Many people today understand the benefits of modern medicine, which is often very good at treating medical emergencies. For accidents, burns, major injuries, and when the disease processes continue to the point where serious pathology exists (as we often see in severe heart disease), modern medicine has many diagnostic methods and technologically-advanced procedures to help the patient survive. These modern procedures often depend on advanced technology, which comes with a price tag. This may be helpful for those who can afford it, but can leave a significant percentage of the population without this care. Research published recently by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reported that children without medical insurance are 10 times more likely to not receive the medical care they needed, compared with children covered by medical insurance.

In 2005, about 47 million Americans were without health insurance, which directly causes 18,000 unnecessary deaths each year. Most industrialized nations provide universal health care to all their citizens. The United States is the only wealthy nation that does not. Based on these statistics, it is easy to understand the advantages of a health-based system of healing such as herbal medicine provided by community-based traditionally trained practitioners. This care is often much less expensive than comparable industrialized medical care, and the emphasis on disease prevention and health education coupled with the use of gentle, time-tested herb products can provide additional benefits to many individuals, and to the larger society.

Personalized Health Counseling
Unlike modern medicine herbal practitioners are often trained to help the patient develop personalized plan. Not focusing on one-size-fits-all or one drug fits all. An interesting study was published in the Journal of American Medical Association a few years back. In this study, people with an herbal bowel syndrome were divided into three groups. One group received a placebo, a second group received a standard herbal off-the-shelf herbal treatment for irritable bowel, and a third group received a customized formula tailored to each individual's needs. At the end of the treatment, the patients in the group taking the off-the-shelf herbal medicine were doing a little bit better than the people in the placebo group, but the people in the group receiving the customized treatment saw their symptoms improved more consistently, and the benefits were longer-lasting.