As we fast approach the beginning of the Obama administration, it is interesting to watch his team develop. You can tell a lot about a politician by the caliber of people he surrounds himself with. The opinion piece featured today makes it painfully clear that Obama’s choice for Surgeon General, a key post that influences many aspects of the health industry, is the same ol’ same ol’ — business as usual.

With the cost of healthcare continuing to skyrocket, even those with insurance are straining their budgets between premiums, co-pays, and deductibles. Even sadder is the fact that most of the “care” offered only throws dangerous drugs — another added expense — at symptoms, rather than addressing issues through lifestyle changes that lead toward wellness and prevent disease.

If the government won’t change their ways, perhaps we should rethink our own choices. Consider purchasing a catastrophic insurance policy that will keep you from bankruptcy if you experience a major medical event. Then invest what you were spending on other insurance costs into nutritious, organic food and natural supplements along with finding a healthy diet that will help your body to balance in a natural way. It is also wise to establish a working relationship with a natural-minded healthcare practitioner that can help educate and coach you toward wellness. It is time to take personal responsibility for the health of ourselves and our families.

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As we enter Christmas week, I thought a light-hearted (no pun intended) look at how our societal views regarding body weight have changed might be fun. From an historical perspective, it is interesting to see how the scale has migrated from a novelty in the family room to the privacy of the bathroom. This article also seemed timely to me because when you review the health news highlights of the past year, 2008 might be labeled the “Year of Obesity.” Back in the 1800′s, the majority of people, other than the wealthy, still did physical labor and ate a fairly simple diet based on homegrown, whole foods for the most part. Obesity was not an issue, as it is in today’s world of fast-food restaurants and lethargy.

However, as with most things in this day and age, it is not all that cut and dried. Yes, we have created a monster of disease and poor health with our modern diets and lifestyles. Yes, Americans are sadly obese as a whole. So the obvious answer to these concerns is lifestyle changes that lead towards wellness, right? Of course this is true, but in the wacky world of Big Pharma and commercial “medicine,” more press has been given to drugs that allow people to eat whatever they want and skimp on exercise (and still lose weight) and other obesity “solutions” such as fad diet products that promise fitness but only expose individuals to more health risks. In addition, we have governmental agencies that are increasingly tolerant of genetically modified foods and who have an agenda to block natural supplements and make it difficult for citizens to get their hands on any real food at all. So, enjoy the article below, but also keep in mind that as we enter the New Year, the battle for healthcare freedoms is becoming more and more of an issue. If we as individuals and as a Nation are to find wellness, we must have access to the nutritional building blocks that are needed in order to accomplish this goal.

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There’s good news today about legal actions that have mandated the FDA to make an official statement regarding the hazards of mercury used in amalgam dental fillings. For years FDA denied the existence of any credible evidence proving such hazards, and therefore refused to issue a warning. Even this ruling falls short of a definitive statement warning all individuals of the mercury hazards, addressing only children and pregnant women. However, it is a positive step in the right direction.

As usual, if it meets their agenda, FDA lags far behind the trends that have already begun to change in our society. Most dentists nowadays offer amalgam-free fillings to their patients simply because people have become aware of the dangers of mercury and are requesting safer alternatives. Let’s hope it won’t take too much more legal strong arming to require a total ban on fillings that contain mercury and other heavy metals and that have been linked to numerous health problems.

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Here on this blog, we have often discussed dissatisfaction with allopathic medicine from a patient’s point of view. Well, it appears that they are not the only group who are singing the blues about health care in this country. Today’s post references a recent survey of family practice physicians that indicate a whopping 50% are considering (or would like to if they could) changing careers.

Some of the reasons cited for this high level of dismay in the field are excessive amounts of paperwork and bookkeeping, poor care for patients with chronic conditions, and lack of time to spend treating patients. It’s no wonder doctors whip out their prescription pads as their customers file through on the assembly line. Many are not able to take the time and effort necessary to individually care for their patients’ needs.

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Yesterday I talked about some natural alternatives that are starting to become more popular. The article in today’s post does an excellent job of summarizing why we may be on the edge of a societal shift away from the abusive overuse of dangerous prescriptions by the American people. It appears that due to several key factors — including prohibitively expensive drugs during these tough economic times and a huge increase in reports of serious side effects and fatalities from prescription drugs — that the sales and profits of Big Pharma are declining for the first time in over a decade.

People are doing more research than ever and are challenging doctors to provide side-effects (short and long-term) of any meds that are prescribed. Many are saying NO to the myriad of childhood vaccinations imposed upon our children, along with refusing the all “too available” flu vaccine. In other words, people are beginning to step out of the traditional medicine box, thus taking responsibility for their own health and well-being. Nope, most doctors don’t appreciate this, but it’s not THEIR money that is being spent. It is OUR money, and more and more of us are deciding to spend OUR money in a way that promotes health and healing. Many healthcare professionals conveniently forget this.

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Rumors in our nation’s capital have president-elect Obama leaning towards Tom Vilsack as the head honcho of the USDA in his upcoming administration. As the post below points out, this man is no friend of American farmers (except perhaps the huge corporate ones), and has very questionable connections to biotech groups and corporations such as Monsanto that are aggressively supporting and marketing genetically modified foods and agricultural practices that are nutritionally and ecologically disastrous.

Apparently the big-bucks behind those that support control of the food supply have bought and paid for access and influence within the Obama camp. Despite campaigning against the status quo and “Old Boy Network” in Washington, it appears for now that Obama is practicing business as usual. When one analyzes the massive financial advantage that Obama had over his Republican opponent, along with some of the questionable moves that were made by the McCain camp during the election, it is no small stretch of the imagination to suspect that perhaps Obama was picked for the job far before the voting took place. Only time will tell, but it will be interesting to keep an eye on how much real change will occur over the next four years.

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Just when you might have thought conventional medicine could not stoop any lower, they have outdone themselves again. The American Heart Association and the Journal of American Medical Association (the propaganda arm of the AMA) have cooperated to publish a very skewed study that suggests Vitamins E and C are useless for fighting coronary disease. The real reason they were able to conclude this is that the Vitamin E product used in the research was synthetic junk that the human body is not able to recognize as anything of nutritional value.

It is sad but true that most research linking any kind of wellness and disease prevention to natural products is squelched, minimized, and discredited by modern medicine and the media. (Linus Pauling and his excellent studies regarding the benefits of Vitamin C is one of many clear examples.) As we have often pointed out on this blog, if you track the money trail, you will find organizations such as the AHA, AMA, FDA, and others that are supposedly in place to protect our health with highly questionable connections that scream conflict of interest when it comes to credible research and information. Did you see the story the other day about Big Pharma’s preferences and influence regarding the choice of the next head of the FDA? The way it is being presented in the press, no one is questioning why this should even be an issue. I can’t think of a better example of the fox guarding the hen house, but they unashamedly pull these stunts and nobody, including the media, seems to blink an eye.

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