The Crisis in American Medicine: Why Treating Symptoms Isn't Enough
How a Shift to Root Cause Healing Could Transform Our Health Future
The Crisis We Can't Ignore
The United States spends more on healthcare than any other nation—over $4.5 trillion annually, accounting for about 18.3% of GDP. (1)
Yet, despite this staggering investment, the U.S. ranks 30th in global life expectancy and leads the developed world in chronic conditions, with 6 in 10 Americans having at least one chronic disease, and 4 in 10 having two or more. (2)
Shockingly, medical errors contribute significantly to this crisis, with estimates suggesting 22,000–251,000 preventable deaths occur annually in U.S. hospitals, potentially making them a leading cause of mortality. (3)
How can a country that invests the most in healthcare deliver such poor outcomes?
The root of the issue lies in the dominant model of care: allopathic medicine—also known as conventional or Western medicine—which prioritizes symptom suppression over root cause healing.
A Brief History: How the Western Medical Model Came to Dominate
To understand how we arrived at today’s pharmaceutical-driven system, we must look back to the early 20th century. Before this era, American healthcare was more diverse, including naturopaths, herbalists, homeopaths, chiropractors, and other healing traditions alongside conventional physicians.
That began to change with the influence of powerful industrial interests—particularly those of oil magnate John D. Rockefeller. Rockefeller, who had major stakes in the emerging pharmaceutical industry, saw an opportunity to standardize medicine and shift it toward patented, synthetic drug-based treatments. He funded the reorganization of medical education and research to support this vision.
A pivotal moment came with the 1910 Flexner Report, commissioned by the Carnegie Foundation and heavily influenced by Rockefeller’s agenda. The report evaluated medical schools across the U.S. and recommended closing many institutions that taught alternative and holistic medicine. It promoted a scientific, reductionist model based on laboratory research and pharmaceutical interventions.
As a result, hundreds of naturopathic, homeopathic, and eclectic medical schools were shut down. Medical education became centralized around pharmaceutical-based, allopathic medicine, and other modalities were marginalized or outlawed.
While the Flexner reforms helped improve standards in medical education and science, they also suppressed many effective, nature-based healing traditions. Over time, the Western medical model came to dominate, rooted in acute care and symptom suppression—rather than prevention, root cause resolution, or whole-person healing.
This historical shift laid the foundation for today’s "sickcare" system: highly profitable, pharmaceutical-dependent, and often disconnected from the foundational pillars of health. But with rising chronic disease rates and declining outcomes, a growing movement is calling for a return to integrative, patient-centered care that honors both modern science and traditional wisdom.
Problems with the American Allopathic System
Symptom Management, Not Root Cause Healing
Allopathic medicine focuses on suppressing symptoms rather than investigating why the symptoms exist. For example:
High blood pressure? Prescribe a beta-blocker.
Depression? Write a script for an SSRI.
Autoimmune disease? Start immunosuppressants.
Menstrual issues? Prescribe hormonal birth control.
Acid reflux? Just suppress stomach acid with acid blockers.
Rarely does the conversation center around why the body is dysregulated in the first place.
Overreliance on Pharmaceuticals
About 66% of American adults take at least one prescription drug, and over 25% take five or more (4). Medications are often prescribed without addressing underlying issues like lifestyle, nutrition, toxic exposures, or emotional health.
Lack of Preventive Care
Less than 5% of healthcare dollars go toward preventive efforts (5). We are largely reactive: wait until disease appears, then treat it aggressively.
Fragmented, Specialist-Heavy System
Patients often see one doctor for their gut, another for their skin, another for their mood. This siloed approach ignores the body's interconnected nature, missing opportunities for true healing.
Incentives Misaligned with Healing
Hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance providers profit more from managing chronic illness than from truly resolving it. A healthy patient is not a "good customer" in this “for profit” corporate medical system.
Better Options: Approaches That Treat the Root Cause
Functional Medicine
Functional medicine practitioners use advanced testing to uncover hidden triggers like nutrient deficiencies, infections, hormonal imbalances, gut dysbiosis, and toxic exposures.
