The Ill Health System - By Nat Jeffery

THE ILL HEALTH SYSTEM
By Nat Jeffery

The news is well and truly out! There is something wrong with our Health System!
There most certainly is a problem. We don’t have a health system, rather an “ill health system”. We have a system that relies on people living with poor or less than average health and dependent on treatment or medication, one that does nothing to promote prevention, one that ignores the value of good nutrition and supplementation, a system that generates money at the expense of human suffering and a system that places its own members under undue hardship.

The current, so called “Health System” is in danger of collapse. The health budget is growing but not in keeping with the demand. Federal and State Governments argue about funding and responsibility. The public hospitals are understaffed, with a lack of beds and facilities. There are not enough doctors or nurses and those in the system are overloaded. The general population has not taken the bait for private health insurance and the greater burden still falls on the public sector.

Research funding is at an all time high. Billions of dollars are being invested in research institutes to discover cures for the many degenerative diseases that afflict the masses in ever increasing numbers. The key word in the last sentence is “cures; endless research into cures on an, almost serendipitous level. Where is the research into prevention? I am not critical of people in the research sector, merely the direction of the focus.
Surprisingly or maybe not, the research has already been done. Reputable doctors and scientists have conducted extensive research into what makes up a healthy individual. What is necessary to maintain a proper metabolism, ward off infection, maintain a good level of immunity, maintain high levels of energy, maintain good mental health, maintain good heart health, ward off cancer and arthritis, maintain proper hormone levels, increase strength, improve memory and raise IQ in children. The list goes on and on.

So, why don’t we hear about this information? Why isn’t this information front page in the Newspapers and first story in the Television News? Why don’t Governments conduct education campaigns in preventive health? Why are proven methods of arrest and prevention being ignored in preference to long and costly treatments that often involve dangerous medications and invasive procedures?
Perhaps there is not as much money to be made from a healthy society. Why are pharmaceutical companies trying to gain control of the supplement market through Codex? (A division of the World Trade Organisation.) Perhaps the last point has something to do with the fact that about 60% of the population are using some form of complementary medicine. It would be easy to adopt a cynical approach here and even aspire to a conspiracy theory! One would hope that nothing that serious has occurred and that our method of dealing with public health has merely grown in a very poor fashion, to reach its current state of collapse. At some point in time the emphasis on maintaining public health changed to a focus on treating symptoms, rather than preventing the problem. Hippocrates certainly had it right, when he said, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” Nobel Prize winning, Linus Pauling said, “Optimum nutrition is the medicine of the future.” There is a long gap between the uttering of those statements and we strayed from the right path somewhere in between.

Nutrition, food is one of the basic requirements for human survival. Along with water, air and light, food is vital to our healthy existence. It makes sense that the better the quality of these life providing essentials, the better our quality of health and after all, who wants average health? A healthy life starts with optimum nutrition. There are two factors in the health equation, genetics and environment and nutrition is part of the environment.
Certainly, medical science has made massive advances. Sure, we have been given another ten or so years to live and we are about forty years better off than people of two hundred years ago. That’s great but we should be doing much better. We have the knowledge to extend productive life well beyond one hundred years. That’s over a hundred years of healthy life and not fifty years on the medical merry go round. That’s a life without regular infections, without diabetes, without heart disease, without arthritis, without cancer and without the other degenerative diseases that seem to afflict the ageing in today’s Australia.

Obviously, I am not the first person to realise this. Many people, some health professionals, have tried to get the message out, through the popular media, publishing and other means. The average person, though, still gets nutritional education from the side of a cereal packet or milk carton. For every person that stands up to espouse the qualities of optimum nutrition, there is another that is prepared to take an opposing view. For some reason valid research is being ignored and a negative point of view is generated of healthy eating and supplementation. It certainly doesn’t help that nutritionists are prepared to make erroneous statements on the food manufacturers’ behalf. It certainly doesn’t help that the food industry can provide information to universities and schools. It certainly doesn’t help when some health professionals are prepared to make ignorant statements, simply to satisfy a media fetish.

I have been in a rather unique situation for the past fifteen years as the host of an interview/chat show on NBN Television, a regional station in North Eastern New South Wales. The program has a focus on health related issues. It has been my task to absorb an enormous amount of information, as we don’t have a researcher on the show. I have interviewed health professionals of every discipline and on many topics. Some things have become abundantly clear to me as a result and it is difficult not to be cynical.

There’s a mountain of evidence out there to show that most of the degenerative diseases affecting so many of the population can be prevented. Good nutrition and supplementation are the key factors. The recipe for good nutrition is available in many good books. Forget the market hype. Supplementation is a must for optimum health because of a decline in our food supply.

The RDI or RDA (Recommended Dietary Intake/ Recommended Daily Allowance) is totally inadequate for optimum health. Scientists from various countries cannot agree on levels and some vary by as much as ten fold. Research has shown that levels far above the RDA are necessary for optimum health. Extensive research by Dr Emanuel Cheraskin of The University of Alabama established SONAS (Suggested optimum nutrient allowances.) that are necessary for good health. SONAS suggest nutrient levels far above that of the RDA.

Supplementation has been used to successfully raise IQ, improve memory, correct eating disorders and increase strength. There is a long list of evidence available to anyone who cares to take the trouble to find it, evidence that optimum health is available, through optimum nutrition. Why does this information remain largely unread? Because your health is your responsibility!
Nobody is going to care about your health but you. It is up to you to make the decisions that will shape your quality of health and, therefore, your life. This explains why this valuable information remains in the hands of the minority.

Most people believe that somebody else is looking after their health, either the Government or a doctor. The reality is that most people live according to marketing hype and this includes health related topics. People are consuming anti nutrients (Foods that require more than they give.) as the major proportion of their diets. People are overeating, in the belief that eating is a pastime or method of sensual satisfaction, rather than a means of maintaining a healthy existence. People are consuming foods of doubtful value, simply because of fallacious marketing hype.

Massive amounts of money are being spent on anti tobacco smoking, driver education and the pharmaceutical benefits scheme. What about a campaign to educate the public on the value of optimum nutrition and optimum health? What about a campaign to educate the public on the necessity to supplement, in order to maintain optimum health? What about a campaign to reduce the incidence of degenerative disease, reduce human suffering and reduce the financial and personal strain on our health system?

As it stands, it is still your responsibility to arm yourself with as much information as you can. It’s worth thinking about. You can live a long and healthy life if you make a start before it’s too late

Nat Jeffery - Health and Wealth
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www.HealthyWealthyC.com