If you don’t know what IKEA is, it is a Swedish-founded Dutch-based multinational group, that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, kitchen appliances and home accessories. It has been the world’s largest furniture retailer since 2008. They are famous for their PICTURE ONLY instruction manual.
If we applied the IKEA instruction manual (as a guide) to treating the basic causes of simple diseases, it would look like the following:
By completing pages 1 through 5, in this “IKEA” instruction manual, we see the ENTIRE illness has RESOLVED. This traditional healthcare approach is therefore, credible as an option because it offers an END GAME where the body no longer requires pharmaceutical support. Health has been RESTORED. The body can once again take control maintaining its own internal needs as the body was designed to do.
There is a second “IKEA” style instruction manual provided by our traditional healthcare system that deals with other types of health maladies. This instruction manual has a circular pattern to its design and only has 4 total pages. One might think this makes for a simpler process having one less “picture” page of instructions. In reality, we come to find out this instruction manual doesn’t ever CONCLUDE. Just when you get to page 4 and assume RECOVERY is next, the instruction manual refers the “user” back to Page 2.
Page 5 (displaying a picture of the “healthy patient”) is not part of this instruction manual.
Who would intentionally buy a healthcare product or service containing an instruction manual with NO FINAL PAGE? This type of instruction manual would represent an ENDLESS LOOP without HOPE of EVER RESTORING HEALTH .
So who typically buys healthcare services and products with these endless loop “IKEA” style instruction manuals?
Isn’t this the typical instruction manual provided to patients by their physicians when diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, High Cholesterol, Heart Disease, Irritable Bowel Disease… and the list goes on…
Do you truly believe the only solution to these conditions is NO SOLUTION AT ALL? In other words, NO “PAGE 5” (the HEALTHY PATIENT?) Are we to believe the ENDLESS LOOP instruction manual offers the ONLY viable option for people diagnosed with these types of conditions?
This simply isn’t true. EVERY condition I’ve listed above has been proven REVERSIBLE based on objective blood panel markers. Naturally, the length of time a patient has had their condition as well as their willingness to ACTIVELY comply with various lifestyle interventions greatly influences the end results.
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The most important point consumers must be made to understand, however, is that pharmaceutical intervention (with improved lab values) is NOT THE SAME THING as lifestyle intervention (with improved lab values!)
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Medications TEMPORARILY chemically FORCE (not fix) the body to alter a state of imbalance. This approach keeps a person in a DISEASED STATE while hoping to minimize the damaging affects these diseases cause. Unfortunately, the medications used commonly cause secondary harmful side effects requiring additional prescriptions. This vicious cycle continues throughout life as more drugs are prescribed and/or increasing quantities become needed as the body continues fighting the affects of these drugs.
LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION, on the other hand, creates a plan of action used to “FEED” the body essential needs in order to FIX imbalances and RESTORE HEALTH and FUNCTION (thus achieving PAGE “5 in the “IKEA” instruction manual.) Part of the solution requires learning to “get out of one’s own way”. This is often achieved through better awareness of personal behavior as well as a better understanding of necessary AND unnecessary pharmaceutical drugs and the long term effects these play in health recovery.
Why live life in an endless loop taking lifelong pharmaceuticals if better options exist? Do you realize the lifelong pharmaceutical plan of action is designed AT BEST to sustain “smaller fires” (also known as disease maintenance through lifetime renewable prescriptions.) It NEVER attempts to restore a natural state of GOOD HEALTH to the body! Wouldn’t you rather have your “IKEA” healthcare instruction manual have a “Page 5” showing YOU, the patient, overcoming diseases and achieving RESTORED HEALTH? All it may require is breaking the endless loop by “changing the pictures” on pages 3 and 4 with LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION.
WHY ARE YOU CHOOSING TO LIVE LIFE IN AN ENDLESS LOOP OF DOCTOR OFFICE VISITS AND PRESCRIPTION REFILLS?
When will YOU finally turn to “common sense” and ask yourself, “WHEN IT COMES TO CHRONIC DISEASES, why am I spending my hard earned money on doctors if they’re not trying to FIX ME?”
All About Healthy Choices 
My father has diabetes, HB and co. He is on several meds and his BP shoots up when the meds are getting finished and he is expecting his refills. My only consolation is that he retired and moved back to live in the village close to mother earth and all natural. I was so happy when he told me today finally a small vegetable garden is being cultivated in the compound. I no longer feel guilty for my dad, but more responsible for my own health and wellbeing. I choose a five page IKEA manual with life style instructions any time. Thanks always Doc
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As more and more people become aware for the need to assume greater responsibility for their health, the “endless loop” model will fade away. The hard part is getting people to ACCEPT this responsibility when they remain convinced their health is their DOCTOR’S responsibility.