Treatment plans emphasize:
Personalized nutrition
Targeted pharmaceuticals when truly needed (often temporarily)
Example: Instead of prescribing insulin alone for diabetes, a functional medicine doctor might uncover insulin resistance driven by poor mitochondrial function, toxic exposure, and diet and lifestyle —and correct these root causes.
Holistic and Integrative Medicine
These practitioners blend Eastern and Western traditions, focusing on diet, movement, sleep, emotional health, and natural therapies like acupuncture and herbalism.
Example: Chronic migraines might be addressed with elimination of food sensitivity, nervous system retraining, hormone balancing, magnesium and other vitamin supplementation, acupuncture, and trauma processing.
Lifestyle Medicine
Lifestyle and functional medicine doctors focus on the "six pillars" of health:
Whole-food, quality nutrition
Regular physical activity
Stress management
Avoidance of toxic substances (such as pharmaceuticals, environmental and food toxins, etc.)
Example: Studies show that up to 80% of chronic disease could be prevented with lifestyle interventions alone (6,7).
Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic medicine emphasizes the healing power of nature and the body's inherent ability to heal when obstacles are removed. Treatment often includes botanical medicine, homeopathy, physical medicine, and counseling.
How to Choose the Right Approach for You
Whether it's called functional, holistic, integrative, lifestyle, or naturopathic medicine—these approaches all share a common philosophy: heal the root, not just the symptom. They aim to support the body's natural ability to restore balance by addressing the deeper causes of illness—whether those are nutritional, environmental, emotional, or energetic.
Each model may use slightly different tools or philosophies, but the core goal is the same: to see the person as a whole system—not a collection of disconnected parts. Your choice may depend on the practitioner’s background, testing methods, or therapeutic focus, but all of these modalities strive for lasting wellness rather than short-term relief.
Some practitioners may focus more on lab-based precision medicine. Others may emphasize energy healing, herbal therapies, or trauma release work. Some may combine several approaches integratively, tailoring care to the individual’s needs. But at their best, these paths all complement one another and empower patients to take an active role in their healing.
Your choice may depend on a practitioner’s training, tools, or clinical style. What matters most is finding someone who listens deeply, looks beyond your diagnosis, and treats you as a whole person—not just a collection of symptoms.
Real Success Stories
Autoimmune Reversal
A patient with lupus lowered her autoimmune markers by 80% through an elimination diet, heavy metal detox, gut repair protocols, and emotional trauma release—without heavy doses of steroids. (8)
Heart Disease Regression
In Dr. Dean Ornish's research, 82% of patients with blocked arteries reversed their disease with a plant-based diet, exercise, stress reduction, and social connection—without surgery. (9)
Diabetes Reversal
Over 60% of patients with Type 2 diabetes reversed their disease markers through ketogenic nutrition, intermittent fasting, and lifestyle changes. (10,11,12)
It's Time for a Paradigm Shift
The American medical system excels at emergency care—if you break a bone or have a heart attack, there is no better place to be.
But when it comes to chronic illness, we need a system that looks beyond the symptom checklist.
We must ask deeper questions:
What caused this imbalance?
How can the body be supported to heal itself?
Am I willing to make sustainable lifestyle changes?
How open am I to exploring natural and integrative therapies?
What role does stress, trauma, or emotional health play in my condition?
How willing am I to take personal responsibility for my healing journey?
What kind of support system do I need to succeed?
Until we shift from disease management to root cause resolution, America's health outcomes will continue to decline—despite the trillions we invest.
The future of medicine must integrate functional, holistic, and lifestyle-based approaches that honor the complexity of the human body, mind, and spirit. But change doesn’t just start with the system—it starts with us.
As patients, we must take ownership of our health choices and seek out care models that align with true healing. What kind of medicine are we willing to invest in? What kind of life do we want to create?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the main problem with the current American healthcare system?
The U.S. healthcare system focuses largely on managing symptoms rather than addressing the root causes of illness, which leads to poor outcomes in chronic disease despite high healthcare spending.
What is the difference between allopathic and functional medicine?
