Saturday, July 11, 2009

Don't Fall Victim to the Health Care Scam

Are you a victim of the health care scam? Many of us are victims and do not even know it. In light of the recent Michael Jackson death, much has been made in the news about the abuse of prescription medication/drugs and surgery. Unfortunately, medical abuse runs rampant in this country, and as a Physical Therapist myself, I have seen firsthand the ravaging effects of overutilization of medical care. Many people, instead of opting for a natural alternative to deal with their health problems such as lifestyle change, diet, simple herbs, and limited use of prescription medication/surgery, have instead chosen to use medical management as the primary means of managing illness. You see, they have bought into the lie, "Live any way you want we can fix you." That is the same lie we have heard when referring to our spiritual life as well, "Live any way you want as long as you believe in Jesus you will be saved." Both these sayings, by the way, are lies from the pit of hell, and many people are deceived thereby.


The medical culture has been to take a pill for everything, and if the pill does not work, try surgery or medical procedures. Prevention and healthy living are way down on the totem pole in standard health care. Healthy living is not really seen as medical care, and is sometimes treated as an adjunct at best, or as a curiousity that does no harm at worst. It is now full time for us to make healthy living the PRIMARY, and first line of defense for treating all diseases. I will give a simple example. Diabetes is a common medical illness affecting millions of people. Standard medical care for diabetes include diet modification and medication mangement. To be honest with you, the medical management aspect is emphasized more than the dietary changes, and many patients are told they can eat anything they want, as long as they take their pills or insulin. Consequently, because of dietary neglect, many diabetics who had controlled their diabetes with only pills, eventually find themselves on insulin due to worsening of their diabetes. If they had adhered to some healthy eating and exercise guidelines, then they probably would have delayed or even avoided the future need for insulin.

As a Biblical Health Coach, I have yet to see any disease that cannot be helped by following the principles of healthy living as outlined in the Bible. ALL DISEASES can be brought under some level of control if health guidlelines are followed - even diseases which require medical management. Therefore, if you have lung cancer - stop smoking. If you have high cholesterol - stop eating sugary and fatty foods. If you are obese - start exercising. Depending on some medical procedure to cure you and not making the lifestyle changes can make the difference between being cured or not being cured. For myself, when I found myself with a recurring case of fibroids, which recurred after the first surgery, I beat the odds by making lifestyle changes and then having the surgery again to remove them. They never recurred again. The lifestyle change made the difference between being cured or having recurrent fibroids for the rest of my life.

Don't become a victim of the health care scam. By following the principles of healthy living, we can regain control of our health.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree that we are far too dependent upon perscription drugs in our society. Few people realize that many of our medicines
were developed using plants and their chemical structures as the blueprint. It seems quite obvious however that as we have gone about the process of developing synthetic drugs in the lab, we've altered the basic structures and made these medicines far too powerful. This is what I believe causes so much damage to our bodies; synthesizing the chemical structure and thus making these substances too strong for our bodies. This principal can be seen in the coca leaf, which is treated and made to be thousands of times stronger in the lab, therefore creating a drug which is addictive and destructive. Chewed by the people of South America the Coca leaf gives energy and is perfectly safe in it's natural form.

Daughter of Wisdom said...

I learn something new everyday. I did not know that about the coca leaf.

I agree that we are definitely too dependent upon prescriptions. Many people take prescriptions with a light-hearted attitude, without trying to change the lifestyle that got them into trouble in the first place. It is much easier to take a pill, but the same pill that is helping them now, can turn around and destroy them (side/adverse effects). Hey, take your pill for your illness, but also make the lifestyle changes, so that you minimize the adverse effects of medication, or maybe even eliminate the need for pills. It has been done before.

Sue Bee said...

My husband & I are seeing this pill-popping problem played out with our parents. They are suffering with type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and osteoporosis. These issues didn't arise overnight, but instead of doing something proactive at the onset of symptoms they started taking pills. What seemed like a few pills in the beginning lead to a few more pills and still more pills later on. And now, what could have been cured or at least effectively managed with dietary changes and an exercise routine, are chronic illnesses that are killing them. Not to mention the long-term side effects of the drugs are having on their internal organs!

We love & honor our parents and this is very sad & frustrating to witness.

Daughter of Wisdom said...

Hi Sue Bee,

Glad to see you. Thanks for visiting my blog. I am so sorry to hear about your parents, but the medical community is really not trained in the concepts of healthy living. Medical training is geared towards FIGHTING disease and illness with drugs and surgery, not necessarily restoration of health. Just because you have been cured of Breast cancer, or some other disease, it does not mean you are healthy. Health is more than skin deep. It is actually a state of being. Anyway, good to hear from you.