I used to ask my patients, “if you don’t care enough about achieving GOOD HEALTH, why should I?” Typically, the response would be, “I pay you to make me healthy!” I would respond, “No, you pay me for my knowledge which includes my role and YOUR ROLE in achieving GOOD HEALTH.” “Alone, I will NEVER be able to make you HEALTHY.”
Now you may understand why my patients loved AND hated me! 😀
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Doc, were I patient, I will definitely love you because I have always been the ‘stubborn patient’ from childhood. I had tons of questions always alongside asking what I could do. Definitely, I don’t even like going for doctors’ visits in the first place. Alain my first son takes after me on that full scale. This means he and the others thank God, are all in for being responsible for our good health. Makes my my moral tasks much easier. Indeed, he told me yesterday while we discussed Diabetes 1 becoming news here too, that “Un patient guerit est un client perdu” (a patient cured is a client less for the doctor). I never even saw it that way. You like Dr Furham am currently reading, are definitely treasures to many of us. Thank you so much
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I think it’s easier to be in my shoes than the average physician’s shoes. I DON’T take responsibility for people’s health; I teach them and assist them to (basically) take care of themselves. I simply use my education and experience to help guide those seeking healthier outcomes. Doctors that believe they are responsible for their patient’s health typically wind up with chronically unhealthy patients because they typically don’t insist their patient’s participate in the process. I would rather pass the responsibility to my patients and watch them transform unhealthy lives into healthy ones than accept responsibility (to feed my ego) and watch their lives degenerate in front of me.
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I once said people like you, were few and far between. Just this afternoon I went to the optamologist for an inflammation on my left eye. He was already angry it was close to 3 pm (closing time in public and missionary offices and hospitals etc), and so he rushed over the consultation and prescribed 3 products. When I gently asked which was which, he mocked if with the eye I could read anything nor understand with my impaired hearing if he explained. He then waived me away to his assistant saying he could explain same to me as he filled my book. Assistant didn’t and then I gently raised my voice and said I had every right to know what I was prescribed and why. I think a head nurse or so then came in and calmed all down before explaining the products to me. I thanked her profusely and went to get same. They thought I was concerned about the price, yes not monetary price, but the price of being under/over or poorly medicated…
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Just goes to show the mentality of the average consumer they face. People are more concerned about the financial costs then the physical and mental “costs.” Every profession has the “good” the “bad” and the “ugly”. Finding the people that are willing to establish a relationship that benefits ALL parties involved can be challenging. This is one reason I profess to establish doctor/patient relationships BEFORE problems manifest. This way everyone understands each other and knows BEST how to work with each other. Less than 1% of the population follows this recommendation. It’s not that they don’t believe it works; it’s that it is NOT a traditional approach to health care. Even though it makes sense, people tend to follow previous patterns of accepted living. If people were willing to open their minds to NEW ideas and concepts, they would OFTEN be better off.
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You always seem to choose great ways of getting the message over…I do however wish doctors would if a patient is a regular and I am sure many are ..Have some sort of clinic which is compulsory to attend to break this cycle..I also think it needs an overall concerted effort from Doctors, governments, schools and organisations to get this message over to the general population…
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I have shared your opinion in many of my articles. Just like health, you can’t fix any problem if the VARIOUS “broken” components aren’t addressed in some fashion. People from different sources (ex. Doctors, Teachers, Parents, etc…) must ALL participate to resolve these major health issues.
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Interesting post, I love the Ikea twist on this. I am thinking, well at least the MD’s that I deal with have only my best health in mind and are mindful of the healthy outcome for me. Its nice not to have medication thrown at me, and not to have surgeries or procedures pushed on to me. They give me options for the best choice for me, my doctors know exactly how I feel about my health and the care I will accept. great post, hope it helps people see they can have different outcomes in the own health care plan, after all, its their choice. thanks Jonathan for a great post. Kat
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I wish more people responded that their physicians truly listen and work to achieve the GOALS their patient’s choose. Unfortunately, standards of care are based on medical paradigms and the results THEY are looking for.
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Also the speed in which your pushed through the office makes it harder for the MD and patient to have a conversation about anything other than why they are there, I love my MD”s we decided chit chat first or deal with the visit LOL I have special relationships with my MD’s and treasure everyone of them!!
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What a nice thing to read. It sounds like y’all are on the same page when it comes to understanding your NEEDS and WANTS.
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It would be such a different world if more doctors were like you Doctor Jonathan. I love the idea of trying natural solutions first! Thank you for another great article!
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Thank you for your kind words, Joan. There are many doctors that share my beliefs and approach to life and health. In sometimes takes a different “search” method to find us. We are trained to look “in network” for doctors. This limits the diversity of the doctors we’ll find. Those choosing to find doctors that see patients as WHOLE PEOPLE will have a challenging time using traditional physician guides as references. The world is slowly waking up to this reality.
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