Healthy In A Pandemic And The Business of Healthcare
If I had it my way, I’d create content of rainbows and sunshine and teach people how to be the healthiest version of themselves without touching on the reasons it is so hard for us to feel really and truly healthy in our bodies in the current conditions of the world.
What keeps me up at night is the fact that so many people are needlessly suffering. I created my business to help people feel good. And I’m realizing that part of what I feel pulled to do is share what I know that really got me into making changes. Today- I want to focus on the knowledge and awareness of why the population is in a health crisis.
The Health Crisis From BEFORE The Pandemic
You may think I’m referring to the pandemic. But the truth is, we were already in a health crisis before COVID ever became a thing. According to a study by Mayo Clinic, nearly 70% of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, more than half receive at least two prescriptions, and 20 percent are found to be on five or more prescription medications. (Mayo Clinic, “Nearly 7 in 10 Americans Take Prescription Drugs, Mayo Clinic, Olmsted Medical Center Find,” June 19, 2013). Most of the world (especially the US) has many people struggling with their health and often accepting it as normal. Some of the top causes of death are things like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. These are chronic issues that are affected by diet, lifestyle, and toxins. Is it the people’s fault? Absolutely not. This is a result of the systems in place and the people in power.
Our government is allowing certain things that are harmful to the human body to be in our food, water, and products. From the water that comes out of the sink, to the lunch served at a public school, to the weed killer sprayed on our lawns, to the foundation we apply to our skin- there are ingredients that should never have been allowed. The FDA’s rules are vastly different from the equivalent of the FDA in other countries. A lot of our food ingredients are illegal in Europe. Not only are toxic ingredients allowed, but we’re using them unnecessarily. Many of the things we consume are due to marketing tactics that pry on our insecurities or addictions. Additionally, government subsidies go to cheap and unhealthy industries rather than health produce, which makes healthy food more expensive and unhealthy food cheaper and more accessible.
Healthcare Is A Business
Our current healthcare system has become a business. This is thanks to John D. Rockefeller, who was the main person to change medicine from traditional ancient methods to a business in which he could make money from using chemicals to make drugs in the early 1900s. He also discredited alternative medicine, which would prevent people from needing to depend on these drugs. This is huge because now, the people up top are making more money than we can fathom from us being sick and dependent on these patented drugs.
There is a lot of corruption. Companies pay other companies and a lot of things happen because someone with a lot of money was able to pay to make it happen. I’m not getting into this too much, but you can research Monsanto, glyphosate, John D Rockefeller, fluoride and how its industrial waste that was falsely made out to be healthy, that doctors used to say that cigarettes were healthy, and the list goes on. I think most people generally know about the fact that corruption occurs, but this was new to me when I first got into health and wellness. We have to pay attention to who funds which institutions, research studies, and recommendations. The biggest companies in the world can easily pay their way to what they want. The 1% at the very top (typically big business, big food, big Pharma) hoard the money while people on this planet starve. And you better believe they could make a difference if they wanted to. I wish people would realize that people at the top don’t care about the population- point blank! So we have to care for ourselves and each other.
The Media (Including The News) Uses Propaganda
Our media bombards us with messaging that keeps us from our full potential in health and empowerment. We’re bombarded with advertisements for unhealthy food. But we’re also bombarded with the false messages that there is a lot to fear, that we can’t possibly change things, and that our outer appearance and our physical being is the most important thing. So much of what we consume is related to marketing that preys on insecurities. When we are so concerned with the physical and external, we’re pushed away from our internal compass- our intuition, our empowered mind, our confidence, and our ability to just be without all of that extra crap that they’re selling.
Is it the population’s fault? Is it the individual people’s fault? NO.
We are all human beings simply living within the world we were born into. And this is how human beings live in this system. But we can choose to change how we live, how we eat, how we consume items, content, and messages. We choose what we consent to have in our lives. We are each in power of our own bodies, minds, and spirits. If you hear me right now and you know deep down this is true- really sit with that. Really understand your power and decide what changes you can make today and this week.
How Alternative Medicine Got Pushed Out
Taking a holistic or alternative medicine approach just means choosing something natural and working on the root cause of symptoms if possible. Sometimes, a condition or symptoms leads us to need modern medicine. Modern medicine is AMAZING in these times. For something like a car accident, I’d turn to modern medicine immediately. However, if acne were the issue, I’d choose to work on the root problem using natural tools before turning to antibiotics. Why? Because antibiotics are man-made. The trend that we see time and time again is that the synthetic, man made drugs have side effects and adverse reactions to our natural bodies in some way. Often, using plants or natural methods have no side effects and actually work on many symptoms at once. So do you see why both holistic medicine and modern medicine are needed and beneficial? And can you also see how holistic medicine should always be used as a first resort unless there is a true medical need for modern medicine?
