One of the paramount issues in the United States is health care. It affects virtually every aspect of domestic politics, including politics, business, the economy, and the personal lives of Americans, from the poorest to the richest.

Unfortunately, in this current political season, the answer seems NOT to lie in solutions other than offering us more of the same with so-called “universal coverage” for all. In other words, the system we have now sucks, so everyone should suffer equally. When I discuss this, my conservative and liberal friends respond with something like, “What do you mean? We have the best health care system in the world!” But still, both sides are simply tackling the issue as an insurance issue rather than a public health issue. Too.

In my opinion, the problem with health care in the United States is that the whole paradigm is flawed. From birth, we are indoctrinated in the disease model and that drugs can prevent or cure any disease. In other words, we must prevent and combat disease.

So, we start the babies with “their shots”. While I believe vaccination should be a matter of choice, the number and types of vaccines recommended for infants and young children really is an assault on their developing immune system and it’s downright scary. Then, throughout their early school years, many children are “diagnosed” with ADD/ADHD and are given narcotic grade drugs to force them to sit still so they can do better in school. And then (ironically) they complain about athletes taking performance-enhancing drugs. Strange.

As we enter adulthood, we are convinced that giving birth is a traumatic and dangerous event that must be managed strictly in a medical setting. Why aren’t women in modern America told that giving birth is something natural and beautiful for which they were uniquely designed? Instead of empowering women to do what they were naturally designed to do, we scare them into complying with an allopathic, pathological model of childbirth.

Later in adulthood, Americans are routinely checked for cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and a host of other chronic conditions. And when the measurements fall outside the established norms, drugs are prescribed to force that particular reading to what the doctor thinks is correct. Unfortunately, every medication has a side effect. And we Americans hardly ever ask our doctors, “What’s in this medicine?” or “What are some potential side effects of this medication?” or “How will this affect me with the other medications I’m taking?” Instead, we just comply.

Then, as we enter middle age, we start to see problems like liver and kidney failure, congestive heart failure, etc. and become regular visitors to the local hospital. As medications no longer work or our bodies begin to shut down due to strange symptoms that cannot be easily categorized, we start “visiting the doctor” to find someone who can give an accurate diagnosis.

Eventually, we end up in a nursing home receiving dozens of different medications and undergoing a myriad of tests until our bodies finally give up. From birth to death we are taught to fear and combat fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. And because our focus is on disease, we create disease. It turns out that two of the largest and most profitable industries in America are insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Have you noticed all the new “diseases” being advertised on TV like “Restless Legs Syndrome”, GERD and many others? And have you checked how much money those industries spend on advertising and political lobbying?

So what is the solution? Well, first, we have to acknowledge that our entire premise is wrong from the start. Like our education system and our tax code, we need a whole new way of thinking. Perhaps it was Einstein who said: “No problem can be solved with the same level of thinking that created it in the first place.”

Instead of a system that holds someone else responsible for finding or preventing a disease; or your employer (or worse, the government) paying for your “health” insurance; or expecting Medicare/Medicaid to pay for your care at death, we must give people responsibility for their own health.

In a wellness paradigm, you start with the premise that you are supposed to be healthy! Instead of sitting around watching TV, eating junk food, and smoking cigarettes, we encourage people to exercise, stay fit, eat better, and do those things that keep them healthy and safe. Instead of a broken system of care that minimizes the time you spend with “one” doctor, you find the right doctor for you and develop the kind of relationship that makes you healthier and gives you more control over your health and life. . When I was young, President John F. Kennedy called for all schools to make physical fitness part of his regular curriculum.

After all, this is STILL America, “home of the FREE and land of the BRAVE”! The American pioneering spirit has always been responsible for our strength and prosperity. We should get rid of this “plantation mentality” where the government or an employer should take care of us. As one writer wrote, “you are endowed with the seed of greatness.” By realizing and pursuing that greatness in all aspects of life in the United States, we can restore the health and vitality of our nation and reduce our dependence on drug manufacturers and insurance companies.

Live the best life you can. Don’t give your freedom and your power to anyone!