Due to the rising costs of traditional healthcare and apprehension about the safety of certain medications, more people are shifting to alternative health interventions to treat their ailments. Current addiction treatment methods offer more variety with multiple rehabilitation programs providing holistic interventions along with clinical and medical remedies.
Why You Should Consider Holistic Therapy Treatments
This growing inclusivity of holistic treatments is due to added research showing the therapeutic advantages of such methods for individuals suffering from addiction disorders. Holistic therapy offers potential benefits including:
Stress reduction: Holistic therapy methods like acupuncture, herbal supplements, meditation, and breathing techniques all help to reduce individual stress levels, and this decreases the risk of substance abuse.- Customized treatment regimens: Holistic therapy usually aims to customize the treatment based on what each person needs. The practitioners also commit to holistically treat patients while concentrating on the person as a whole instead of focusing on one aspect of the illness.
- Cost-saving: The European Pharmaceutical Review provided data showing that holistic therapy treatments could be cheaper than traditional health interventions.
A primary disadvantage to alternative medicine is that few supporting studies support their efficacy compared to Western medicine, meaning one has to research using legitimate sources.
Insurance Coverage for Holistic Therapy Treatment Measures
Another significant drawback to holistic therapy treatments is that most insurance companies do not cover them due to insufficient research backing these methods. Additionally, most holistic therapy supplements are not FDA regulated; thus, it is tricky for these insurance companies to include them in their benefits.
The consultation costs for different holistic therapies will differ based on the treatment offered, the consultation duration, and the practitioner’s experience and training. Homeopaths, herbalists, and naturopaths can provide patients with premixed remedies or supplements (homeopathic, herbal, or nutritional). The costs will differ based on the specific treatment the patient is seeking and the quantity, strength, and ingredients. It is best to talk to several practitioners to get different prices to compare. If one has private health insurance, they should see whether they can get a discount on the cost of any medicines or treatments purchased under holistic therapy options.
You can also look for an affordable holistic therapy treatment at training clinics and community health centers. A few insurance plans cover holistic therapy, so you can inquire with your carrier to see if they do cover it.
Given the increased use of holistic therapy methods over the past few years, insurance coverage for different holistic treatment providers has also increased. Studies have also been published indicating the cost-effectiveness of holistic therapy methods due to their focus on preventative treatment, reduced technology interventions, and cheaper remedies. More patients have reported using holistic therapy methods or alternative treatments to prevent illnesses and promote overall well-being. Alternative treatment methods have also grown in popularity due to their compatibility with people’s philosophical bearings, personal beliefs, and values towards life and health. Most people have also turned to holistic therapy treatments because, in their opinion, conventional medicine is pricier, which corresponds with the inclination that these patients are likely uninsured.
On average, it costs roughly $25 for a visit to one’s family physician if they have a good health insurance coverage plan. In comparison, it would cost approximately $100 to see any other holistic health practitioner such as a chiropractor or a naturopath. With insurance, one can get medication for a manageable price, while some high-quality supplements can range from roughly $20 to more than $200. In some cases, going to a holistic therapy practitioner can seem like a last resort or an extreme comfort if conventional medicine fails. However, when one becomes very sick, it changes things. For example, with diabetes, the annual average cost of treatments falls at about $13,000, out of which $7000 is the direct cost of treatments. Insurance may cover 80% of the treatment cost, and you will pay about $1400. The remaining $6000 will cover any illness-related expenses not covered by insurance. In case of any further ramifications, the treatment costs will probably go up from here. Other illnesses such as cancer, stroke, and heart attacks will cost more to manage in comparison.
Anyone going to visit a holistic therapy practitioner will have a very different experience from a typical doctor’s visit. Typically, holistic therapy physicians have trained in alternative medicine such as herbalism, ayurvedic medicine, supplements, acupuncture, and nutrition. A visit to a holistic therapy practitioner would last about 90 minutes with you and the doctor discussing all aspects of your health compared to the usual doctor’s visit, which would not exceed 10 minutes.
Anyone who chooses to see a holistic therapy practitioner will find that the out-of-pocket cost is much different from the medical charges by pharmacies, medical doctors, and hospitals. For a relatively healthy person, holistic treatments are more expensive. Still, it would be best if you kept in mind that alternative medicine in its nature is preventative compared to conventional medicine, which focuses on treating the illness. Even if someone already has a major chronic illness, they can reduce the medical costs by undertaking a detox diet for a few months or reducing sugar intake. You can buy a herbal tincture bottle for about $9 to $15, and it might last for a few weeks or a month. Compared to the costs of medication, it might seem significantly lower.
Holistic therapy interventions help the individual heal from the inside out to reduce the chances of developing costly and chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Incorporating a holistic approach into your lifestyle helps to prevent and even reverse up to 80% of chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and certain kinds of cancers.
Investing in one’s health through holistic therapy treatments can help to avoid massive future medical costs as a prevention plan down the line.