"Reclaiming Our Health"

In his book, "Reclaiming Our Health", author John Robbins tells the following story that I'd like to share with you. This is a book I'd encourage you to purchase and read for yourself.

"Once upon a time there was a large and rich country where people kept falling over a steep cliff. They'd fall to the bottom and be injured, sometimes quite seriously, and many of them died. The nation's medical establishment responded to the situation by positioning, at the base of the cliff, the most sophisticated and expensive ambulance fleet ever developed, which would immediately rush those who had fallen to modern hospitals that were equipped with the latest technological wizardry. No expense was too great, they said, when people's health was at stake."

"Now it happened that it occurred to certain people that another possibility would be to erect a fence at the top of the cliff. When they voiced the idea, however, they found themselves ignored. The ambulance drivers were not particularly keen on the idea, nor were the people who manufactured the ambulances, nor those who made their living and enjoyed prestige in the hospital industry. The medical authorities explained patiently that the problem was far more complex than people realized, that while building a fence might seem like an interesting idea it was actually far from practical, and that health was too important to be left in the hands of people who were not experts. Leave it to us, they said, for with enough money we will soon be able to genetically engineer people who do not bruise or become injured from such falls."

"So no fences were built, and as time passed this nation found itself spending an ever-increasing amount of its financial resources on hospitals and high-tech medical equipment. In fact, it came to spend far more money on medical services than any nation had ever done in the history of the world. Money that could have gone to community services, decent housing, education, and good food was not available to the people, for it was being spent on ambulances and hospitals. As the costs of treating people kept rising, growing numbers of people could not afford medical care. There were increasing numbers of homeless, and ever more hungry people and families torn apart by the stress. As a result of these and similar misallocations of national energy and resources, violence, gangs, and inner-city riots welled up as outlets for the frustration and despair people felt."

"The more people kept falling off the cliff, the more a sense of urgency and tension developed, and the more of the country's money was poured into the heroic search for a drug that could be given to those who had fallen to cure their injuries. When some people pointed out how fruitless the search had been thus far, and questioned whether a cure would ever be found, the research industry answered with massive public relations campaigns showing men in white coats holding the broken bodies of children who had fallen, pleading, "Don't quit on us now, we're almost there!"

"When a few families who had lost loved ones tried to erect warning signs at the top of the cliff, they were arrested for trespassing. When some of the more enlightened physicians began to say that the medical authorities should publicly warn people that falling off the cliff was dangerous, representatives from powerful industries denounced them as "health police." A fierce battle ensued, and finally, after many compromises, the medical establishment did issue warnings. Anyone, they said, who had already broken both arms and legs in previous falls should exercise utmost care when falling."

This is just a fable, BUT think about it!

Some Health Facts

Americans spend far more money on health care than any other people in the world.
The World Health Organization ranks the US 37th in healthcare provided for it's citizens.
America ranks 25th in infant mortality
At least 42 million Americans no longer can afford health coverage.
Healthcare is changing in America because it has to. Honestly, the system we have in place just doesn't work and many people recognize that. Changes are taking place at a grassroots level because many of us are frustrated at the way we are being treated (or not-treated). I think one of the reasons for this is that allopathic medicine is very good at managing trauma, medical and surgical emergencies, acute bacterial infections and other types of crises. However, it's record when dealing with viral infections, chronic and degenerative disease, mental illness, autoimmune diseases and allergies, many GI tract problems like IBS and Crohn's Disease, and ADD/ADHD and many other health challenges is less than acceptable by most standards. It is not good at Preventative medicine at all. Many people believe it is not wise to go to an allopathic doctor with a problem that doctor is not equipped to handle well. At the same time, it is not wise to go to a practitioner of other types of medicine for something that they are not equipped to handle either. This puts the burden for choosing the best person or persons for the job squarely on our own shoulders doesn't it.

The following books are recommended as great sources of information along these lines.

The Architecture of All Abundance by Lenedra J. Carroll
Reclaiming Our Health by John Robbins
Natural Health, Natural Medicine by Andrew Weil, MD
Health & Healing by Andrew Weil, MD
Politics in Healing by Dan Haley (to order call 888-557-8092)
What Doctors Don't Tell You (The truth about the dangers of modern medicine) by Lynne McTaggart (Website to order www.thorsons.com)
Confessions of a Medical Heretic by Robert Mendelsohn, MD
Ageless Body, Timeless Mind by Deepak Chopra, MD
The Wellness Revolution by Paul Zane Pilzer
The above information was supplied by: Dave Carpenter, N.D., L. Ac.