Your health is the foundation that everything else in your life is built upon. If you don’t have your health, everything else is vulnerable: your finances, your relationships, your job let alone your simple enjoyment of life.
If you do not choose to make your health a priority now, I guarantee you that life will force you to make it a priority sometime soon.
The single most common contributor to all sickness and disease, of the all health problems you may experience is: neglect.
Neglect will cause your health to breakdown and will throw your body into crisis. If neglect didn’t make you sick, it will surely keep you sick. Then, when you get to the point when you want to restore your health (assuming that not too much damage has been done it is still possible), it will take longer, will be more expensive and will be more difficult.
And you cannot rely on doctors to fix you.
The United States is recognized as the #1 in the world in medical technology, diagnostics and pharmaceuticals. We are also #1 in terms of health care spending per capita – we spend trillions of dollars every year on health care (according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services).
Despite this, we rank only #28 in the world for overall health and even worse in infant mortality, adult mortality and life expectancy (according to the World Health Organization).
Why are we not #1 in overall health as a nation if we spend so much on diagnostic tests, medicine and surgeries?
The answer to this question is because health does not come from spending more on drugs and surgeries.
A group of researchers authored a paper titled “Death by Medicine” that presented compelling evidence that today’s medical system frequently causes more harm than good.
The fully referenced report shows:
• the number of people having in-hospital, adverse reactions to prescribed drugs = 2.2 million/year.
• the number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections = 20 million/year.
• the number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually = 7.5 million/year.
• the number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization annually = 8.9 million/year.
Other alarming findings:
• 106,000 deaths/year are due to adverse drug reactions (drugs given in the right dose, at the right time)
• 98,000 deaths/year are due to medical error
• 37,000 deaths/yr are because of unnecessary procedures
• 32,000 deaths/yr are surgery-related
The most stunning statistic, however, is that the total number of deaths caused by conventional medicine is an astounding 783,936/year at a cost of 282 BILLION DOLLARS/year!
Their conclusion was: “It is now evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the U.S.” (Life Extension)
The truth is the United States has a “sick care” system, not a “health care” system. The western medical system only has two tools to help patients: drugs and knives. Pharmaceuticals only cover up symptoms and surgical procedures merely cut out diseased body parts. Neither one do anything to heal the root cause of the disease.
So how can we improve the quality and quantity of our lives so that we can enjoy better health and well-being?
The answer to this question lies in examining our lifestyle choices.
Thousands of studies have shown that poor diet and lack of exercise has a direct relationship with coronary heart disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, anxiety and depression. According to the National Institutes of Health, the most prominent contributors to mortality in the United States are smoking, diet and activity patterns, alcohol use, illegal drug use, firearms and sexual behavior. The World Health Organization says that stress has become a “world wide epidemic” and 75-90% of visits to primary care physicians are now for stress related problems.
All of these health problems and deaths can be prevented when healthier lifestyle choices are made.
Medicine has a mechanistic view of the body and of health. What if there was a vitalistic approach that allowed you to be, do and have all the health and wellness you could ever want for yourself and for your family? What if you could find ways to eliminate the aches and pains and other signs of dysfunction in your body that were safe, natural and effective? What if you could really live the World Health Organization’s definition of health: “the state of optimum physical, mental/emotional, social and spiritual well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”?
The truth is that this is possible for you.
The body is self-healing. The body is self-regulating. You were born with an Innate Wisdom that grows, heals, coordinates and directs everything inside of you. You are naturally designed to be healthy. You just have to make healthier lifestyle choices that let that natural health express itself.
Now is the time to choose differently. Instead of relying on a broken medical health care system to fix your problems, now is the time to invest your time, energy and money in yourself and in your health.
*Exerpted from the Being Well Lifestyles Home Study Course by Dr. Jay Warren.
Drawing on over two decades of experience as a hands-on holistic practitioner, Dr. Jay Warren is a primary healthcare provider and licensed chiropractor in the San Diego area. He has spent tens of thousands of clinical hours helping his patients achieve their optimal health potential through holistic approaches bolstered by years of personal experimentation, education and research. Dr. Jay creates customized plans integrating exercise, nutrition and stress management strategies to overcome a myriad of health challenges. For more information, email drjay@drjaywarren.com or visit www.DrJayWarren.com.