A Different Look at the Healthcare Issue

As the problem of health care for all Americans continues to stay at the forefront of political discussions, I keep asking myself why this is such a crisis? As is my custom, I asked myself why do we have a crisis now? Why haven’t we always needed “health care?” I have a different look at the healthcare issue. Let’s take a look back at our history:

We’ve seen the incredible rise of advancements in science, technology, and medical research in the 20th century, unlike any other time in history. Along with that, however, we saw advancements in food processing and engineering. There is definitely a link.

100-150 years ago and beyond (that’s always where I start) our ancestors ate real food. They had eggs and bacon and toast for breakfast, or oatmeal, or toast and coffee. Butter was fresh, and there was no margarine. Milk was fresh, and not pasteurized or homogenized. For lunch it was fresh vegetables (or sometimes canned, depending on where the people lived), fresh meat from hunting, or frozen, smoked, or dried meats. It was the same for dinner (or supper). Soups and casseroles were made with fresh ingredients. What wasn’t available simply wasn’t used.

Vegetables were grown in the family garden with what we now call organic gardening methods. For those people, it was just called “gardening.” They had simple, common sense methods for fertilizing and killing unwanted insects. There was no danger of carcinogens on the produce.

Fruits were either grown locally or picked wild, or traded with others in the area. Again, they were fresh and safe to eat.

Eggs were collected by little kids or housewives on the family farm, or purchased from friends who had a farm. They were not raised on egg farms, with chickens as virtual prisoners in their rows and rows of laying houses.

Very little, if any food, was processed. Nothing came in a cardboard box, with names that the average person can’t pronounce.

White sugar and flour (now known as refined) were considered “special” and not used for everyday.

As our advancements in food processing have occurred, the need for advancements in medicine have become necessary. Why? Our bodies were designed to run on food; real food. Not chemicals processed to look like food, or to resemble food. Real food contains real nutrients that cause our bodies to function properly. Processed foods have a host of bad health results and dangerous side effects that we are still learning about in the 21st century.

Our self-imposed health problems require treatment. So we visit our doctor, who prescribes the “cure.” Only that cure usually causes another problem (“side effects.) So we visit the doctor again, and get another “cure” for those side effects. Before you know it, the one health problem has turned into many, and the doctor visits and prescription costs are out of control. And since government is our nanny, we look for a handout to help pay for this.

What is wrong with us? Americans used to be so independent! Our not-too-distance ancestors did the hard work of raising healthy food, paying for a doctor when needed, and taking care of their families. But in just a few generations we have become a needy, sickly, whining bunch shaking our fists at Washington and demanding “healthcare” from the government. Stop. Just stop.

Take back your own healthcare.

You can do your own research; there is way too much information to post here. Just look up the dangers of processed food, artificial sweeteners, pesticides, growth hormones, artificial food coloring, and preservatives.

So, what does have to do with health care? Simply this: you can control the costs of your family’s healthcare by changing your diet. Eat more fresh or organic produce, look for dairy products that do not have growth hormones, eat real butter, eat whole grains, and fresh frozen or organic meats. Reduce or remove white sugars and flours from your diet. It’s not easy or cheap, but then healthcare isn’t either. And the long-term results are much more pleasant.

I think if more and more Americans (and people around the world) would make some simple changes in diet, we would see a dramatic drop in the need for life-long prescription medications, constant aches and pains, depression, cancer, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, and a host of other ailments. And without these problems, the need for “health care” disappears. If you don’t think this is true check out Chris Beat Cancer. And while you’re at it, read these books:

I don’t mean that doctors will no longer be necessary. But they will be able to spend their time on broken bones, sore throats, and ear aches. If that was the case, we wouldn’t need a government program, now would we?

What do you think? Comment below.

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If you liked this, you might also like my post from the days of Laura Ingalls Wilder: Old Fashioned Prairie Medicine.

Nicki Truesdell is a 2^nd-generation homeschooler and mother to 5. She loves books, freedom, history and quilts, and blogs about all of these at nickitruesdell.com. She believes that homeschooling can be relaxed and that history is fun, and both can be done with minimal cost or stress, no matter your family’s circumstances. Nicki is a member of the Texas Home Educators Advisory Board and The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Crew. You can also find her on  Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.