With all the advancements in technology, state of the art medical tools, and the information we’ve uncovered these past few decades, you would think we would be bursting at the seams with abundant and ever-improving health. Quite the opposite is happening. The health of our population is plummeting. Roughly 60% of adults in this country suffer with at least one chronic illness, and 40% have two or more. Almost 70% are overweight or obese. Depression, anxiety, and suicides are at an all-time high. We are super sick… and getting sicker.
In our obsession for higher tech, and our belief that there will be some big breakthrough to answer all of our healthcare questions, we continue to overlook the lowest hanging fruit, which would solve a majority of the health issues we are currently battling.
It sounds too simple, but what we eat, how much we move, the quality of our sleep, our response to daily stressors, and even the relationships we engage in and the work we do all have a HUGE impact on health, wellness, sickness, and disease. Our lifestyle choices are the most important thing when it comes to managing, correcting, and preventing most of the chronic illness we see today.
So why, with the simplicity, safety, and cost-effectiveness of lifestyle management interventions, would this not be our first line of defense? Why aren’t your primary doctors emphasizing it? Why aren’t there commercials highlighting it? Why aren’t there government programs pushing it?
Just the other day, I had a quick conversation with a patient and gave him a few simple lifestlye changes that he could make that would have an incredible impact on his health and completely shift the destructive, downhill path he is currently on. He agreed that they were simple, that he was capable of doing them, and that he could start immediately. You could see the excitement in him welling up, as if I just gave him directions to the fountain of youth (which, in a way, I did. Haha!). He seemed almost relieved to have some guidance, a plan, and most of all, hope. He was sick of feeling lousy, did not know who to listen to or trust, and likely anticipated that he would just continue downhill like his parents, aunts, uncles, and other aging people he knows.
As he was leaving, he stopped, turned to me, and asked a question that I get A LOT. Why aren’t all doctors giving information like this? It’s so basic. Why don’t doctors talk more about the basics?
My answer… You can’t patent the basics.
It should seem extremely bizarre that the primary healthcare providers in this country are so quick to write that prescription or recommend a medical procedure without discussing, encouraging, or recommending basic lifestyle interventions, such as dietary changes, exercise regimens, stress management strategies, and better sleep options. This should blow your mind! …especially since these lifestyle strategies often prove to be as effective, or more effective, than the dangerous drugs and risky procedures they are so quick to recommend. The reason is simple… money. They do not make money on lifestyle changes. Drugs, procedures, and surgeries are SO lucrative.
So… why don’t doctors emphasize the importance of the basics? Because you can’t patent the basics. If they can’t make money recommending the basics, they will stick to more profitable drugs and surgery recommendations.
To be fair and complete, money is not the only factor. There is little-to-no training in medical schools on lifestyle interventions. The whole paradigm, model, and philosophy of our mainstream medical system revolves around drugs, surgeries, and other medical procedures. It is not a health and wellness system… it is a sickness system. Their philosophy involves an outside -in approach to fixing problems. With most health problems at least beginning as an inside-out problem, the drugs and surgeries often address effects… not causes. It is how medical doctors are trained, it is how medical schools are set up, and it is how hospital systems are run. Money is foundationally the biggest reason the basics get overlooked, not recommended, and undervalued, but the lens through which doctors look at health problems gets focused on the things they know and were trained in… drugs and surgery. They simply lack the training, appreciation, and model of basic lifestyle interventions.
I will tell you now, it is the basics that will most likely have the biggest impact on your overall health. It is the basics that will impact the underlying cause of your problems. Your biggest and best results will come from doing the basics.
Are the basics boring? Yep! Are the basics sexy? Nope! Do the basics involve the latest, greatest, highest tech? Nope? Do the basics make the headlines? Nope? But you need to ask yourself a different set of questions. Will the basics improve my health? Absolutely! Have the basics been tested over time? Yes, decades! Are the basics safe? Yes, the safest! Can I afford the basics? Of course, most are free! When can I start the basics? Immediately.
Do not underestimate the power of the basics. They usually hold the answer to your health problems. And just because your medical doctor fails to give these recommendations, does not mean they are not important. The basics are THE MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do regarding most health issues.