The following are highlights from Dr. Joseph Mercola’s web site.  We like what he writes because this physician does his homework on many disease issues.  From what we have learned from a number of doctors who promote healthy lifestyles, prescriptions don’t cure.

Dr. Mercola:  “Despite the fact that Americans pay $7,600 a year per person for healthcare — 16 percent of the GDP – it produces remarkably poor results. We actually rank LAST out of 19 countries for unnecessary deaths, despite the vastly increased use of a wide variety of “wonder drugs” and vaccines.”

How can this be?

He claims that it is because Americans have been brainwashed into believing the fairytale that prescription drugs can prevent and cure disease.  He states:   “There is no doubt in my mind that a vast majority of the population is severely overmedicated with expensive and nearly always unnecessary drugs, considering the multitude of natural therapeutic options.

He adds, “Health has nothing to do with pills, and everything to do with sensible lifestyles that include a healthy diet, stress relief, and exercise.

What’s missing in health care reform?

What’s missing in all of the recently enacted health care reform is a holistic approach.  We think the reason the U.S. ranks so poorly among nations is because our system focuses on disease mongering and sickness care, whereas the health care systems in most other countries rely heavier on prevention. As a result, the people in those countries live longer, healthier lives.

We also believe that if enough people realize that they don’t need many of the drugs they’re on, that would eventually lower the nation’s health care bill and increase the nation’s standard of living.  We agree with Dr. Weil and a number of health oriented doctors when it comes to lower national health care costs.  According to recent research the average senior takes at least 28 prescription drugs a day.  Is that healthy?

Do you think that one can preserve or improve health by taking dozens of  prescription drugs?. While taking lots of drugs may not really improve your health it is in the best interest of the industry that makes them.  If that sounds cynical on our part, it is.

Curing Disease Means Finding Health

If you make drugs a last option, not a first choice, you could be taking a major step in the right direction.  For example, if you suffer from any of the conditions listed below, according to the Harvard Health Letter you can treat or prevent all of them with relatively simple, inexpensive LIFESTYLE CHANGES.

According to Harvard, most people who are prescribed drugs for the following  conditions are spending their dwindling cash reserves on drugs they don’t really need to be well:

• Arthritis
• Cognitive decline
• Depression
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Insomnia
• Osteoporosis
• Type 2 diabetes

We realize that it takes a massive shift in thinking to realize that your body can heal itself, and that often drugs only hinder the process. But we can’t stress enough the importance of the most basic principle of HOW to resolve an illness: finding the underlying cause of the problem. Masking it with a drug that lessens your symptoms does not fix anything.

Taking Control of Your Health

If you carefully follow our recommended basic health principles — simple things like exercising, eating whole foods, sleeping enough, getting sun exposure, reducing stress in your life, and nurturing personal relationships – you could drastically reduce your need for conventional medical care.

You could also carefully analyze newer health insurance options such as HRAs and HSAs if you live in the United States. The basic concept here is to provide protection against medical catastrophes, but to have a high deductible to lower your costs. If you stay healthy, the premium savings would more than pay for the higher deductible — IF you ever need it.

The more you take responsibility for your own health — in the form of nurturing your body to prevent disease — the less you need to rely on the “disease care” that passes for health care in the United States in the first place.

Related online articles

• mercola.com/
• Prescription Drugs More Likely to Kill You than Recreational Drugs
• U.S. Paying Through the Nose for Poor Quality Health Care
• The Beginning of the End for Big Drug makers?

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