew Weil.  Very encouraging!