Health Care is big business these days; most probably because there are so many people who are in such dire straits as pertains to their Health and Wellness, or lack thereof. And due to this S.A.D. state of affairs, the ability to capture the attention of the suffering public is that much more acute, so anything that appears to provide relief for an ailing condition is at least able to get a hearing, and in many cases, will be explored by many. In most cases, there is a financial exchange anchored to the possibility of relief, and that can translate into wealth for a marketing opportunity. But marketing aside, do these items provide relief from the dis-ease? In many cases, the science has been well researched and does provide relief for a fee. Science has been instrumental in addressing many of our ‘modern’ illnesses, so there is nothing necessarily suspect about it. But there may be a series of questions to ask when seeking a remedy like, ‘Am I solving the problem or merely the symptom(s) of this condition?’. Or, ‘Though this solves the symptoms, is it organic (meaning something that can be found in Nature), rather than something synthetic that was made in a lab?’. And then there is the more insidious possibility that a “Health” item is found in Nature, but it is inorganic and not really something that should be consumed by Humans, though marketers imbue it with the qualities of the Holy Grail. In such cases, Nature and science collide, and bottom line is that it is only about “the bottom line”.
Health and Wellness is really rather simple: ‘Consume those things that provide the body with the Nutrients it needs to function, and find those Nutrients in the most Natural, Humanly bio-available condition possible, and everything else will take care of itSelf’. This approach to Health and Wellness is built from the reality that ‘…given the proper materials, in sufficient amount, provided the appropriate amount of time for biochemistry to function, and the body WILL HEAL ITSELF’. Yes! It is that simple.
So why is Nutrition deemed to be so complicated? Well, it is not that complicated. What is complicated is trying to incorporate the ‘modern’ Life-Style into the ‘old Human organism’, trying to make it a perfect fit. Not only does it complicate things, it is a difficult proposition, and even more difficult to achieve. What I propose is that you become intent on making a concerted effort at “Keeping It Real!”.
Eating food is one of the most fundamental ways for people to get the Nutrients into their systems. Historically, our food was either grown in the ground, or our food consumed its food from the earth (including the waterways and oceans). The ecological system of ‘eating up the food chain’ is the primary method for most creatures, Humans included. In the early part of the twentieth century, there was an uproar, noted by Senate Document 264 of the 74th Congress, 2nd Session (1936), that the soil growing our foods was miraculously depleted, thus ninety-nine percent of all Americans were Nutrient deficient. It was also about this time that ‘modern inorganic/synthetic farming’ practices had come into vogue, and plants, just like Humans, have a difficult time assimilating synthetic materials and converting them biologically to useful organic materials. The result is that the plants are compromised, thus their product (our food) is compromised in its ability to provide what it is that we need to gain from it Nutritionally. By extension, if the plants are compromised for Human consumption, they are also compromised for livestock consumption, so the entire food chain is ‘depleted’ of its Nutrients because the ‘soil’ is compromised by the synthetic additives forced onto it by modern farming methods. To make a pun, it seems that this gets us, at least, near the “root of the problem”.
The soil is depleted because it has had synthetic substances dumped into it, that are then absorbed by the ‘organic’ plants that we (and our livestock) eat. The plants cannot metabolize (synthesize/digest) these substances, so their biological structures take a hit, and as a result are limited in their ability to be fully Nutritious for us, and we resultantly become Nutrient deficient after consuming these foodstuffs.
Simple; the problem is solved – return to ‘organic’ substances to feed the plants that in turn, feed us and our livestock, and everyone gets what they need and goes about their merry way. Right!?! Not so fast.
If the discussion about depleted soil persists today, something must have occurred that did not take the simple methodology put forth a sentence or so, above. It seems that there were forces at work that did not allow for this to happen. Without doing any research on the ins and outs of this matter, and relying strictly on deducing the possibilities of events, knowing that agriculture is currently referred to as “agribusiness”, I would have to gander that in the name of science, technology, and economics, the simple solution above was discarded in favor of a scenario that probably resembles the following.
The scientific community, via its accounting and legal departments, argued that it had invested so much time and money into ‘creating’ these new products that it was unfair from a business vantage point, to abandon the ‘improvements’ accrued. Given a bit more time and money, the difficulties experienced could be addressed, eliminated, and made better. The government (by way of political leaders that rely on the campaign contributions of these large companies), not being experts in farming, acquiesced and allowed the scientists the opportunity to make good on their argument. The ‘improvements’ were implemented, at additional costs (economically, financially, and via public Health sacrifices), the challenges were addressed and eliminated, but then some other factor now became misaligned and needed to be ‘corrected’. (And let us not forget that in the early (1930′s), the country was grappling with the result of the stock market crash of (1929). Feeding the masses at all costs was paramount in the minds of the public and the government, so the possibility of improving food production made these economic and science-infused arguments that much more fertile and convincing.) Today we hear the same statements about depleted soil, as it seems that the failing cycle has continued in this basic fashion since the mid-thirties. And while the ‘depleted soil’ argument persists, the Health of the nation continues to deteriorate, and agribusinesses continue toward economic engorgement, despite the depleted ‘synthetics is better-than-Nature’ solutions offered to correct the situation. Other industries benefit as well, including (but not limited to) insurance, hospitals, pharmacies, and Health supplements.
But I digress; we need to find a way to Live our Lives, maintain our Health, and do so by consuming the most Natural, Nutrient-dense foods available. The word “Organic” comes to mind, when seeking quality foodstuffs. Not the chips and snacks that are processed ad-nauseum with the word “organic” splattered across the wrapper; though possibly better than comparable products, these items are also quite removed from their ‘Natural’ state. Alternatively, rocks and pebbles from the earth or the ocean are Natural, but are inorganic and not readily bio-available to the Human physiology, so are only a slight step above the synthetic supplements marketed as ‘Health’ items for the Human organism. It is imperative that the members of the general public take more than a fleeting interest in the quality of their Health and Wellness by investing in themSelves through the consumption of truly “Organic and bio-available” foods in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and beans, and Sea Vegetables. (Often used as supplements, micro-algaes like Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae, Spirulina, and Chlorella are whole foods in and of themSelves. These foods/supplements have been studied and proven to be Nutritionally beneficial for Human consumption and are farmed organically in their Natural state.) And let us try not to confuse the issue: science and technology has its place and has helped to catapult society forward in unimaginable and Healthy ways, while marketing has kept us informed about new discoveries available to assist our Lives as well. But it is just as critical that we recognize that many of the “old” things work just as well, and in many cases better, than the brand new-fangled thing fresh to the scene. We must not falter and always impose a basic, yet rigorous common-sense analysis in determining what works best for our overall Health and Wellness. As we individually and collectively safeguard our quest for Health, it need be done in the dynamic Spirit of “Keeping It Real!”.
