Michael Moore’s new movie, Sicko, is a GREAT first step, in which he focuses public attention on the “Health Care” industry in America. In truth, the term “health care” should not even be applied to the medical industry anymore, for it is no longer about maintaining or restoring health, but about disease management. As such, the Food and Drug Administration (famously known as the FDA), which is the chief governmental watch dog for the interests of the pharmaceutical industry, should be renamed, the DMA, for Disease Management Administration. That is a much more appropriate term today.
I’m not suggesting that this is their intent. However, it is the effect of certain of their present policies and practices. The industry that they were chartered to protect the public from, they now serve and protect, to the extent that the public’s health is of secondary concern, and living with disease has become primary.
To his credit, Mr. Moore has opened a subject that everyone needs to take a look at showing, for example, how in health insurance coverage, customers are carefully screened to find ways to either deny coverage, or treatment benefits when submitted. This is the rule today. He illustrates the devastating effect that said policies and practices are having on American lives.
In one example he shows a “handy-man” who inadvertently cut off two of his fingers with a circular saw on a home project. When he went to the hospital for treatment, he was given the option of choosing which one they would re-attach. With no health insurance, there would be no treatment without payment. However, if he could pay, he could be treated. Re-attaching the middle finger alone would cost him over $60,000, while the price for the ring finger was just $12,000. Barely able to afford either, he opted for the ring finger.
Tongue-in-cheek, Moore indicated that the nub of flesh that had been the tip of the man’s middle finger found its way to a landfill, to be plucked by seagulls and become another part of the food chain.
Moore showcased the plight of four Americans who selflessly gave their energies in the aftermath of the World Trade Center tragedy, who now suffer respiratory problems due to airborne pathogens that they inhaled. In each case, they have found treatment in the disease management system to be contentious, difficult, and expensive. One woman who needed to use an inhaler, complained that at $120 each, she has to make the difficult decision between breathing and having other necessities of life.
Moore took this woman and three others whose health was also damaged by the residual effects of 9/11, on a pilgrimage. Leaving Miami in a flotilla of three boats, they went first to the detainment camp at Guantanamo Bay, where alleged al-Quaeda and Taliban operatives were brought. Having established that the facility boasts top-notch medical treatment with state-of-the-art equipment, their first approach was to seek treatment for these Americans there. It was a nice juxtaposition that wasn’t expected to actually work.
They left Guantanamo for Cuba. In spite of the official rhetoric about this country that has persisted since Fidel Castro took power, they were greeted with respect, care, and most of all, meaningful health solutions. The woman who was routinely charged $120 for inhalers learned that they sell for around 5¢ each. She took home a very large supply.
I’m not blind to the likelihood that this could have all been staged for our benefit, but so what? If it was, it nonetheless shows both a desire and intent by the Cuban government to present a positive image of their nation. Given its policies in a number of areas, I can’t say that our own government is doing that to, or for its citizens.
Another really beneficial aspect of Sicko was Moore’s travels to Canada, England, and France, to show how their respective health care systems work. I will say that the term health care applies in each case. In America, the Canadian system is often criticized, mainly by people who have a stake in preserving our present disease management industry. Some Americans go to Canada to get prompt, affordable treatment, in the same way that thousands go to places like Tijuana, Mexico, to get treatments that are unavailable, illegal, or unconscionably priced, in America.
I’ll leave you to see the film for yourself to see what I mean, and to see how the HMO practices play into this, but I started out by saying this was a great start. It’s a wonderful one, and there is only so much information you’re going to cram into 113 minutes. The next tale in maintaining and protecting the interests of disease management companies (let’s call them DMC’s), is where the DMA attempts to treat natural healing modalities as drugs, and create policies and legislation that blocks the public’s unfettered access to them.
Compounding this problem is that the preponderance of our foods do not have the mineral components that our bodies need in order to maintain or restore health. In addition, they routinely use chemical preservatives and other substances that, individually may seem insignificant, but are having a devastating cumulative effect. Chronic disease is on the rise, not because it has to be, or because it is inevitable, but because we are considering only a narrow band of “viable” responses, and actually attempting to set up barriers (via CODEX) to truly viable ones.
