What I would do if I were sick and broke

Getting well on the cheap

I regularly get inquiries from people who do not have the money to pay for out-of-pocket medical care. I feel for those who find themselves out of money in the midst of great suffering.

Many of these people admonish me to lower my prices, but there are two problem inherent in this. First, the intellectual and emotional cost of what I do. This job is so emotionally and mentally draining that I have quite frankly considered abandoning my clinical practice entirely. Most of you will never know what it is like to deal with dead and dying people who are turning to you as their last hope. That's why I personally take on so few cases at this point. Second, most of what I do revolves around a certain amount of expense for labs, supplements, and gear. So if you don't have money to pay for a practitioner's time, there's very little we can do that we can't cover in a single consultation. And most of that advice fits most people, so why not write a blog post about it to serve those who can't afford my time?

So here it is - what I would do to get well if I were broke.

First, I would check my mindset. Most people are not being radically honest with themselves about what they can afford. You'll find people complaining that they have no money for out of pocket medicine who are rocking the latest generation iPhone, bluetooth earbuds, and a new car.

"If someone wishes for good health, one must first ask oneself if he is ready to do away with the reasons for his illness. Only then is it possible to help him."

- Hippocrates

I am readily able to identify the root causes of most of what ails my patients. Whether they're willing to give up what's making them sick is another story. Sadly, I've seen many people sabotage themselves into perpetual illness. It's one of the most sobering and even downright depressing things to see as a physician. This is a major cause of burnout among doctors and healthcare providers.

People make a lot of excuses as to why they can't give up what's making them sick.

"I can't."

"I don't have time."

"There's no way I can do that."

"I don't think that will work for me."

"I don't think that's it."

"I tried that before and it didn't work."

And they rationalize it and minimize it.

"It's not that bad."

"I don't think that’s the problem."

"I've been doing this since before I got sick, so I doubt it's the real problem."

One of the most common patterns of behavior and therefore speech you will observe in patients who are chronically ill is the pattern of disability and resistance to change.

Be very, very careful when you say, "I can't." A lot of people told me that they "had" to take the COVID-19 vaccine. This may sound harsh, but the truth is that they chose the consequences of the COVID-19 vaccine over the consequences of NOT getting vaccinated. No one put a gun to their head, and even if they did, it's still a choice.

What we are unwilling or unable to give up ultimately controls us. The word “addict” comes from the Roman word, “addictus,” referring to someone who was in debt-slavery to a creditor. Perhaps the biggest mistake I see people making is living a life that is as large as their paycheck. When illness inevitably arises, they face tough choices on what to cut to make up for lost income due to illness or to afford the medical care they need and desire.

Living well below your means might just be one of the healthiest habits you could adopt. It's also the best defense against medical bankruptcy, which is sadly the leading cause of bankruptcy today.

The mindset I would adopt to recover from illness is probably best embodied in Jocko Willink's book, "Radical Ownership." It might surprise you to hear that a book about war and leadership is perhaps my number one pick for wellness, but the reality is that the leadership lessons Jocko writes about are the ones that I see in my patients who get the best results.

If you're struggling with your mindset, I strongly recommend not only Jocko Willink's book, but “The Great Pain Deception” by Stephen Ozanich. Mind body medicine is essential for every case, and it's 100% free (aside from the cost of the book). I also like what Joe Dispenza has done in “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself,” and I am particularly enthusiastic about the meditations taught by Master Mantak Chia in, “Healing Light of the Tao” (specifically the Inner Smile and Six Healing Sounds meditations).

You must accept personal responsibility for both your illness and your wellness. This is a mindset of humility and forgiveness (grace).

With this mindset in place, I would radically downsize my lifestyle. I sometimes joke with patients that the short version of what I do is:

• Sell all of your worldly possessions

• Move to a beach in the tropics

• Eat a local, seasonal diet rich in fish and shellfish

Only one patient has taken me up on this (you know who you are).