Allopathic medicine (also known as conventional or Western medicine) focuses on managing symptoms through pharmaceuticals and surgical interventions. Functional medicine, by contrast, investigates and treats the root causes of illness—like nutrient deficiencies, gut dysfunction, hormonal imbalance, and toxic exposures—using personalized protocols and lifestyle-based therapies.
Why is the U.S. healthcare system called “sickcare”?
The term “sickcare” reflects the reality that most of the U.S. medical system is reactive, not preventive. It excels in emergency care but often fails to address the underlying causes of chronic disease, leading to long-term medication use rather than true healing or resolution.
How did the Western medical model become dominant?
Modern allopathic medicine rose to dominance after the Flexner Report of 1910, which—funded by industrialists like John D. Rockefeller—recommended eliminating schools that taught natural or holistic therapies. This led to the closure of naturopathic and homeopathic schools and a shift toward a pharmaceutical-based, profit-driven model.
What are root cause approaches to chronic illness?
Root cause medicine, including functional, integrative, lifestyle, and naturopathic medicine, focuses on identifying what’s driving illness beneath the surface—such as inflammation, toxic load, mitochondrial dysfunction, gut dysbiosis, or trauma—and using natural, evidence-informed interventions to support healing.
Can holistic and functional medicine work alongside conventional care?
Absolutely. Many patients integrate holistic therapies with their conventional treatments. A collaborative approach often yields better outcomes, especially for complex or chronic conditions. Functional medicine is designed to complement, not necessarily replace, conventional care when it’s needed.
What types of conditions benefit most from root cause medicine?
Root cause medicine can help with a wide range of conditions, including:
Autoimmune diseases (e.g., Hashimoto’s, lupus)
Digestive disorders (e.g., IBS, SIBO, leaky gut)
Hormonal imbalances (e.g., PCOS, thyroid issues)
Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia
Migraines and chronic pain
Metabolic disorders (e.g., diabetes, obesity)
Mental health conditions linked to inflammation or trauma
What role do lifestyle changes play in healing chronic illness?
Lifestyle changes—such as improved nutrition, exercise, better sleep, stress management, and toxin avoidance—can prevent or reverse up to 80% of chronic diseases by supporting natural healing.
What services does Denver Sports and Holistic Medicine offer?
At Denver Sports and Holistic Medicine, Dr. Martina Sturm offers:
Functional Medicine – Advanced testing and personalized protocols to uncover imbalances in hormones, nutrition, detox pathways, and gut health.
Naturopathic Medicine – Natural therapies like botanical medicine, homeopathy, and nutritional supplementation to support the body’s innate healing intelligence.
Lifestyle Medicine – Sustainable changes in nutrition, movement, sleep, and stress management to reverse chronic disease and optimize long-term health.
Acupuncture – An evidence-based traditional modality that helps restore balance, reduce pain, regulate the endocrine, immune, and nervous systems, and support the body’s natural healing processes.
Mind-Body and Somatic Work – Techniques that support emotional healing, nervous system regulation, and trauma release to promote whole-body resilience.
Integrative Sports Medicine – Holistic rehabilitation and performance strategies that support both injury recovery and peak physical vitality.
Prolotherapy – A regenerative injection therapy used to treat joint pain, ligament laxity, and chronic musculoskeletal issues by stimulating the body’s natural healing processes.
Red Light Therapy – Clinically-backed photobiomodulation to support mitochondrial health, reduce inflammation, and accelerate healing.
Ozone Therapy – A powerful tool for immune support, detoxification, and enhancing cellular oxygenation.
Ready to experience a different kind of care?
At Denver Sports and Holistic Medicine, we believe healing happens when you treat the whole person, not just isolated symptoms. Led by Dr. Martina Sturm, our practice combines the most effective tools from multiple healing systems to help patients uncover and address the root causes of their health concerns.
Whether you're struggling with chronic illness, hormone imbalance, digestive issues, fatigue, autoimmunity, or simply want to feel your best—we’re here to help you heal from the inside out.
👉 Request a free consultation with Dr. Martina Sturm today and begin your journey toward true, lasting wellness.
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