The number of MDs moving into the holistic world is telling and encouraging. My mother is a good example of the good, the bad and the ugly of modern medicine. It saved her life from cancer a few times (no chemo). It set her broken bones. My family is eternally grateful. But recently it almost killed her with diabetes medication when what she needed was a low carb diet and exercise. I have become her medication watchdog. Most of what she is told to take isn’t necessary in my opinion. For example, her cholesterol is 110. Why would you tell to take lipitor just because she has diabetes? (rhetorical question) It’s frustrating at times. It goes on… What do people do who have no one to watch out for them? What happened to “First do no harm’?

These researchers in Germany decided to try to help last-ditch cancer patients by placing them on a just about no-carb diet. They had good results in the patients who stuck with it–still lost a few, but shrunk some tumors as well. The trouble was that some of the patients didn’t want to stick with it. They couldn’t bear to give up their sweets.

Apparently there is a cheap drug available that has the effect of turning a cancer cell’s mitochondria back on. Seems the mitochondria not only are energy powerhouses in a cell but also control when the cell dies. Turning them on in a cancer cell kills the cancer cell. So they’re touting this now as a fabulous cure for cancer, when apparently all most people have to do is quit eating the darned sugar. We can make what little glucose we need for the few body tissues without mitochondria by making it out of protein–we never need to eat carbohydrate at all. But getting a terminally ill person to adopt that attitude is an uphill battle.

I bet they’ll take the drug, though.

And while yes there is still the odd doctor out there today, and probably more were in the past who really cared about people getting better, today they are a tiny minority.

I have recently switched my GP (and the only reason I have one is b/c in Canada the basic health care system covers things like blood tests which I get yearly to have an idea of where I am at) Anyways, both the previous MD or this one want nothing to do with proper nutrition or natural health. In fact in the past when my iron was low, I was simply told “eat meat” and take iron pills. Meat did nothing and I hated it (today I am a vegan). Nowhere was it mentioned that perhaps I needed more vitamin C or B or any other things that inhibit iron absorption. And never mind the vaccines that get pushed on us too. And on top of all this, they never have time to actually hear a person. An appointment is always based “what’s wrong?” and “take these pills or go for these tests” or better yet “I don’t actually know what is wrong you.”

I know this is just a small example of many that I can quote, but it can be magnified in so many ways by other people’s bigger problems as to what the basis of the medical system is.

Unfortunately for us, today’s medicine is a business and until we realize that, we will continue to be pawns in a dangerous game.

Recently I asked ny GP to refer me back to the local rheumatologist for a reassessment of my RA condition as I wasn’t on any meds and had make great progress since having been once using,a cane, walker and wheelchair while taking meds and at this point was getting along without any of it …was only natural vitamins,minerals and other supplements.

I was greeted by a young doctor[recent graduate from Dal[resident doctor]] who informed me that she was the doctor’s assistant.She asked a few questions but did absolutely nothing to check my strength.gait,coordination,never even looked at my joints,etc. She asked if I had lost weight.I told her perhaps she might weigh me as the scale was two feet away.She didn’t bother. Then she asked about my pressure. I told her what it was the last time it was checked and maybe she might check it. She didn’t bother.She just sat at her computer and typed in the answers to her questions. Then she left to get the rheumatologist. He came into the room,looked at the computer,mumbled a few sentences saying fish oil,and something else. Then he turned to me and said,”We have to start an action plan here. I have to put you on medication.” My reply was that I hadn’t come for a medication as I felt what I was taking had been really helping me. Then he said he couldn’t help me unless I would take a medication.To satisy him I took a couple of free samples of a drug for OA which he offered,,,,not for RA. He left the room and immediately before I was ready to leave the room ,,the young doctor jumped off her chair to rush out the door saying,”I have to go get my dinner now so I’ll be ready for the next patient. I couldn’t believe it. She reminded me of teachers who are out the door ahead of their students.

However, I fail to see why mainstream health is not catching on. What is it that mainstream health needs from the natural health community to change their way of thinking? Is it clinical trials showing that various ailments can be cured or managed by magnesium supplementation, better diets, etc.? What facts do they need? Identifying these issues may help motivate the natural health community to address those issues and someday be accepted by mainstream healthcare as an integral but independent (meaning not influenced by) part of a total health care approach. Money is an obvious hurdle, but if the natural health advocates combined forces and presented a united message to the public…….