The health care system in America is corrupt and broken, and I don’t waste money buying into it. Our system is designed not for health-care, but disease-care. People pay monthly premiums ensuring their diseases are well taken care of after they have manifested. This does not keep insured people healthy, but it certainly profits the trillion dollar medical and pharmaceutical industries. I believe we need to begin spending money where it can benefit us most – on exceptional self-care, great quality food, prevention of and curing disease.

I’ve been living outside the modern health care box for over sixteen years and my health has never been better. When I mention to clients and other folks that I do not have health insurance, they are shocked and always offer the same response, “what if you get hit by a bus?” Their concern is valid. What if I got hit by a bus?  What are the odds of that happening? I checked with the National Center for Disease Statistics to get clarity.

Top Causes of Death in the United States

• Heart disease: 631,636
• Cancer: 559,888
• Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 137,119
• Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 124,583
• Accidents (unintentional injuries): 121,599 (this statistic would include, but not be limited to, getting hit by a bus)
• Diabetes: 72,449

Of even more interest to me is that iatrogenic diseases are the third leading cause of death in the United States and they are not listed above. Iatrogenic diseases refer to the adverse effects or complications resulting from medical treatment. Over 284,000 people die every year due to negative effects from medication, infections in hospital, and unnecessary surgery. So it would seem I run a greater risk of dying inside a medical establishment than out on my own in the busy NYC streets surrounded by dangerous buses!

Buying into the modern health care system is a crutch, and statistically speaking, an early death sentence. Many people purchase health insurance then consciously or unconsciously put their health and wellness last because, “my insurance has it covered.” They go to work, pay the bills on time, but neglect the most fundamental things; self-care and proper daily nourishment (physical, spiritual and emotional).

Our disease-care system will always keep us sick and unhealthy. If we experience a symptom in our body the doctor prescribes medication that covers it up or suppresses it, keeping us from taking appropriate action. If there is no symptom we no longer have to address the root cause or underlying problem. We simply pop a pill, get back to our daily business and continue living exactly as we were without making diet or lifestyle improvements.

A patient suffering from acid reflux is prescribed an antacid or proton pump inhibitor, sent on their way, and told to return in a few months to renew the prescription or to discover a new debilitating symptom that has arisen from taking the medication. All prescription medications come with a slew of negative side effects. The patient may receive another medication, and another beyond that, until the entire bathroom cabinet is stacked with rows of little plastic bottles filled with symptom-suppressing and downright dangerous pills. When I say “dangerous” I don’t mean that lightly, I mean that literally. Many prescription medications kill hundreds of thousands of people per year before they are eventually pulled off the market.  Some examples include Vioxx (for pain relief), Trasylol (to decrease bleeding), and Avandia (Diabetes). These drugs all have two things in common – they were approved by the FDA and they are all deadly.

Meanwhile acid reflux is a simple problem with an even simpler solution; eliminate offending foods that may be upsetting the digestive system, or quit working at a job that creates daily stress, or take the time to properly chew food and digest, or release a bad relationship that is causing agita. All of these diet and lifestyle behaviors are effective for eliminating acid reflux, as well as many other conditions.

WORK WITH THE BODY, NOT AGAINST IT

Treating disease by masking symptoms alters the body’s natural chemistry and self-healing ability. The human body is brilliant and perfectly designed by the universe. It is always seeking balance.

Symptoms should not be suppressed – this is where disease begins. When the body shares a symptom with us, we need to hear it and honor it. We have been programmed by the disease-care system to shut ourselves down, stop listening to the body and tune out divine intuition. Whether it’s an ache or pain, frequent colds and flu, skin rashes, allergies, acid reflux, cancer or other discomfort, these are all indicators that the body/mind/spirit is imbalanced. If we are to remain in a state of good health, or reclaim our failing health, we need to listen to the body and care for it on a deeper level.

Modern medical science does not get to the root cause of the problem. The health care system that is being forced upon us, discovers disease after it has already manifested and then destroys it, and the body, simultaneously. I urge you not to willingly put yourself in harms way. Get the heck out of this system while you are still alive!

I don’t suggest abandoning the health care system entirely, or to stop using the parts of it that do work. Trust me, if I experience a traumatic accident, like getting hit by a bus, I absolutely want a doctor to put me back together again. I certainly don’t want to be wrapped in seaweed and chopsticks and left out in the sun to dry! Stitches, resetting broken bones, or anything traumatic that happens to the body requires professional medical services. As far as “health-care”… pumping the body full of chemicals, suppressing symptoms that result in more sickness and the eventual removal of body parts is not a method of healing.

Put your money where it can do the most good, on self-care and proper daily nourishment (physical, spiritual and emotional).

Andrea Beaman is a Natural Foods Chef, author, speaker and television host dedicated to sustainable eating and living. Andrea was a featured contestant on Bravo’s hit reality TV show, Top Chef (season 1). She is a regularly featured food and health expert on CBS News, and is the host of the Award Nominated, Fed UP! A cooking show that educates guests and viewers how to cook for, and cure, bodily ailments.