Whyyyy is this not the norm, then? Because holistic medicine uses such natural methods that can't be patented and made into the unfathomable amounts of wealth that synthetic drugs create for the people at the top.
To be clear, I am not talking about people who work in healthcare. These people are so hardworking and caring. They do their work because they want to help people. But John D Rockefeller funded medical schools. Do you see how the insane amounts of money and the power he held can create corruption behind what was taught? Can you see the trickle down to now? Now, doctors almost never recommend holistic methods. Not because they want you hooked on drugs, but because they weren’t taught to do so. This all leads back to the changes Rockefeller implemented. His intent was not to help people. I think the more people that understand this, the more people can be aware, so to not be manipulated.
Where Do The Toxins Go?
How we treat our bodies and health also affects more than just us. When we take in toxins and chemicals, they are detoxed and released in our sweat, our saliva, our waste, and our urine. If we’re taking a ton of pharmaceutical drugs, they’re going into the environment. This is not to shame anyone on a drug- I myself have times in which I need to take drugs. This is to shame the system that gets people dependent on drugs and prescribes them unnecessarily. Additionally, we all have a cloud of bacteria around us, which is basically an extension of our microbiome and we can each affect each other. What we put into ourselves goes into the earth.
There’s so much I can say here. What we do affects the planet so deeply. Did you know that certain cultures put their period blood back into the earth and believe that part of the reason our earth is struggling is because many of us don’t do that? This concept is interesting because it may disgust some, however, it’s completely natural. We’ve been brainwashed into thinking that it’s anything but sacred. Earth and our bodies are insanely resilient. We have pushed both to the breaking point. I wonder what would happen if we all started to consider these things and were guided by our leaders to make positive changes? What we do matters.
The Pandemic
So my point is- the health crisis has been here. But now, we’ve gone through a pandemic in which a lot of divide happened. The world is in a weird place, which is why I have to share these things and not just be sunshine and rainbows. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen any efforts from our government or the media to help people naturally heal, even though it's well documented that holistic care can help people heal from the chronic underlying issues that make this virus so dangerous for people. The government has proven to prefer people to be sick because it generates money for some of the most powerful people in the world. The media has only promoted fear.
When COVID hit and everyone went into lockdown because of this new virus that was spreading really fast and killing people, especially people who are older in age and people with pre-existing conditions, people had all different kinds of reactions. Despite the trauma of it all, a lot of optimistic holistic-minded people had the thought- at least now we have to face the health crisis. If there’s anything good to come out of this, it's that we hit our rock bottom, and now things will change. So it’s frustrating to see that the systems in place haven’t changed at all. There has been no change in the government’s recommendations and support for people with these underlying conditions. There’s no effort to help them heal.
Because most of us are so used to the way things have gone, most people may not even be thinking of what the government could have changed. Just some ideas…
The media could have shared the statistics about Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Zinc, Lysine, Iodine, and more natural vitamins and minerals’ impact on the immune system. Supplements don’t fight COVID, but they strengthen our immune system, which fights COVID.
But you can’t out-supplement a bad diet. So subsidies could have been given to organic produce farms rather than GMO crops.
They could have required fast food places to have produce-based options at the same cheap price that they sell a burger.
They could have banned certain toxic ingredients that we know contribute to the underlying conditions that we’re experiencing.
They could have created a way to educate people because when people KNOW better, they DO better.
But the entire focus of the media and news, which is heavily influenced by the government, was on fear based stories about numbers of people dying and quick fixes that enables the world to continue to avoid the problem. And I don’t want that statement to be mistaken for blame on people- it's really about systems in place. If we didn’t have a quick fix, then what? We’d have to get healthy so that people could handle this thing. But as I’ve talked about in other episodes, the way our modern world is set up does make it difficult to eat and live healthy. We absolutely CAN though!
What We Can Do
What can we do in our own personal lives to support our immune system and health? What about eating real plants, getting in nature and sunlight, movement, joy and self expression, the basic needs of humans as social creatures? What about people who are stuck inside small places, depressed, haven’t had human touch which is an absolute need? Babies can die without human touch. What about positivity and kindness in a world where there seems to be a lot of divide? We’re all the same species and we’re all in bodies that constantly fight to keep us in a state of homeostasis. We got this.
I have to make it very clear that a healthier world isn’t about living in a perfectly sanitized bubble. We as humans are made up of bacteria. When we’re conceived, our microbiome starts. Our microbiome is influenced by the quality of the egg and the sperm. Both the Mom and Dad’s health is important. Then, vaginal birth coats the baby with good bacteria. Now, C-Section babies are typically swabbed with this bacteria. And throughout our first years of life, our microbiome is really formed. Kids that grow up on farms around dirt, bacteria, animals, fresh air, and plant life typically have a much stronger microbiome than a kid growing up in a city or sanitized house with minimal exposure to natural healthy bacteria.
