Crowd sourcing is not simply a buzz word in modern business, it’s a norm, and it is being used in everything from business launches to data gathering, and the top flavor at your local ice cream shop. The phenomenon of shared experiences is something very human. It’s likely if you are feeling or experiencing something, others are too. How do you reach them and gain that collection wisdom for a greater good and potential societal gain?
More people are asking just that regarding Wellness and Healthcare. Where do I find the right answers for my well-being if my doctor can’t help? Is there information available that is unbiased with a focus on all humanity? Individuals, and now more Doctors are taking back control of their own health. They are harnessing the power of crowd sourcing in healthcare.
Self-directed testing options and more preventative care are growing for heart disease, genetics, STD’s, and hormone assessments, and there is a growing number of people who are willing to share their private information and medical results if it can provide helpful solutions for others. As an example, sites like Patients Like Me crowd source data and share those results with extreme efficiency.
The Wellness industry is a multi-trillion-dollar business, and nutritional supplements, nootropics, and alternative therapies are being turned to by many because the traditional American healthcare system has become a source of profit, not health. Rising healthcare costs and guarded systematic labyrinths of information are not cutting it.
According to the Institute of Medicine, there is an average annual bill of $209 billion in unnecessary medical services to Americans. What could you do with the extra dollars put into a rash of tests and services that didn’t solve your healthcare issues? Nothing is flawless, but there are options.
Desperate situations and growing national health problems feed into the system, creating a spiral. Debate from the dinner table to congress has toyed with our health care options for too long. People want to take back the power of their health and their decisions when it comes to this, and I agree. There are too many stories of individuals being told by their doctor there is no other option but a lifetime of prescription dependencies or revolving door hospital visits.
It’s time to level the playing field with more options for health tools and preventative health care. Direct to consumer laboratory tests are increasing and brands like Patients Like Me, CheckMate Healthcare, and Wheat Belly Blog are providing much of that compiled data, references and self-directed tests.
The average consumer is given bad information by brands that have an economic motive. I’m all about business profits, but not at the cost of a nation’s health, and a growing phenomenon of a cyclical pattern of dependency and non-informed outlets. As medical author and cardiologist, William Davis (author of Undoctored) says, “Disruptive innovation defines the modern age, and it’s coming to healthcare. It’s coming to your home. And the healthcare system cannot stop it.” I say hoorah for that.
Wellness and preventative care is something I take quite seriously and having been in the wellness and fitness industry for over seventeen years I’ve placed a lot of weight into lifelong healing with more natural remedies and my personal physical and mental health. It’s been a lifestyle and one I share with others through physically based retreats. I also stay connected with key brands and trends, from things like crowdsourced data to stay on top of the ever-changing options. I want to be empowered by my health for a long time, and if part of that includes a DIY preventative healthcare regime, I’ll take it.
Put on your own freshly starched white lab coat and sidle up to the many options that are now in the power of your hands. Information, innovation, collaborations, and gaining an information advantage can help you, me, and millions of others create a movement for healthcare revolution.
Looking for more information of options? Check out Undoctored, CheckMate Healthcare, Patients Like Me and Wheat Belly Blog.