Sick or Health Care
US healthcare is the most expensive
in the world and rated 72nd in overall
level of health when compared to 191
member nations included in a 1997
study by The World Health
Organization (WHO).
In 2007, 45% of Americans were
living with one or more chronic
diseases and that 45% accounted for
75% of the almost $2.4 trillion spent
on health care that year. If we
compare ourselves to Japan, the
industrialized nation with the longest
life expectancy (82.07 years), we
spend more than twice as much per
capita on health care.
About $3 out of every $4 spent on
healthcare is used to treat chronic
and degenerative illnesses with many
of these resulting from or being
compounded by lifestyle habits.
Examples of these illnesses are heart
disease, stroke, lung disease,
obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis,
arthritis, and many digestive,
inflammatory, and hormonal illnesses.
What is Health?
It is essential to help sick people get
well. But, how did they get sick in the
first place and what could be done to
keep them from getting sick? When
we get healthcare are our symptoms
being helped or are we actually
becoming healthy? What is health?
“Health is a state of complete
physical, mental, and social
well being, and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.*”
*World Health Organization (1998)
Health has no inherent value. The
benefit associated with health comes
from the usefulness of possessing
good health; an essential resource
required for living life well.
What is Effective Healthcare?
It can be argued that the essential
components of effective healthcare
are that it (1) optimizes function and
minimizes disability and (2) maintains
function and independence until end
of life.
Conventional medicine is a critical
part of the healthcare system, but
there is another type of care that is
most effective for optimizing health,
preventing disease, and managing,
even reversing in many cases,
chronic degenerative diseases. It is
called functional medicine or
functional healthcare.
Because functional healthcare is a
drug and surgery free approach to
healthcare any of the essential
healthcare providers (allopathic,
chiropractic, naturopathic,
osteopathic) can provide it. The focus
of functional healthcare is to measure
and optimize body functions. It
reframes healthcare from being
reactive (symptom-focused) to
proactive (function-focused).
Functional Healthcare
Measures health status
through measuring body functions
Promotes health
by restoring body functions
Teaches selfcare
so you can control their health
Body function is the focus of care in
functional healthcare because body
functions are the level at which your
body’s ability to heal and self-regulate
(homeostasis) is controlled. The
study, focus, and clinical skills used in
function-oriented healthcare are for
restoring optimal body functions to
your nervous system, body chemistry,
and other body systems and
preventing or reversing development
of chronic degenerative diseases.
The initial phase of functional
healthcare looks familiar in that the
traditional tools of history, physical
exams, laboratory testing, and
imaging are used (some exams and
instrumentation are unique to
functional healthcare). Ultimately,
diagnosis, though, will include both
the illness and the cause or causes
and both the illness and the causes
will be addressed during care.
Treatment is likely to include methods
that organize your nervous system
through osteopathic, chiropractic, and
acupuncture methods, balancing your
body chemistry with clinical nutrition,
including vitamins, minerals, herbs,
and other supplements, and
addressing the effects of physical and
emotional stress. Teaching and
coaching you to practice selfcare is
also key to healing.
Since its’ beginning in 1963, applied
kinesiology has developed and used
this functional model. Because of
this, your applied kinesiologist is a
leader in functional healthcare.
ICAK Newsletter
in the world and rated 72nd in overall
level of health when compared to 191
member nations included in a 1997
study by The World Health
Organization (WHO).
In 2007, 45% of Americans were
living with one or more chronic
diseases and that 45% accounted for
75% of the almost $2.4 trillion spent
on health care that year. If we
compare ourselves to Japan, the
industrialized nation with the longest
life expectancy (82.07 years), we
spend more than twice as much per
capita on health care.
About $3 out of every $4 spent on
healthcare is used to treat chronic
and degenerative illnesses with many
of these resulting from or being
compounded by lifestyle habits.
Examples of these illnesses are heart
disease, stroke, lung disease,
obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis,
arthritis, and many digestive,
inflammatory, and hormonal illnesses.
What is Health?
It is essential to help sick people get
well. But, how did they get sick in the
first place and what could be done to
keep them from getting sick? When
we get healthcare are our symptoms
being helped or are we actually
becoming healthy? What is health?
“Health is a state of complete
physical, mental, and social
well being, and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.*”
*World Health Organization (1998)
Health has no inherent value. The
benefit associated with health comes
from the usefulness of possessing
good health; an essential resource
required for living life well.
What is Effective Healthcare?
It can be argued that the essential
components of effective healthcare
are that it (1) optimizes function and
minimizes disability and (2) maintains
function and independence until end
of life.
Conventional medicine is a critical
part of the healthcare system, but
there is another type of care that is
most effective for optimizing health,
preventing disease, and managing,
even reversing in many cases,
chronic degenerative diseases. It is
called functional medicine or
functional healthcare.
Because functional healthcare is a
drug and surgery free approach to
healthcare any of the essential
healthcare providers (allopathic,
chiropractic, naturopathic,
osteopathic) can provide it. The focus
of functional healthcare is to measure
and optimize body functions. It
reframes healthcare from being
reactive (symptom-focused) to
proactive (function-focused).
Functional Healthcare
Measures health status
through measuring body functions
Promotes health
by restoring body functions
Teaches selfcare
so you can control their health
Body function is the focus of care in
functional healthcare because body
functions are the level at which your
body’s ability to heal and self-regulate
(homeostasis) is controlled. The
study, focus, and clinical skills used in
function-oriented healthcare are for
restoring optimal body functions to
your nervous system, body chemistry,
and other body systems and
preventing or reversing development
of chronic degenerative diseases.
The initial phase of functional
healthcare looks familiar in that the
traditional tools of history, physical
exams, laboratory testing, and
imaging are used (some exams and
instrumentation are unique to
functional healthcare). Ultimately,
diagnosis, though, will include both
the illness and the cause or causes
and both the illness and the causes
will be addressed during care.
Treatment is likely to include methods
that organize your nervous system
through osteopathic, chiropractic, and
acupuncture methods, balancing your
body chemistry with clinical nutrition,
including vitamins, minerals, herbs,
and other supplements, and
addressing the effects of physical and
emotional stress. Teaching and
coaching you to practice selfcare is
also key to healing.
Since its’ beginning in 1963, applied
kinesiology has developed and used
this functional model. Because of
this, your applied kinesiologist is a
leader in functional healthcare.
ICAK Newsletter
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