If it seems like I am always questioning the status quo, well, that’s because I am. Is it because I am paranoid? Is it because I am a conspiracy theorist? Is it because I just like to be difficult? No. No. And no.
The reason I question the status quo is because of the current status of the status quo. Because I am a health care provider, I have an obligation to help as many people as possible to be as healthy as possible. If you take a quick look at our current healthcare system, it’s pathetic. As a species, we have never, ever been as sick as we are right now.
Think about that… at a time when we are more advanced than ever before in history, know more about human biology and physiology than ever before in history, and spend more money on health care than ever before in history, we are SICKER than we have ever been.
Imagine looking down over a huge maze where you can see where it starts, you can see the finish line, and you can see a person working their way through it. From your viewpoint, you can see that the person is heading in the wrong direction. You can see the person working hard, picking up speed, and even getting excited. But from where you are, you can see that they are getting no closer to the goal. In fact, the harder they work, and the faster they go, they actually move further and further from the goal.
I feel like I am that person looking down from above, watching the current health care system as it flounders further and further away from the goal, as it spends more money, does more research, provides more and more services.
I guess it starts with understanding the goal. If I asked you what your health goals are, I’m guessing they would include living a long, disease-free, energetic, and happy life. Let’s break that down a bit. How about living a long life? Our current children will be the first generation EVER to live a shorter lifespan than any generation before it. So, it appears we have peaked in regards to longevity. That means that all of our efforts are now resulting in a decline in length of life. Sad!
How about living disease-free? More than 50% of all Americans have at least one chronic illness, and over 25% have two or more. We are now even seeing these chronic illnesses, like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, in children. Which way do you think those numbers are trending? Up or down? Just think about how high that number will be in ten years. Yikes!
Surely, you’re full of energy and vitality, right? Do you feel run down, exhausted, and tired sometimes, all of the time, or never? And if you’re like most Americans, your stress level is so high that you feel like you’re never going to get caught up. We are not meant to be so wiped out, but we are. Scary!
But at least we are happier than we have ever been. NOT! Unfortunately, our levels of anxiety, depression, and even suicides are at an all-time high. While we all want to be happy more than just about anything, we seem to be drifting further and further away from that goal. Most people don’t even know what makes them happy, and the ones that do spend very little time doing it. Terrible!
The worst part about all of this is that we aren’t heading closer to these goals, but further away. With all of the technological advances, medical breakthroughs, and scientific research we have done, we are like that person in the maze… going in the wrong direction. We will NEVER achieve our health care goals doing things the way we have been doing them. I can’t figure out why more people aren’t asking more questions, getting fed up, and demanding better outcomes. Our healthcare system is failing us. This isn’t a criticism or an opinion, it’s a fact. Use any indicator of true health, and you will see that year after year, we get worse and worse.
And a maze is a maze. It’s easy to get lost in a maze. There are no directions, hints, or guides. But all we have to do is use current statistics and outcomes to see very clearly that we need course correction. We have decades of data that could be, and should have been, used to indicate we are not only not heading toward optimal health and wellness, but we are careening into a pit of more sickness, disease, and despair. So… why do I question the status quo? It would be very foolish, and dangerous, for you not to do the same. The status quo is terrible. It is shameful. Join me in asking more and better questions. It’s the only way out of the maze.
