The "New" America: Home of the Sick, Diseased, and Nutritionally Bankrupt

Back in 2010, along with about 60 other doctors from across the country, I became a Certified Chiropractic Wellness Practitioner. Wellness is nothing new to me as a chiropractor as I have been preaching and living the lifestyle on a daily basis for the past 34 years. This certification, however, is unique in that it is the first wellness program which recognizes new research, advanced clinical skills, and a wealth of very practical lifestyle suggestions that I can share with my patients.

Programs and information of this type have now reached the forefront of many discussions regarding health care and the concerns over why we have become such a sick and diseased America. It may be difficult to place an exact timeline on when shifts in health began occurring, but from my perspective, it appears that the industrial revolution following WWII initiated a lot of changes that were not all for the better.

One of the downsides to what has occurred since the early 40’s is that we have become a people of convenience and shortcuts. For the most part, anything that we can do to make life easier for ourselves that requires less effort has become the norm in our society.

Now we find ourselves choosing ease and speed over common sense. This couldn’t be truer of a statement particularly in regard to the health of Americans. In becoming the powerhouse industrialized nation that we are, we have been duped into believing that we can safely continue to damage our environment, pollute our waters and food supply, spew toxic waste into the air, and remove many of the basic building blocks that our ancestors depended upon to maintain optimal health. We have assumed that our bodies could compensate and tolerate exposure to these stressors without the risk of sickness or disease. Even more concerning is that Western medicine for years has embraced the idea of treating symptoms and ignored some of the most basic things needed for us to maintain our health.

Preventable illness now makes up 80% of the burden of all illness and consumes 90% of all health care dollars amounting to over $2.3 trillion today, compared to $253 billion 30 years ago!

“Our nation has become the “New” America — Home of the sick, diseased, and nutritionally bankrupt.”

We can and must do better — the future is depending on us! Here are some useful health tips that you could benefit from starting today:

Think Well!

Your emotional state is triggered by the thoughts that you focus upon. Change your thinking, change your thoughts. Empowered, positive thoughts creative empowered, positive days!

Eat Healthy!

Choose fresh fruits and vegetables, quality meats, chicken and fish. Avoid canned processed meals, pizza and fast food restaurants. Skip the junk food, sugar, alcohol and all of the chemicals that you are dumping into your body every day. Ask yourself if what you are eating is beneficial or suicidal to your health.

Move Your Body!

Get away from the computer, the TV, and your smartphone. Take a disk walk, breathe deeply, do some pushups, skip rope or ride your bike. You were designed to move — so get smart and start doing something health for yourself today!