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Us Healthcare: It’S Worse Than You Think
Most people have heard the claims that the US healthcare system is broken. Many know that we overpay for our healthcare, about twice what other countries pay.
Some people are also aware that the actual quality of care has fallen. The World Health Organization ranks us 37th, between Costa Rica and Slovenia.
What some people don’t know is why we have a rip off crappy system.
It’s the profit motive.
If you are the kind of person that believes doctors are one step below god, and a small step at that, you had better stop reading now.
If you think that the American pharmaceutical industry has your best health on their top ten list of things to accomplish this year, you’re dismissed too.
If you think that the American food industry cares one iota about your well-being, please keep eating, but stop reading.
If you think that the American government, FDA, EPA, all those A’s, are protecting you, dream on, elsewhere.
We are being made unhealthy as certainly as cattle are fattened up for slaughter.
Here is what many people don’t know. The powerful industries within the “health industry” literally keep healthful advice from you. That’s right! If someone discovers something that actually might treat say, cancer, and it is cheap, or even, god forbid, natural, they go out of their way to contain that knowledge. Let me put it to you straight. They knowingly suppress information that might save lives, but cost them billions. It’s a business decision. Nothing personal.
It works this way. A natural substance is found that seems to have anti cancer properties. Since they know they will not be able to patent this natural substance, they try to synthesize a similar molecule that has similar qualities, even if it isn’t as good as the natural substance it mimics. If they find a similar molecule, they patent it, sell it, and never telling anyone about the natural substance. If they don’t find a similar molecule, they still never tell anybody about the natural substance, even if it could save lives.
There is a story that in ancient China, the medicine person in the village was paid when you were well. You would stop by his or her hut and drop off rice or chickens or whatever you produced and the medicine person could see that you were well and prospering. If you were ill, you would not come to visit him and so he would not get paid. Guess what happened then? He came to your house to make you well, as fast as possible.
In America, the ideal patient is one that has a need for long-term care. And surprisingly (not) we have epidemics of many long term care situations, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, Aids, Alzheimer’s, etc. There is no profit in curing anything. The best a company or medical facility can hope for is a successful long-term treatment program. The motivation is backward. They have no financial incentive to make you well. We count on their good intentions.
Do you know the intentions of the pharmaceutical industry? It is the most successful industry on the planet, making more money than oil or autos.
Suppose you owned a hospital and you had spent a million dollars on a diagnostic machine, and the following year a new and better one was developed. Would you send your patients somewhere else? Yeah right.
The FDA requires that in order to make a claim for a substance as a treatment or cure for an ailment, you must conduct lengthy and costly research. If the substance is a food or naturally occurring algae or microbe, it cannot be patented, so who would do such research? No one. That is why natural substances cannot make such claims and cannot get acceptance. The system was designed by the drug manufacturers. They control the FDA.
This is why we need socialized medicine, not insurance for everyone as the politicians are suggesting. The main reason the government must take over healthcare is not to pay the bills, but to be an advocate for the population and protect our health as best they can, because they pay the bills.
Once a government is paying all the healthcare bills, they do everything they can to see to it that the people are healthier and that the best form of healthcare are implemented. If the government realizes that certain foods are unhealthy, they would have the obligation to let us know because they are paying the bills. If an herb has proven to be as effective as an expensive medicine, without the side effects, they would want us to know because they are paying the bills. If a new technology is available that can shorten your treatment, they will let you know because they are paying the bills.
Without an advocate, the system will continue to be dominated by money interests. This is why no political candidate can come out in favor of socialized medicine. The healthcare industry will raise billions of dollars to defeat whomever tries it.
So in the future, we will still have poor healthcare, and very expensive healthcare the only change is that everyone will be in the system. The healthcare industry, and insurance industry will get to rip off more people with the government paying for the poor.
Until we get socialized medicine, the actual health of our country will not improve. There are too many forces wishing us ill.
If you are ill, my advice is to get online and do research. The alternative health industry is having a boom. For centuries people have taken traditional cures like, cod liver oil, or aloe vera, and used it on “faith” that these things made you healthy.
Now science has the ability to take these products apart and see the molecular composition. They recognize which molecules are anti-inflammatory and which are anti bacterial. If they find a new nutrient, they can test to see if it has health properties. Science is catching up to ancient wisdom and the mix is very exciting.
The world of medicine is advancing as quickly as the world of computers and you know how fast your machines grow obsolete. Medical knowledge is getting like that. Your doctor is obsolete before they get out of medical school and the only way they keep up is through the constant bombardment from big Pharma and medical technology companies.
They simply cannot stay aware of the latest advances.
You have to be diligent. With care, some people will live to be 120 and beyond, with an extended middle age, not old age. Others will start to get old at 30, begin getting treatments, and die at 70 from “natural causes”.
Believe me, there is nothing natural about it. It is a large and horrible plot to keep you uninformed, sick, and helpless.
Published: Sep 2,2008 10:22
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Andy Cowan
Andy Cowan, an award-winning writer, whose credits include Cheers and Seinfeld, regularly contributes humor pieces to the Los Angeles Times and the CBS Jack FM Radio Network.
Paul M. J. Suchecki
Paul M. J. Suchecki has more than 30 years of experience as an award winning writer, producer, and cameraman. He's written numerous newspaper and magazine articles. Currently he writes, produces and shoots for LA CityView Channel 35 and his more than 250 articles for Ehow.com are approaching half a million readers.
Coby Kindles
Coby Kindles is a freelance journalist, screenplay writer and essayist. She has been a staff writer at Knight Ridder and a regular contributor to The Associated Press.
Debbie Milam
Debbie Milam is a syndicated columnist for United Press International, an occupational therapist, family success consultant, and motivational speaker with more than 20 years experience. Her work on stress management, spirituality, parenting, and special-needs children has been featured in over 300 media outlets including First for Women, The Miami Herald, Elle, Ladies Home Journal, The Hallmark Channel, PBS and WebMD.
Dan Rafter
Dan Rafter has covered the residential real estate industry for more than 15 years. He has contributed real estate stories to the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Business 2.0 Magazine, Home Magazine, Smart HomeOwner Magazine and many others.
Jack Nargundkar
Jack Nargundkar has been repeatedly published in Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. He is also an author of "The Bush Diaries" published in July 2005.
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