Health Insurance Treatments: Spending Someone Else’s Money

Japan’s healthcare costs are on an unrelenting rise, threatening the very stability of the nation. Even minor ailments like a cold prompt immediate visits to the hospital, leading to an escalation in healthcare spending. A critical misconception under the universal health insurance system is that patients are only responsible for 30% of their medical expenses, while the remaining 70% is covered by health insurance, effectively using other people’s money. For the elderly in the later stages of life, this figure rises to 90%, and for children under middle school age, it’s 100% covered by others. Hence, there’s a need for everyone to reconsider if visiting a hospital for minor issues is necessary and to foster a mindset of avoiding illness where possible. Typically neglecting one’s health with a reliance on medical care only when sick, known as “delegated healthcare,” only serves to perpetually increase healthcare costs and national debt (borrowing from future generations).

Western medicine views disease as an enemy to be eradicated, akin to the medical approach of hunter-gatherer societies. While this has yielded its measure of success, the inability to identify a clear enemy often leaves practitioners helpless when tests reveal no abnormalities. A crucial element missing in Western medicine is the recognition that it is humans who bear illness. For example, whether a person is physically weak or strong, the same disease will prompt the same treatment under Western medical practices. This can lead to treatments that diminish the already limited strength of some patients, potentially leading to death. There’s a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment, disregarding the individual values and needs of patients. The prevailing attitude in modern healthcare is that beating the disease equates to happiness for all, an oversimplification of health and wellbeing.

Establishing an Education System for Traditional Medicine

The limits of current medical practices are becoming increasingly apparent. Each patient has their own way of living and thinking, and there are difficult diseases that cannot be treated with Western medicine alone. This is where complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) comes into the spotlight. Traditional medical practices that have been passed down through generations in China, India, Southeast Asia, the Arab world, and Europe are being successfully integrated with Western medicine. In Japan, treatments outside of conventional medicine are not typically available in standard medical institutions. Instead, they are often practiced without any regulation. There are practitioners who deceitfully promise cancer cures without evidence, those who outright reject Western medicine, and some who behave like cult leaders, leading patients to lose both their money and lives. Many have suffered from such malpractices.

Abroad, almost complete systems for educating people about complementary and alternative medicine have been established, but Japan has yet to organize such an infrastructure. I have approached the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare about this issue. It seems the Japanese administration is not keen on embracing new approaches unless pressured from above, with a foundational belief that they are not responsible for the consequences of unauthorized treatments. Practices by untrained laypeople, such as homeopathy, profit-driven intravenous therapies, ineffective health foods, and treatments by unlicensed practitioners like chiropractors, are rampant, leaving a trail of victims. Knowledge is essential for those seeking treatment, but it’s also crucial that those providing treatments have a proper place for learning and training. My concept for a graduate school of natural medicine aims to address these challenges.

The Awareness of Japanese People Towards Food

Supermarket and convenience store foods are often formulated with preservatives to prolong shelf life, prioritizing economic benefits over consumer health. Tests on these additives are not conducted on humans. Even if animal testing shows no issues, it does not provide direct evidence of safety for humans. There’s even an anecdote about an employee from a certain milk company saying, “Drinking our milk would be the last thing I’d do.” This reflects a low level of consciousness among Japanese people about what they consume. With almost no regulations on additives, people seem resigned to the idea that if they fall ill, they can simply go to the hospital.

Mikhail Gorbachev once remarked that “there is no society more ideal for socialism than Japan,” suggesting a national mindset of happiness through compliance. On the flip side, there are those who categorically reject all food additives, often extending this aversion to medications. Medications should be seen as a last resort, used when one’s natural healing abilities are insufficient and discontinued when no longer necessary. Rejecting medication while depending on “delegated healthcare” contradicts the trust placed in medical professionals to recommend the best course of action, essentially telling patients not to bother coming to the hospital if they refuse treatment.

Disease Prevention Begins with Combatting Coldness

To improve and prevent diseases, it is crucial not to let the body cool down and to maintain a higher body temperature. When the body temperature is low, so is the temperature of the blood, leading to sluggish blood flow. This hinders the efficient transport of oxygen, nutrients, white blood cells, platelets, and waste products throughout the body. Consequently, neglecting this can naturally lead to serious health issues. The reason “coldness” isn’t taken seriously is that it doesn’t directly cause death. The Japanese healthcare system, which only compensates for medical expenses after one falls ill, lacks incentive for prevention. The majority of diseases are self-inflicted. While viruses may be a cause, my avoidance of the common cold stems from effective self-management.

Human bodies constantly deal with cancer cells that form daily. To prevent cancer, it’s about enhancing the body’s processing capacity and immunity. Boosting immunity involves not just raising the body temperature but also what we eat and our mental state. The mind affects the autonomic nervous system. Under stress, stress hormones increase granulocytes, a type of white blood cell, whereas in relaxed states, the release of acetylcholine, a relaxation hormone, increases lymphocytes that deal with cancer cells and viruses. The influence of the mind on the autonomic nervous system means it also affects hormones and immunity. It’s critical not to neglect the state of the mind.

Embracing Death with Acceptance

Currently, I plan to die at 69. Having married at 34, staying alive till 68 means I would have devoted half of my life to my wife, giving me an ‘excuse’ to feel content with passing away at 69. However, living life with minimal regrets is a prerequisite for this. Setting a timeline for death motivates one to maintain their health and clarifies what one should do, wants to do, and can do before dying. Even if I were to fall ill with a life-threatening disease, I believe I’d accept it gracefully. Managing one’s health and death independently, rather than leaving it all up to doctors, not only helps reduce medical expenses but also enhances the quality of life (QOL).

April 2018 at the General Incorporated Association Institute of Oriental Medicine Clinic, Writer: Naomi Kusuda, Photographer: Atsushi Arakane