How did we get to be so dependent on doctors?

During my youth in the late ‘40’s and early ‘50’s in rural Nebraska, seeing the doctor was limited to serious injuries and illnesses. Disorders that are so common today were rare then. Some of the “old” people had heart attacks and diabetes, but not many. Arthritis was probably the most common disorder and that, too, was limited to “old” people. Cancer was so rare that hardly anyone talked about it. I had hundreds of cousins, aunts, and uncles. Only one, maybe two, developed cancer.

Polio was the threat at the time. Even young people got polio. Polio patients were put in a machine called an iron lung to help them breathe. Those who lived had a physical disability, commonly a lifetime limp from a deformed leg. Polio was a virus, probably the first one that made the term “virus” part of our normal vocabulary. Today, we know the common cold is caused by a virus. We didn’t know that back then.

The solution to polio came from Jonas Salk, a South African doctor, who discovered a vaccine that protected people from the polio virus. I was vaccinated when I was eight years old, along with my other classmates. The vaccination was given to all students nationwide. That ended the threat from polio.

It probably was also a driving force to discover vaccines for many other illnesses.

Since my youth, the incidence of heart attacks, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer have sky-rocketed. So has our dependency on drugs. The nature of our food supply has changed. Chemical fertilizers have increased crop yield, and decreased nutrient content. Much more of our food supply is modified with preservatives and additives to be more shelf-stable and tasty. Many fruits are harvested before ripening. And low-fat foods have raised the sugar content of our food supply.

You don’t think that these changes could have contributed to the decline of our nation’s health, do you?

Guidelines for Healthy Choices

1.    Consume only things that are good for you.

·        (The body can tolerate harmful things done in moderation, but why test its limits?)

2.    Put on your skin only things that are good for you.

·        (60% of what you put on your skin enters your bloodstream. Many creams have preservatives that are harmful.)

3.    Keep your body pH within 6.5-7.5.

·        (people 40 years old and older tend to become acidic)

4.    Reduce consumption of sugars, foods high in sugar content, and foods that rapidly turn to sugar (high glycemic).

·        (Americans take in too much sugar, which leads to excess weight and blood sugar issues.)

5.    Increase consumption of complex carbohydrates (raw vegetables).

·        (Raw vegetables are packed with good nutrients and the enzymes to digest them.

·        Complex carbohydrates provide glucose to the body without creating an insulin spike.)

6.    Make demands on your body—exercise and perform physical labor.

·        Our bodies were designed to be used. Lack of use causes the body to atrophy.

7.    Drink plenty of water

·        (Coffee, tea, sodas, and flavored drinks do not count. You must drink water)

·        The best water contains trace minerals and has a neutral pH.

8.    Periodically cleanse your liver, kidneys, colon, and cells.

·        Toxins accumulate in the liver, kidneys, colon, and cells. A periodic cleansing reduces the damage done by toxins to the body.

9.    Take nutritional supplements. (Processed foods are woefully deficient in nutritional content. Fresh fruits and vegetables picked before they are ripe, which most of them are, are also deficient.)

·        Vitamins and minerals (food-based are better)

·        Essential fats and oils (especially omega 3)

·        Anti-oxidants (to neutralize free radicals)

·        Concentrates of complex carbohydrates

·        Digestive enzymes

·        Probiotics

10. Get adequate sleep

·        The body repairs itself most effectively during sleep.

·        Not enough sleep can lead to blood sugar issues

11. Develop a network of advisors on healthy living.

·        To make choices that are healthy, you need access to people who can explain your options and their consequences.

12. Cultivate a circle of friends who are committed to a healthy lifestyle.

·        It’s more fun to associate with people who believe as you do.

How is your Health?

“How’s your health,” I ask.

“Good,” you say, “I feel good.”

“I’m glad you feel good,” I reply, “but how’s your health?”

Confused? Most people assume that if they feel good, they are healthy. But is it a reliable indicator of your health?

Do you know people who felt good, yet suffered a heart attack? Or a stroke? Or were diagnosed with cancer? Or osteoporosis?  In too many cases, the first symptom of a serious heart problem is a fatal heart attack.

Symptoms that commonly stir people to take action are chronic aches, pains, and low energy. Would you be surprised to learn that these are the tip of the iceberg?  These are warning signs of a body whose systems haven’t been working right for months or even years.

“Feeling” symptoms don’t appear until late in the deterioration stages of the body.

The body’s health is in decline well in advance of the appearance of “feeling” symptoms.

How you feel is, in fact, a poor and unreliable indicator of your health.

So how’s your health?

Is your health a Priority?

Sooner or later, your health will become a priority.

It happened to me about 12 years ago.

At my annual physical, my doctor noted that people with my LDL cholesterol levels were having heart attacks. He suggested that I start taking a statin drug.

Perhaps a little family history would be useful here. My parents, their parents and their siblings typically lived to be in their 80’s or 90’s. Many of them were dirt farmers. None of them took drugs. Rarely did anyone visit a doctor.

But many of them died of a heart attack.

Frankly, I was, and am, reluctant to take a daily drug. I am willing to take a drug to help my body deal with an infection as long as it is only for a short period of time. But taking a drug every day for the rest of my life is against my belief system.

So what would you have done? I told my doctor that I did not want to take statin drugs and started looking for an alternative.

That began my journey to better health. Over the past 12 years, my wife and I have focused on what the body needs to function the way it was designed. We associated with other people with the same objective. We attended hundreds of meetings, presentations, and events that offered insights. We read dozens of books that offered the writer’s insights and personal experiences. And along the way, we became advisors and mentors to people who want what we’ve got.

This is the first in a series of blogs that will focus on how to make healthy decisions for yourself and your loved ones. I hope you find them useful.