Is It Really Healthcare or Just Sickcare? A Wellness Coach’s Unpopular Opinion
Let’s be real for a second.
If you’ve been in the wellness space for even a minute, you’ve probably asked yourself this question — is our healthcare system actually taking care of health? Or are we just managing sickness?
Here’s the truth: Most people in the U.S. live in areas where conventional medicine is the primary model. And in that model, we spend the majority of our time, money and energy managing disease — not preventing it.
That’s not health. That’s sickcare.
And the numbers back it up. The United States spends more on healthcare than any other country in the world. That fact alone should be a wake-up call. Because if we’re spending the most, why are we still so sick?
Here’s the uncomfortable answer: We’re using a reactive system to address problems that require a proactive approach.
We are trying to manage lifestyle diseases — conditions born from chronic stress, poor diet, sedentary routines and disconnection from our own bodies — with prescriptions alone. And spoiler alert: it doesn’t work like that.
Now let me be clear. Integrative medicine is not “anti-medication.” It’s not about choosing kale over chemotherapy. It’s about using everything we’ve got — medication when necessary, but also the powerful, science-backed, underused tools of lifestyle change.
But here’s the kicker: in conventional medical training, treatment often equals medication. Full stop. That’s the lane. Prevention? Lifestyle modification? That’s not the moneymaker.
And that’s the problem.
Because the hard truth is this: prevention doesn’t pay.
Not in a system driven by profit. Not when pharmaceutical companies, for-profit hospitals and insurance companies benefit more from managing disease than preventing it.
The New York Times once did an economic analysis as part of a feature on New York City's diabetes epidemic. Here’s what they found:
For every patient who received a nutrition or exercise consult, the treatment center lost $75.
For every diabetic limb amputation, they made $6,000.
Sit with that for a second.
This isn’t just a broken system. It’s a backwards one.
But here’s where integrative and functional medicine offer a different way forward.
In these models, doctors don’t just treat symptoms. They look at the whole person. It’s believed that every cell in your body has the capacity to heal and their job is to remove the barriers that are blocking that natural intelligence.
That means:
Investigating root causes
Prioritizing lifestyle (diet, sleep, stress, movement, relationships)
Understanding that all physical disease begins with what’s often invisible — disruption in the body’s energy, signals and internal balance
And let me tell you, it is way easier to pop a pill than to completely change your lifestyle. I know this firsthand.
When I was diagnosed with severe Ulcerative Colitis, I was scared. I was sick. And when my doctor suggested medication, I didn’t resist. I just wanted to feel better.
But I also knew — deep down — that I had to give my body every possible chance to heal. I couldn’t expect medication to do all the heavy lifting. I had to meet it halfway.
So I changed the way I ate. The way I worked. The way I lived. (I’ll share those specific changes in another post — but just know it wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t instant. But it was worth it.)
This is the conversation we need to be having more of — especially in rooms full of women who are building wellness-focused businesses, supporting clients, and rewriting the story around health.
Because we are the ones challenging the status quo. We are the ones holding space for prevention, connection and actual healing.
So let’s keep questioning.
Let’s keep telling the truth.
And let’s keep building something better — one woman, one workshop, one bold choice at a time.
Let’s Begin.