I was at a party this weekend, and a couple asked me what I do. It’s always interesting to see their reaction when I say I’m an acupuncturist. And of course, they immediately start telling me about their health problems, their friends and family’s healthy problems, their dog’s health problems, etc. Sigh… I don’t go to a lot of parties…
Actually, I usually don’t mind, because, you know me, I have a thing for educating people, and they were curious. I shared a bit about how acupuncture and Oriental medicine work. They were fascinated, and totally “got it”. The woman in the couple started telling me how her sister had severe chronic pain and nothing the doctors did worked and no medication helped. The only thing that helped was acupuncture. (Not a surprise!) Then she started talking about all the drugs her sister took, and the horrible side effects.
My response: “You know that drug companies are in business to make money, right? If they had a cure for chronic pain (or any other disease for that matter), would it be good for business?”
They did what most people did when faced with this question – they just stopped and stared, dumbstruck, because they never thought about it this way. Then they realized the truth, and the real answer to the question. Which is better for business – keeping people in pain, and dependent on drugs (hint: good for business), or curing pain (hint: bad for business)? The truth is, that if you sell drugs (pharmaceutical or otherwise), it’s better for business to keep people needing your product. If you cure their pain, they don’t need your product anymore = bad for business. So are drug companies ever going to sell a cure for pain, cancer or (insert disease name here)?
Nope! Not gonna happen. It would be terrible for business.
Want proof? I assume you’ve heard about the opioid painkiller crisis, created by one particular family that owns several drug companies. That was really, really good for business for them, and the medical system helped them do it. And it’s still ongoing, despite people overdosing, dying, and public outcry. And oh yeah, the same folks that created the addictions in the first place also make the drug that treats opioid overdose… I rest my case, your honor.
I realize this may be shocking if you’ve never thought about it before. It’s time to think about it. My goal is to tell you the truth about medicine and nutrition. So if you’re waiting for a magic weight loss pill, or any other magic cure-all pill, you have a very long wait ahead. Not gonna happen.
Now just to be absolutely clear, I am not saying stop medications or don’t take any drugs that you need to take. Don’t do that, okay? You need to make those decisions with your doctor.
What I am saying, is to ask questions, keep an open mind, and look for natural solutions when possible. Like eating healthy. What I teach you in these emails is how to eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle, to avoid chronic diseases.
Remember, always ask lots of questions and keep an open mind to natural treatments. And eat healthy food!
I hope you have more fun at parties than I do…