Something we all know.....

[texasjunkie]

Thanks SharonC and I'm with you on that. I wish it would move faster as well.
Thanks for all the great links. My Dad passed from cancer and the medical society (those related to my fathers care) proved had sad they really are.
Once his numbers did'nt reflect what the "study" wanted....he became a number not a person.
Thanks again for the info.

[dreamrawalwz]

I, as well as many family members, have also benefited from doctors. I was born in the 1950's a premie born when my mother was only at 6 1/2 months of her pregnancy. I weighed just a little over 2 1/2 lbs. and suffered from serious upper respiratory problems. From what I was told it was almost unheard of for a baby born with those issues to survive in the 1950's. Also, through no fault of our own some of us are born with chronic debilitating diseases that need to be addressed through medication and doctor office visits.

I guess I take a different view. While I believe there are a lot of quacks out there I feel that doctors have their place. And of course the drug companies are in business to make money. That's what businesses do - whatever they need to do to serve and benefit their own purpose and that of their stock holders. I think it stinks that the drug companies are allowed to operate like that - but that's the way it is here in America.

I don't mean to sound cold - BUT - we have a responsibility to take care of our bodies so that if we're lucky we don't need drugs and constant visits to the doctor and we won't have to fall prey to unscrupulous doctors and drug companies.

I know when I am abusing my body and I have to take responsibility for and suffer the consequences of that. Period. Personally, I don't want to put any more money into the pockets of the doctors or drug companies than is completely unavoidable. That's why I am working so hard to improve my lifestyle and making the changes I need to make.

I have a similar story to yours. I was born 3 months early at about 3 pounds. My lungs were not developed (caved in when I gasped for breath), and my intestines and stomach were not connected when I was born. Without immediate surgery I would have died. At about a year old I got a severe infection and had some of my intestines removed or I would have died. I got pnemonia twice. I also had salmonella around that time. Without doctors I would have died. I think there is a difference between life/death situations versus high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, etc. YES, daibetes and cancer can be life or death, but they can be actually healed through alternatives, unlike something such as immediate surgeries. There ARE places for doctors, but many only treat symptoms and hand out medication instead of looking at diet and herbal supplements. I hope that came out right and I'm on the right track. I tend to write responses without looking at everyone's responses lol. Currently I have a potential serious situation/condition, but there is nothing the doctors can do they said and don't even care to have follow ups. I don't like doctors, but I think that is irrisponsible in and of itself.

I try not to go to doctors anymore. I just wetn to get my blood tested just to make sure my b-12 levels are ok. There is another person right now that wants me on meds and a number of people agree with this person. I refuse though...blah.

[GoingtoRAW]

I have a similar story to yours. I was born 3 months early at about 3 pounds. My lungs were not developed (caved in when I gasped for breath), and my intestines and stomach were not connected when I was born. Without immediate surgery I would have died. At about a year old I got a severe infection and had some of my intestines removed or I would have died. I got pnemonia twice. I also had salmonella around that time. Without doctors I would have died. I think there is a difference between life/death situations versus high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, etc. YES, daibetes and cancer can be life or death, but they can be actually healed through alternatives, unlike something such as immediate surgeries. There ARE places for doctors, but many only treat symptoms and hand out medication instead of looking at diet and herbal supplements. I hope that came out right and I'm on the right track. I tend to write responses without looking at everyone's responses lol. Currently I have a potential serious situation/condition, but there is nothing the doctors can do they said and don't even care to have follow ups. I don't like doctors, but I think that is irrisponsible in and of itself.

I try not to go to doctors anymore. I just wetn to get my blood tested just to make sure my b-12 levels are ok. There is another person right now that wants me on meds and a number of people agree with this person. I refuse though...blah.

I hear you....I am not necessarily in love with doctors either. I just think they have their place. I have many well educated health care professionals in my family who use alternative forms of health care because they don't trust everything they are told by their doctors or everthing they learned while pursuing their educations. I get advice from them before calling a doctor because I don't like being placed on medication to "cure" what is ailing me. I don't even like to take aspirin. I guess I am saying, we need to take care of ourselves and be educated about illnesses and diseases so if we chose to go to a doctor we have some ammunition to work with.

When I was younger I would just do whatever my doctors told me to do because I thought they knew everything. Not anymore. When I do go to the doctor, I have my questions/issues written out and if I don't agree with what they are telling me I will tell them that. I try to take care of myself and I am learning alternative ways to care for myself....this is such a personal issue. It's almost as scary as getting into a conversation about politics or religion.

[Eva]

I was diagnosed with ADD when I was younger, and I never heard a word about how taking Ritalin would be addictive, make me a nervous wreck and ruin my stomach. I also never heard about how much proper diet and exercise could help my concentration.

When I was under a lot of stress and having major stomach and headache issues a few years ago, the nurse told me to drink some herbal tea, relax and take time off from work. She wrote me a sick note to give to my boss. :)

My uncle died from cancer, my grandmother had breast cancer (10 years of doing well since), my aunt now has breast cancer... and they ALL drink to much booze and eat unhealthy diets which I am sure were at the root of their bodies allowing cancer to grow and multiply. When my grandmother went through chemo, she was not normal (a little off her wagon) during and for years after all of the meds, but at least she's alive.

When I got into a motorcycle accident and became unconscious with lots of broken parts, a few pieces missing (ok, just teeth and eyelashes, but still!)... I was glad to wake up with a metal rod attached to my femur that would enable me to walk again and to have received life-saving blood transfusions.

There are companies out there that are purely non-profit that produce and provide medications that are necessary to save the lives of people who contract various viruses in third-world countries.