I would start with my cell phone. I would drop my smart phone and data plan like a bad habit (I mean, it is, for the most part) and pick up a flip phone with voice and text only.

I would get out of any leases or mortgages.

I would cancel all my monthly subscriptions, except to a gym that has a sauna and a tanning bed (and, of course, to my premium Substack).

I would find some kind of gig-work outside. Stacking beach chairs. Valeting cars. Lifeguarding. Anything to get a little bit of income on the side.

Where would I live? I'm glad you asked. I would find an organic farm that I could live on through the website, "Willing Workers on Organic Farms," better known as, "WWOOF." I wouldn't even want to live in a house, trailer, or RV. I would just camp out. If it got hot, or cold, enough, I guess I would bail on the camping and accept some shelter. But the minute you move indoors you have to deal with air pollutants and, in most cases, a certain amount of non-native EMF.

What would I eat? I would hunt, fish, forage, and grow my own food. Do you realize how much FREE FOOD there is out there growing right by the side of the road? Swimming in the oceans, rivers, and lakes? Running around in the woods? Shoot a deer - there's meat for three to six months. Shoot a hog - there's meat for another three or six. A lot of people are actually recruiting hunters to shoot game - you can find land to hunt for absolutely free. I would buy a simple kayak or paddleboard to fish from.

How would I get around? I would have a very simple, very dependable car, like a Honda Civic.

What would I eat aside from what I could gather myself? I would rely on sardines, ground beef, rice, beans, and other cheap staples. I would sprout seeds for greens.

I would rotate foods in and out of my diet to try to identify any food allergies. I usually use 3-day rotating elimination diet. Read more about the problems with allergy testing in this blog post to learn why I wouldn't necessarily invest in allergy testing.

I would eat a wide, wide array of foods, including:

• Alliums - onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, scallions

• Meats and bone broth

• Fish and shellfish

• Seaweed (lots of this)

• Greens (particularly sprouts)

• Nuts and seeds (sprouted)

• Legumes particularly lentils

• Root vegetables, particularly potatoes

• Herbs

• Salt!

I would eat enough calories to not lose weight, but no more. That would probably look like around 0.5 grams of protein per pound of ideal body weight, plus or minus carbohydrates. I would experiment with intermittent fasting, ketosis, and more to see if any of those might be helpful.

I would practice hypoxic hypercarbic breathwork, perhaps best exemplified by Buteyko breathing. I love Buteyko breathing. I would try to get my control pause over 30.

I would meditate for an hour each day. I would consciously engage in gratitude and prayer multiple times per day. I would go to church. I would donate my time to others.

I would hit the gym if I felt up to it, but mostly I would get my exercise outside. Gentle exercise, connected to the earth, illuminated by the sun, on or off the water. I would use the gym for the sauna and the tanning bed. I think tanning beds can actually be helpful in certain cases, and if you're up against a wall with an illness, you might as well take the risk of a little skin cancer to get the healing benefits of UV light. I would try to find a tanning bed that has a nice mix of both UV-A and UV-B - most of them are heavy on the UV-A and light on the UV-B.

And if I had any money left over, I'd consult myself (that sounds weird, but hopefully it makes sense). Because before putting more money out for supplements, lab testing, or gear, I'd want to get some idea of what was most likely to work for me.

In all honesty - what I've just described sounds like an ideal vacation to me. No technology, no pressure, no stress, all the time in the world for the things I most love. Simple, wholesome food.

There are situations in which this kind of radical lifestyle change is difficult or downright unrealistic. You basically have to unplug from modern life to do this, and a lot of you are busy parents with obligations to your families. However, you’re no good to your family if you’re so sick that you can’t take care of them. I can't possibly tailor this post to all such circumstances in life, but perhaps I'll be able to address them in future posts.

I hope you've enjoyed this rather unusual post. I hope it helps those of you who are struggling to afford your wellness.

Until next time, be well,

Dr. Stillman