Health Care Crisis!

We have a health care crisis in America! Everywhere you turn it's in your face. The evening news wrings every bit of fear out of it as possible. Our politicians use it as an emotional tool to sway the masses to their side. People are put on medications at an ever increasing rate to try and stem the tide of our plummeting health. Cities, companies and families are struggling to find ways to pay for this monsterous catastrophe permeating our society. It is spiraling out of control. What O what are we to do?

Drug companies, hospitals, research facilities, doctors and all of our allopathic weapons are being brought to bear to try and mitigate this problem. With so many of our problems, they are being very successful. They are finding ways to surgically fix problems never thought possible. New drugs can now keep people alive and slow the onset of many disease processes. On the horizon are ways to even alter our DNA to prevent and treat all kinds of pathologies. It is an amazing age we live in.

One has to wonder though, with all the advances in medical care, why are we still getting sicker? Our children are now having diseases only adults had in the past. Heart disease, diabetes, immune system problems and a whole host of other degenerative problems are still growing in leaps and bounds. In my practice, I see very few people that are not on some kind of prescription, regardless of their age. It is very scary.

What is the problem? In my opinion, the problem is that no one takes care of themselves anymore. In the past people had to learn some basic healthcare knowledge to deal with the day to day trials of being a human. They had to know what was serious and what wasn't. They didn't abuse themselves and then run to the doctor expecting an instant cure that would allow them to continue the abuse. There were no junk foods, everything was fresh and scarce. It took knowledge and hard work to survive.

I am not suggesting that we avoid healthcare when needed. I am not suggesting that we return to a pioneer lifestyle. I am suggesting that people should take the time to learn some basics about health. That they do what it takes, no matter how uncomfortable, to keep themselves at roughly the right weight and to do regular basic exercise. We should learn to eat real food and not be swayed by unwise advertising. We should pass these ideals onto our children.

It's not the governments job to try and force us to do these things either. Our governments job is outlined quite well in our founding documents - thank you very much. Healthcare is not one of them. As a matter of fact, when they try to mandate activities, they always muck it up.

The job is ours. If the majority of people did just the basics of taking care of themselves, I truly feel that we wouldn't have a health care crisis. Just how bad do things have to get before the folks wake up? Apparantly much worse, because we don't seem to get it yet. I talk to patients about health daily. Some see it, most don't. I'm not giving up.

Yours for better health,
Dr. Loughridge