There are so many perspectives on this one, but the fact of the matter is that we all have the power to choose what we eat and what medicines we will allow (if any). We can all act on the common saying that "knowledge is power" and learn all we can about our bodies. We have the choice to only go to doctors for emergencies (if at all) and to allow God or the universe or fate or whatever to be the final word on how our lifestyle decisions affect us.

I'm enjoying all of the other perspectives on this. :)

[codajess]

All I know is that if I break my leg, I hope a doctor is there to fix it.

I also thank the doctor who gave me my tubal ligation earlier this year.

[firefaery]

firefaery: The answers to your non-judgemental quetions.

Do you think if you had been eating raw (or at least very cleanly-no processed anything) all your life, and you parents before you so that you were grown in a clean body you would have had cholesterol, blood pressure or heart issues? Not sure. Yes my mom and dad probably did abuse their bodies as far as in the fifties everyone smoked (crazy). However, with my brother, who never smoked, he was told by the doctors that he had aged veins, that is veins that are the age of a 80 year old man. He was born with them, Hmph? Could raw eating prevented that, I don't know. I doubt it.

If your body was functioning at optimum level would you have had an ectopic pregnancy? I have not researched how raw or well eating would affect an embyro implanting iteself into the tube. I'll have to research.

Would your son have been as sick? YES! I do not know if you know much about RSV. It's a nasty little virus that invades a babies body. My son was a very HEALTHY child (9.2 0z - ouch). He was on mothers milk from birth through his illness. If the doctors did not go into his body every hour, with tubes through his nasel passages into his lungs, sucking out all the infection, he would not be here. I bless all those who worked on my son.

There's no judgment here, I certainly don't have the answers. Just asking the questions... really?

I beleive each person is blessed with having their own opinions in this country and the right to speak said opinions. I also believe some people are born with bodies that are not perfectly healthy for whatever reason (even from parents who were raw/vegan/good lifestyle etc.). People can have health issues that are and are not heritary.

I guess where I'm going with this is: Yes drug companies are in it for the money and I beleive push to keep people on thier drugs.
Yes, many health issues can be addressed via diet and lifestyle.....but not all.
Yes, there are some true idots out there that call themselves doctors....then their are some who are good at what they do and add value to life.
If anyone in my faimly needs a physician for a serious issue, you bet I'll take them. Irregardless of lifestyle, if it keeps them alive, I'll be knocking at the door.
I as a intelligent adult (or at least I think I am ) have been graced by God with a logical mind and source in which to make educated decisions about my life and health (care).

I hope that answered your questions, clearly a differnce of opinion which is wonderful. I do not have the answers either. Everyone has a passion and I beleive they should live that passion.

A difference of opinion is refreshing, as is growth. I was just saying there are many different ways to look at a problem, and many solutions even if you don't know what they are. I wasn't being judgmental. It sounds as though you were offended. I'm sorry for that. I'm just very thankful I have had people in my life who have been able to show me two sides of the coin.

I *don't* know the answers. I just know what I have experienced. I know now there are many more factors in health than we are conditioned to look at. I know that I have seen my family heal major diseases by taking leaps. I know that the research now shows us how our GRANDMOTHERS ate affects us, let alone what we ate. I know my daughter was damaged as a direct result of my malnutrition.

I'm sorry if my questions angered you. Maybe someday they will make sense.

[luckitri]

GoingtoRAW - back in the 1950's we still had doctors practicing good old fashioned common sense. They would look at the feces as a diagnostic tool. The profession did not have the inquiry regulated out of it.

I don't know what to think - for many years I refused to care about my intake because my parents were vegetarian and they didn't do it right - us kids teeth came in poorly among other things. I was separated from other children as a child and not allowed to eat things that other kids ate. We were also denied TV, radio and cultural holidays and religion. This was prior to the US cultural revolution of the 1960's. Sometimes just I was separated and my siblings were allowed to eat with the other kids so it seemed very punishing to me. Since my family was abusive it was hard for me to see a clear line between their trying to do right and the actual abuse. Even when other adults tried to interfere on my behalf all that happened is that my family isolated and we no longer had contact with others who stuck up for me.

In the '60's I became very aware that parents of my friends ridiculed my mother due to her stringent health precautions - she would never accept their alchohol or coffee and drank only water. She is only in her 70's and despite all her effort she is disabled physically and mentally with the Parkinsons'. She has spent all her monies on alternate health modalities and is so ill that she cannot even wash fresh produce for consumption.

I really don't know if all this health stuff is worth it and honestly I am not getting enough relief from my own problems yet. The doctors still don't know exactly what is wrong with me but I am starting to get a picture.

People ask how much I am juicing failing to understand that this year I have been so ill that alot of times if I got some spinach - then I needed to spend a day in bed from the effort of getting it. The next day I would wash it and then maybe the 3rd day I could juice it. Sometimes by then it was already turning bad so I steamed it with garlic. (so much for 100%) I have been so ill that even with 2 juicers I could not keep them clean to keep juicing. Some days I have been unable to walk and my husband asks if I am going to need a wheelchair? I have been unable to move much at all.

Now I have accepted some Rx and some days they work and I can move around a bit. So I get to try to make green smoothies and gazpacho and stuff like that. helluva trade - having to take Rx so I can try to be raw!

[Eva]

luckitri: I can't even imagine walking in your shoes for a day, but I think it's great you're doing what you can. We all have our struggles that are so different. I know you must be doing something right, though, because you have written some really encouraging things so many times on this board. It sounds like your energy has taken a beating, but your spirit sure shines through in the things you write! :)