Why I Shouldn’t Have Feared the Cost of Treating my Conditions Naturally

Having a chronic condition like psoriatic arthritis may require more doctor visits than the average person.  Because of this my husband and I always opt for the insurance plan that covers the most with as little out of pocket as possible.  I am not a fan of surprises, especially unexpected medical costs.  I felt comfort in knowing how much my copay for office visits, prescriptions, and tests was going to be each month.  Switching to natural and alternative treatments meant I had to leave my comfort zone as not one of my choices was covered by health insurance.  At first, this freaked me out, that is until I began to compare the costs.

Less doctor visits!

While treating my conditions pharmaceutically, I had a monthly appointment scheduled just to receive my prescription for pain medication.  In addition to those copays, there was my portion of monthly bloodwork and tests.  Once I began treating myself naturally, I no longer needed to see my doctor on a monthly basis.  Now unless I am experiencing something new or bizarre, I only see him twice a year.  Since going natural, my doctors have been pleased with the results from my bloodwork and no longer feel it is necessary to run tests more than twice a year. 

Neverending cycle of prescriptions and side effects

Although I was paying less per prescription than I do for each natural product, the number of prescriptions needed kept increasing.  With each prescription, I experienced a handful of side effects that later required another prescription to combat them.  And the cycle never ended.  The day my doctor handed me a pile of prescriptions was the day I knew I wanted off of this roller coaster. To my surprise, I spend less on natural treatments than I did with pharmaceutical ones.  One reason for this is that certain herbs or supplements do the work of multiple prescriptions.  For example, medical marijuana has replaced my muscle relaxers, pain pills, anxiety meds, anti-depressants, and more.  Lyrica reduced my topical nerve pain, but it increased the nerve pain that was deep inside.  Medical marijuana not only reduces both types, but it has also decreased how often I experience a firestorm of nerve pain. The most significant savings comes in the form of not causing damage or experiencing symptoms over and beyond what my conditions are responsible for because of side effects.  Since making the switch, I have not had one urinary tract infection.  While taking prescription pain medication I was suffering from UTI’s 4-8 times a year. 

I will admit that I spent more than I would have preferred during the first year.  But once I figured out which products/services worked for me and where to get the best quality for a reasonable price, I began spending less.  In addition to spending less money, I also have more time and energy to spend with family and friends at Disneyland because I am no longer exhausted from always running to the doctor.