So with this very brief understanding of the microbiome, we can see how what matters is the terrain of the body, not the invaders. We experience invaders (viruses, bad bacteria, etc.) all of the time. We don’t even know it because the good bacteria in our microbiome and our immune system takes care of it without us even needing to think about it. So when we’re faced with an issue of an invader… What makes more sense? To live in fear and avoid the invaders in the world at all cost? Or to work on the terrain so that the body can naturally fight it off just like it was designed so perfectly to do?
Did you know that frequent use of hand sanitizer can increase the chance of viral outbreaks as the skin becomes more permeable and damaged? It also causes antimicrobial resistance. This is like the effect of antibiotics on the microbiome, but is happening to the microbiome on your skin. Basically, the sanitizer is killing bad bacteria, but also the good bacteria (similar to how antibiotics kill bad bacteria, but also kill good bacteria.) So the idea of social distancing and living a life of extreme sanitation is dangerous as a long term solution. The only long term solution should be to build up that microbiome and immune system and there’s many ways to do that!
So what are the top things YOU can start to do now for your health? Time here on earth is precious. So let’s figure out how to have as much fun as possible while feeling as amazing as we can.
Ways To Be Healthy In A Pandemic
The first thing I recommend is creating a healthy mind. In any time of darkness, struggle, or moments where you question humanity- look for the “helpers.” There are SO many big hearted, well intentioned, hard working people out there creating positive change. There are holistic leaders and many people fighting for what is right. There are people fighting for salad bars in school cafeterias, creating community gardens in areas of low-socioeconomic status, and educating / empowering people to make choices that support them. There are conscious businesses that strive to do really great things with their money. There are so many people that are waking up and have woken up to the unfortunate truths about the health crisis (which can be related to the environmental crisis, the human trafficking crisis, and the inequality for people of different races, and many of the major issues we face today).
Sleep. Sleep when its dark and rise when its light. Sleep without distractions, lights, sounds, etc. Sleep is underrated in its magical ability to detox, heal, and support you during the day.
Move. It doesn’t have to be hard-core exercise. Walk. Dance. Yoga. Anything. MOVE YOUR BODY. It’s free, it releases happy hormones, it is so so so good for our health.
Tips- start small. Some ideas are a daily 5 minute walk, a 10 minute stretch to start the day, or yoga to wind down before bed.
I personally do yoga or a workout every day for 20 minutes and then anything else is a bonus. I also try to move around randomly throughout the day and avoid staying still / sitting for too long.
Eat more real foods. Everyone’s ideal healthy diet is different. But eating more real whole food ingredients (fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts/seeds, healthy fats, legumes, meat, fish, eggs, etc.) Less packaged things and things in boxes.
Enjoy fast food alternatives. Choose the options that offer more real food.
Suggestions- Chipotle, HoneyGrow, Salads, Prepped Snacks (Seasoned Mixed Nuts or Trail Mix, Fruit, Veggies, Hummus, Apple Sauce, etc.)
Drink more water. (You’ve heard it a million times because it’s actually helpful! Lol)
Figure out the imbalances causing the need for things like alcohol, cigarettes, juuls, smoking, etc. and if you are going to indulge, support yourself with proper rest and nutrition.
Journal. Write out all of the thoughts that are in your mind. Clear it out, make more sense of it, and get to higher vibrational thoughts.
Meditation. Don’t be intimidated. Meditation is simply doing nothing. It’s breathing and trying not to think. There are variations, like guided meditation in which you focus on a person’s voice. You can also focus on music or a single word. Regardless… this is game changing for your MIND and BODY!
“Soothing Pod” is an AWESOME free meditation app.
Make sure you have human touch, connection, and community.
If you’re in a weird situation without much connection, get a plant. It sounds silly, but there was a study done by Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin on people in nursing homes who kind of felt like they lost their purpose and when they were given a plant to take care of, it increased their level of happiness. The little things really matter.
A sense of community is often one of the GREATEST influences of our health because community allows us to feel supported and truly relax.
Find and express your truth and joy.
Do less of what makes you unhappy. Do more of what makes you happy. It doesn’t matter how “silly” or uncommon or not appropriate for your age or job or whatever…. Just live in a way that makes your heart happy while you’re here on earth! The biggest struggle with this is your mindset about what is possible for you. We’re all going to die some day- just do what you want!!! :)
Additionally, a couple of helpful resources are the Nutrition Action from the Center for Science in The Public Interest and The Environmental Working Group, which both do a lot to educate and push for positive change. There are many light workers out there doing what they can to push for equality and healthy resources for all. Seek them out on social media for POSITIVE messages to come through your socials! :)