Why We Need a Health Cooperative

Hello! My name is Teresa Becker and I am the Founder and Executive Director of the Wellness Cooperative of New Mexico.  Have you heard of this cooperative? No? It’s brand new, that’s why!

Cooperatives are quite common in Europe and gaining popularity in the United States because they put power in the hands of the people. Do you feel empowered when it comes to choosing the health care that is best for you and what you pay for it? The current health care system incorporates only a small percentage of natural health modalities as options for hurting people. It caters to those who can afford health insurance and neglects those who don’t. For those who are approved, the system decides what types of care will be allowed instead of making all options available.

Without affordable access to quality care and education, a suffering person’s only option is to “live with it.” But you can’t because unresolved health issue put you on a slippery slope – you know there is a cliff ahead if you don’t find a way to go back up the slope to better health.

If you go off the cliff, you end up in the sick care system that you can’t afford. Did you know that 62% of bankruptcies are due to medical bills?

You don’t want to go there, do you? Most people try to do a 180 on the slippery slope of failing health, but without tools, resources, and support, they end up doing a 360. We need help to do a successful turnaround! Enter the natural health practitioner!

Practitioners in the realm of natural health have a heart for healing and the training to go with it. However, they must compete against each other for the small percentage of people who can afford their services without aid from the health care system. Rising expenses of doing business combined with limited resources for marketing results in higher costs and lower visibility. Many healers lower prices to attract customers, which often results in them being overworked or underpaid. No one can survive indefinitely on such a business model.

The Wellness Cooperative creatively addresses these issues. Just like a food co-op makes better food more accessible, the Wellness Cooperative makes natural health care more accessible and affordable, too. We developed a better model that focuses on collaboration rather than competition and participation rather than financial resources.

This is a new paradigm that makes natural health care more accessible regardless of a person’s ability to pay.  If this is the kind of change you would like to see in the world, leave us a comment below.   Let’s start a movement that puts the power of choice in health care back into the hands of the people!

Health Symposium – May 5

We hope you can join us for a great presentation on the importance of hydration.  The question is, “Are you drinking the BEST water for your health?”

A Solution for America’s Sick Care

Our nation is caught in the throes of “sick care” and disease management.  President Obama has pleaded with both the citizens and the companies of the United States to focus on preventative health.  We must all be innovative, brave, and willing to be healthy ourselves and then do what we can do to help each person be as healthy as he or she wants to be.

Dr. Andrew Weil recently presented a lecture about Integrative Medicine to an auditorium filled with budding health coaches enrolled at the New York City-based Institute of Integrative Nutrition.  He said that the current health care crisis has the potential to topple our economy on two fronts.  The first critical issue involves aging baby boomers who will need more health care coverage.  The second critical issue is the rise in childhood obesity that inevitably leads to an epidemic of diabetes and heart disease.  Our health care system currently takes up one-sixth of our total economy.  With our economy already in a fragile state, it is illogical to think that we have the resources to address one of these issues, much less both.  Without a paradigm shift in how we approach health care, we will succumb.

If baby boomers were able to reduce their need for medications and learned how to enhance their lives with healthy supplements, the burden on the health industry would be dramatically reduced.  If parents and children were educated about how to make healthier choices and supported in the process, childhood obesity trends could be reversed.

The Wellness Cooperative of New Mexico can establish itself as a premier provider of quality products, services, and education that can help people be healthier.  With boldness, the cooperative members can answer the president’s call and offer the opportunity for health and wellness to every individual.

We have a unique window of opportunity to define the new health care dynamic in America.   Who can do this better than the practitioners who already have a heart for the suffering and training to meet their needs?  All these caring souls need is connectivity – apart we are weak, together we are strong!