HIPPOCRATES, MECHANICS AND YOU--A HEALTHCARE REBUTTAL

Humans are not like automobiles, which only need oil changes and occasional tune-ups and repairs, and we definitely should not wait until we break down before consulting our doctors. We also are not helped much by policies which offer limited assistance, since often what is needed are major repairs which may exhaust our resources and force us into an early retirement. Enter national healthcare, whose proponents offer all-of-the-above, including the pound-of-cure, but then forgetting all about the ounce of prevention.

Hippocrates, a successful herbologist and the father of modern medicine, told us that we should make food our medicine. By doing this, we avoid many health problems before they begin by providing our bodies what they require for optimum function without the burden of excess. If our government and citizens would pay closer attention to the kinds of foods that we consume, we would eliminate most of our healthcare problems.

Fitness gurus tell us that healthy exercise programs add many years to the average lifespan, revitalize and increase energy, metabolism and endurance, improve overall body and brain function, keep joints supple and improve overall quality of life. So why is it that we have allowed ourselves to get so out-of-shape as a nation? Have we and our government failed to consider our physical exercise and conditioning a national priority? Is this why we look to science and technology for our healthcare solutions?

We are expecting insurance to solve our healthcare crisis, which is something it cannot do! Even if every man, woman and child has insurance and access to affordable health care, we are still left with the ongoing dilemma of how to maintain our daily quality of life. Healthcare needs to be more than a facility where you have scheduled maintenance and repairs. If healthcare peace of mind could be purchased like roadside assistance policies, we would still have everyday maintenance to consider.

Money can fix our cars, but can it buy us good health? It can buy us good food, but we still must eat it. Money can buy us gym memberships, but we must still use them on a regular basis. Healthcare workers can often provide temporary relief and needed repairs, but they rely on us to do our part to aid in our own recovery. In fact, our daily diet and exercise routines are the most important areas affecting our overall health and wellbeing, because as any mechanic and doctor will tell you, it is our daily maintenance habits that will ultimately determine how long our vehicles and our good health will last.

National health indicators show that we are slipping fast into decline and are no longer considered a healthy nation, when compared with other nations of the West. Obesity and diabetes have joined the ranks of heart disease and cancer as leading indicators of the low priority with which we regard our personal healthcare. Why not begin today to evaluate your diet and exercise program to see if you are doing everything you can to optimize your health and wellbeing? Stop expecting someone else to fix and improve your health for you. That's YOUR job, and it is time that YOU begin to take charge of it. Don't expect your government, doctor, insurance company, family or someone else to take the responsibility for what belongs to YOU-your health!

So alright, you are already broken and need repairs, and you need someone to help you because you cannot do it on your own. I do understand that not everyone is in a position to solve their own problems and that government does have a role in protecting those of us who need temporary or permanent assistance. I also know that some of us are victims of diseases and conditions beyond our control, and that governmental intervention is there to help facilitate healthcare that is warranted. I really do believe that safety nets serve a necessary and commendable role in every society, and I consider them indispensible in helping to safeguard the healthcare of civilization generally.

But what about the rest of us that are still able to affect the quality of our lives through our daily programs of diet and exercise? This includes by far the majority of us who are still able to change our patterns of life to include healthy alternatives to our diet and exercise programs, avoid the national malaise and dysfunction and get restarted in a new direction. Can't we have enough consideration for own health, the health of our families and the healthy future of our nation to do our part in helping to make prevention the largest and most important part of our national healthcare program? Begin today to improve your diet and exercise program and encourage others to do the same!