THIS SATURDAY (finally!)
Natural HealthFest March 23, 8:30-5:00 Plano Center–17 lectures, 100 exhibits. Suggestion: bring your return address stickers for entering drawings.

Healthy by Nature radio show this week we will have a speed round. Andy and I will have up to 8 guests—each with a pearl of health wisdom for all our listeners. We’ll conduct our annual LIVE REMOTE broadcast from Natural HealthFest and hear what some exhibitors have to offer. It has been fun for us and folks say that they enjoyed listening. If you want to be in the audience for some of the show, the doors open at 7:30. Ask at Ticket Sales for a red sign to save your chosen lecture seat. I’ll let you know when it is time to head that way. Call the live show with questions at 1-800-281-8255. Click here to find podcasts, show archives and how to listen nationwide.
 
Introduction (changing health, one dime at a time)
Don’t we vote for the kind of health and “healthcare” we want by how we spend our money? The marketplace then responds by providing more of what we buy. So, it seems that on average, Americans don’t always invest wisely and instead of health, end up with “sickness care”. (Some of that is even of questionable long term value.) Here are some recent news items about what Americans are buying and my take on how good of a health value they are getting.
 
Prescription Sales Drop
In 2012 Americans spent 1% less on prescription drugs. Could that possibly be a ray of hope that we are becoming less sick? Or is it just that more folks are buying their medications from Canada because we are charged twice as much here for the same drug as other countries? Perhaps, as some have suggested, due to the economy, we didn’t go to the doctor as much or just failed to fill the prescriptions. As an eternal optimist, I’m going to hope that maybe consumers have begun to ignore the cheery folks depicted in television drug ads and have instead paid attention to the side effects being listed. “An asthma drug that increases the risk of dying from asthma?” Really? Here are some thoughts on prescription drugs adapted from Chapter 3 of my book Natural Alternatives to Nexium…and Other Acid Blockers:

Pharmaceutical companies earn spectacular profits by patenting a molecule that has never been on the planet before. Most those chemicals work by poisoning one of the body’s chemical pathways or systems in order to stop its production of undesirable symptoms. Unfortunately, there is always a price to pay when you mess with a natural pathway that typically also performs beneficial functions. As author pharmacist, Suzy Cohen, has taught us, virtually all pharmaceuticals are “Drug Muggers” that interfere with our nutrients. The resulting deficiencies are another major cause of side effects. The most commonly used medications may only suppress symptoms or adjust a risk factor number but don’t fix the underlying cause. In fact, they might even make the root problem worse. I remember radio guest, Roger Mason, saying something to the effect that “You can’t poison your way to good health.”

While vitamins, minerals, plant nutrients, herbs and lifestyle changes can solve most health problems safely, they cannot be patented. (Besides, if a disease is involved, the FDA will not allow the maker to tell you how it helps.) Without the big profits from patents, supplement companies can’t afford to fight the FDA, visit all the doctors’ offices and run prime time TV ads. But on the happy side, because nutritional supplements support the body to do something that it would normally do if well, we often experience “fringe benefits” with their use. For example, you were working on one thing, but are pleasantly surprised when two other health aspects improve.

Of course, I’m not saying to stop your medications because often drugs do save lives. I am suggesting that they are massively over-used because the mainstream system is not structured to find and fix the underlying imbalances that cause disease. As healthcare consumers, we are much better off if we ask a lot of questions and, whenever possible, try a natural alternative before resorting to medications. (It is safer and ultimately cheaper—a bit like trying diplomacy before calling in the bombers and tanks.)

Next week: Buying health – Part 2 (Robot Hysterectomies, McDonald’s Egg White Delight, Knee Surgery vs therapy and Diet Products.)
 
Last Week
LINK to Archive. I asked Dr. Monica Faulhaber about how she uses energy medicine in her practice. She loves Avazzia. Peter Osborne, DC, CCN discussed Gluten. Ryley Chestnut from the Nappy Shoppe told us about better baby products.

Please help spread the good word-forward this newsletter to friends and family.
My first book : Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments.

My latest book: Aloe Vera-Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy

The information contained in this newsletter has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The contents are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.

Copyright 2013 Martie Whittekin, CCN