Many people struggle with seeing the difference between a luxury service and a medical necessity when it comes to things like yoga, massage therapy, and acupuncture. It’s easy to see why it can be confusing. But, there is a big, noticeable difference between the two.
Luxuries are wonderful. They’re always welcome, even though they often come with a side of guilt because we tell ourselves that we could be spending our money on more pressing things. We can live comfortable and healthy without a luxury.
But, when it comes to medical necessities, we need it. We are investing in the health of our mind, body, and soul, and that is a very important, and sometimes essential investment.
Luxury vs. Medical Necessity
Medical necessities that people usually think of includes scans, medicine, and physical therapy treatments. These would never be considered “luxuries.” They’re more like “musts” we cannot get out of. But there are other forms of medical necessities people don’t always think of. Those things include treatments like massage therapy, yoga, or cupping.
You might think you don’t have the financial means to spend money on a regular massage or that you have no time to come in for yoga sessions.
But, what about the other “medical necessities” you are spend your time and money on?
“Investments” like the medication you keep buying to ease your back pain or to alleviate your anxiety. How much money are you spending on sweets, on junk food or on cigarettes each week to make yourself feel better?
How much time are you spending each day watching television to forget about how depressed you felt during the day?
If you’re tired and stressed, if you’re constantly anxious and depressed, if you’re frustrated and unable to concentrate, if you are physically in pain or have mental ailments, why aren’t you investing your time and money on the medical necessities that will help you alleviate your pain in the long-term?
The solutions to your problems may sound simple luxuries services — but they could be the treatments that release you from your physical, mental, and emotion pain.
Doesn’t sound like a luxury now, does it?
Examples of Non-Traditional Medical Necessities
Let’s forget about the traditional forms of medical necessities for a moment. We believe that while traditional medicine is important, sometimes the body and the mind need more than pills to heal. This is where the following medical necessities come in.
Take acupuncture as an example. You might say it would be so much easier to take pills to ease your back pain but what you may not realize is that acupuncture is a medical necessity that will serve your long-term healing goals. This form of therapy “promotes the natural self-healing process by stimulating specific anatomic sites.” Acupuncture will promote balance by unblocking the energy in your body that is causing illness, pain, or an inability to function.
Massage therapy is another form of medical necessity to invest in your well-being. Ask yourself, how many pills have you taken because of searing migraines? How many times have you called in sick at work because of throbbing pain in your neck or back? How much time has your anxiety caused you to waste because of how overwhelmed you were feeling?
Massage therapy is not a luxury because of the slew of benefits it brings to your body, mind, and soul. A massage can help ease your anxiety. It will improve your circulation and ease tension in your muscles. It will also trigger more energy into your body and uplift your spirits.
Of course, there are more forms of medical necessities that you might think are luxuries. Therapeutic yoga, for instance, could be your answer to easing anxiety or back pain. It could be your ticket for you to become a stronger, more well-balanced, and serene human being, where you don’t require anti-anxiety medication or traditional therapy to live a good life.
Marking A Difference Between Luxuries and an Investment
When you realize the long-term benefits these forms of medical necessities bring with them, then they don’t seem like mere luxuries anymore.
It’s up to you to decide where and how you want to spend your time and money. Will you spend them all on temporary relief or will you decide to invest in long-term relief and change your life for the better once and for all?
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