A potential health care crisis looms over the United States, although some would argue that it is already here. Chronic pain, cancer, and many other numerous diseases plague the majority of people in western society. Typically these disorders are associated with the middle aged and elderly. But our culture is already starting to see these conditions appear in younger people - some even before the age of 20. At this point, the only things mainstream western medicine has to offer are pharmaceuticals and surgery.

 Additionally, we have to consider the financial costs of health care. Chronic pain alone is estimated to cost billions of dollars each year with no end in sight. No wonder many people have trouble finding affordable health care, especially as they get older. If HMO's or the government are expected to provide reasonably priced health care something is going to have to change. To prevent this crisis, we will need a paradigm switch from a reactive, palliative treatment of these disorders to a pro-active, root cause approach.

 People seeking relief from their disorders can find many therapies, fancy devices, and pharmaceuticals out there for the most part designed to help people become more comfortable or to "take away the pain." But inevitably the pain comes back because they typically do not address the root cause. Behind all of these disorders is the unconscious desire to seek the path of least effort, both physically and emotionally.