Medicine vs. Prevention

Posted by Victoria Anisman-Reiner Jul 15, 2008

There's an obvious discrepancy between natural approaches that preach preventive self-care and the medical industry that thrives off of people getting sick.

In the contemporary system, everyone from doctors to drug companies to lab rats make their fortunes by selling medicine and treatment to those suffering from illness.

Only a fraction of medical procedures are in response to injuries or unavoidable problems that could not have been prevented - as we now know - with better diet, supplements, and exercise.

So what does the idea of socialized health care - something that most Americans would agree with in principal, and that we Canadians pride ourselves on - teach us about taking care of our health proactively, to prevent disease?

It doesn't. Even if getting sick is horrible and the wait for treatment is outrageous, so long as "disease" care is free, the system is doing nothing to instill better health care principals. We need education about preventative medicine as much as we need medical treatment in emergencies.

I'm not sure how to fix the system, but there it is: the paradigm that's keeping Canadians, at least, in the dark ages with regard to health.