Why we need Universal Health Care?

Today I did an assessment of a 23 y/o male, who was diagnosed in July 2009,with Crohn’s disease. In only 5 month time he has already lost 20 pounds and has been hospitalized 3 times.

This is an irritation of the bowel, inflaming the small intestine. The inflammation can penetrate the full thickness of the lower end of the small intestines causes the bowel to empty rapidly thus diarrhea. The disease cause severe abdominal pain requiring frequently admission to Hospital. The treatment is narcotics and steroids.

The cause is unknown but it is thought to be caused by a body malfunction where the immune system turns on itself perceiving natural bacteria and food as the invading enemy and creating a state of fight causing inflammation.

The standard treatment is the use of corticosteroids and immuno-suppressant drugs,both can cause serious side effects, including a greater susceptibility to infection as well as diabetes. The goals of the treatment is to control the inflammation,as the inflammation is destructive on the mucosa of the intestines. The condition creates nutritional deficiencies, severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding. There is no cure.

There are doctors that treat with other methods who are oppose to the usage of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants because of their side effect. These drugs disrupt the body ability to metabolize sugars, weaken the immune system and forces the body into the disease of diabetes.

There are doctors who specialist in treatment with out using the drugs with profound side effects such side effect ARE specialist and they DO NOT take city insurance such as, healthplus, metroplus, healthfirst, Affinity. The office visit to see a specialist is $500.00-$750.00.

Here is what will happen to this young man, who can not access the specialist doctors with alternative treatment for Crohn’s disease. He will develop diabetes the condition will worsen every year because he will not be able to control it with diet nor medication. The glucose (sugar) that remains in your blood stream when you have diabetes will corrode his entire vascular system including the heart, which interrupts circulation leading to necrotic limbs and amputation.

Would you like to know what his plans are for his life he was planning to take courses that would lead his into the medical field. He went on to say he was not sure what aspect of the medical field he would pursue but it is a field of study that has captured his interest. Unless he can get access to better health care with out a price tag he will spend his years fighting this disease.

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