Just look at the rise in diabetes, heart disease, stroke, autism, Alzheimer’s, and so many more. Much lip service is given to “fighting” and “cures” to these ailments, when the truth is that the DMC’s are only seeking pharmaceutical responses, and the DMA only recognizes pharmaceutical responses as valid. They are even attempting to block or restrict and control access to nutritional ones. This would guarantee that our dance with disease, and psychological as well as physiological dependency on pharmaceuticals, will continue.
Pay no mind that heart disease and many other chronic ailments, are strong indicators of magnesium deficiency as one example, all of which will respond well to replenishment; pay no mind that reduced magnesium content in our foods means that we’re taking in the look, but not the nutritional substance that will sustain and restore our health. The DMA would look at magnesium chloride, which comes in a liquid form which allows intake through the skin, as a drug if it were presented as something that would affect our health by anyone but a doctor. However, most doctors are not informed of this in school, unless it is a product made by a DMC. (For a riveting look at this subject, see Transdermal Magnesium Therapy, ISBN 0978799119, Phaelos Books)
However, if a magnesium product is billed as a cosmetic, then that’s okay. DMC’s and the DMA just don’t want too many people getting wind of the fact that there’s something out there that will help them, and not cost them an arm and a leg… or a finger or two.
So if I were to make a proposal to Mr. Moore, it would be to immediately begin production on Sicko II. This would examine our real drug dependency, bought and paid for by the U.S. government, from the President down, the DMC’s, which include drug manufacturers, medical schools that rely on grants from DMC’s and favor only their approaches, and insurance companies that only consider and pay for DMC-based products — the media, news, print, and broadcast, which feature stories that embrace DMC products and taint the perception of natural approaches.
Although I enjoyed Sicko, that is the story I am interested in seeing. It’s the story that now needs to be told.
The health care system is screwed up. However…there’s no grand conspiracy. Srsly.
Plus, other commenters…pleaaase visit this website.
http://www.quackwatch.com/
At the cellular level hypoxia and ph is all that is nessesary to improve any condition. Many methods work. Nutrition, Light ,Hydtration. My passion is Elecro bio magnetics. My experience
is in home medical oxygen. But became ordained in 2003 so I could tell the truth.
Love and Light,
gioia
You are beings of light, humans respond to vibrational stimulation. 6.3 trillions cells all recieve energy at one energetic level. Other organs vibrate at similar wavelenghts. of the visable spectrum. Senses are naturally meant to pick up vibration, we see, feel, smell, taste, hear, to assimalate,vibrational frequencies. They are processed information access stimulators.
The work of Candice Pert is light at it’s simple
beginings. The white blood cells assess what pathenpogenic substance is the invader and create an auto-genious vacines. Macrophages,
or phagosytes response is instantanious. Apply the right spectrum of light and stimulate regeration by 85%. Negative DC fields create O2
American’s need to realize that they are only human and inasmuch capable of being taken advantage of. President Bush and his team of vultures have proven this fact; and as a country, America has evolved into “…of the corporation, for the corporation and by the corporation.”
Pharmaceutical companies rank high on the corporate list, as Michael Moore demonstrates. FDA is a cohort in crime, however no crime exist on the books because Americans have their heads in the sand and no longer take action when action is required. Likewise, our many elected government officials (who are also Americans) fall victim to the same do nothing attitude.
The lack of viable Health Care is just one of many problems that slaps Americans in the face – daily.
Some years ago I attended a lecture on mitochondrial dysfunction at a naturopathic medical convention. The lecturers presented convincing evidence that all synthetic chemicals were toxic to mitochondria, the cellular organelles that produce energy in the form of ATP. This toxicity was manifested by impaired ATP production and the massive production of free radicals by the mitochondria. In short, the drug companies are selling us poisons! Natural treatments are much safer and more effective.