Healthcare proposals subsidize traditional forms of medicine/healing

Healthcare proposals should include subsidizing traditional forms of medicine/healing, with observation and regulation.

Please be aware that what is being called 'alternative' medicine, while newly popular and an effective and legitimate alternative to conventional allopathic (western) medicine, is actually older than allopathic medicine and are the traditional forms of medicine used by peoples all over the Earth for over 40,000 years at least, if not ages.

Please, consider the idea of compensation for legitimate faith (religious or spiritual) based medicine and counseling, and alternative forms of traditional medicine, that are valid and do provide effective treatment to patients, in the healthcare bill, now.  Senate Bill 1679 and the Kerry-Hatch amendment to Senator Baucus' America's Healthy Future Act of 2009 would require insurers to compensate or reimburse "faith based" health care. While this is an area that contains many opportunities for fraud, many forms of counseling and ('alternative') traditional medicine are legitimate, including faith (religious or spiritual) based forms of traditional medicine. Most developed countries recognize both allopathic (western) medicine along with traditional forms of medicine, including faith (religious or spiritual) based medicine. The purpose of medicine is to deal with and treat the cause, a basic principle behind all forms of traditional medicine. Traditional medicine is proactive and preventive as well in treating the cause of illness, and maintaining health, in combination with allopathic medicine, which is meant to diagnose and treat the physical body, injury and trauma or traumatic injury, and typically addresses the symptoms with prescription medication while ignoring the cause and failing to provide proactive and preventive care. Traditional medicine is not meant to replace conventional allopathic medicine, instead meant to accompany and augment while offering an alternative to prescription medication, for those who seek an alternative to prescription medications and are presently being treated by traditional forms of medicine. Why would anyone limit the resources available to people in need, while at the same time refusing to recognize and compensate valid legitimate traditional forms of medicine and those who provide service? Congress should enable faith based and other forms of traditional medicine along with allopathic (western) medical evaluation and treatment, as part of a comprehensive approach to patient health and well being.  As well, please, advocate for singlepayer healthcare, with Community First Choice Option and CLASS Act (for the elderly, handicapped, autistic, disabled, etc.); H.R. 676 & S. 703.

"Americans should not be limited by the AMA as to what treatments they can seek for their ailments and illnesses". ---%u2018CherokeeGirl for Change%u2019