Over the past couple of weeks, I have gotten increasingly frustrated with my job. There are management/administration concerns. But the bigger picture for me, is our very damaged Health care system. I work on the Oncology floor. We treat patients who are receiving chemotherapy/radiation. We help people who are dealing with the myriad of side effects of those treatments. We take care of hospice patients and families. Also, the rest of our beds are filled up with all sorts of other illnesses. I am continually disgusted with how we diagnose, and then medicate. There is no thought to the cause of the diagnosis. Is there something in the patient's lifestyle that needs corrected? Can we be proactive in preventing disease? Nope. Because that would be mean the hospitals wouldn't make the money they do now. I don't understand much about the financial aspect of hospitals, but I do know that we have enough money at my facility to be doing renovations continually. Multi-million dollar renovations. That is a lot of sick people.
So... I am venturing into understanding a bit more about Food as Healthcare. There is a time for Medicine, I do understand that. But... like this post I saw the other day...
I wish there was a way to incorporate this into the hospital. So, because of my issues with this; the more you understand the more you realize you aren't doing what you should be; I wish I could make changes. However, how do you take the risk of leaving a job where you make GOOD money, and have a flexible schedule.
I want to make changes in people's health and lifestyle. I want to mainstream the idea of eating food for nutrition, not for emotional baggage. But, it seems, no one wants to take responsibility for their own health. Few people want to break the mold, go against the drift that everyone else is on. There is only a relatively small group of people who question the "authorities" and get to the real research about our health, life, and our amazing bodies.
I am looking into treatments for diseases/illnesses using natural products that have been used for thousands of years. I was introduced recently to the world of herbalism. This intrigues me. There is a great fad going on right now, for essential oils. I have shied away from them for this reason. There are lots of people who are selling these oils who do not understand health, the body, side effects, and ultimately, the oil themselves. They simply read in a booklet that is published by "their company" that this oil treats this, and this, and this. I want to REALLY understand these treatments before "prescribing" them to anyone! There is danger in this, and there are a lot of uneducated people who have jumped on this bandwagon for the MLM and $$ aspects. Just because these oils are natural does not mean that they are harmless. But to me, essential oils are only part of the picture of herbalism. Salves, ointments, tinctures, teas...the list goes on. How do we use them, safely, and appropriately? I am excited about learning these time honored treasures.
I would like to help people view food as nutrition. It is not something to be taken lightly. Just as you wouldn't put bad gas in your car, and hope to go anywhere safely, you shouldn't put bad food in your body and hope to thrive. But the question in my mind is HOW? People are in a rut. They don't want to change, or if they do, they don't want to work too hard at it. They want a pill, a shake, a surgery, a promise of a "easy fix'. Well, I know from some personal experience, that none of those are the easy fix. But for some reason, when you tell people that they just need to eat REAL food...they can't do that. But, if you said drink this shake (full of chemicals) for 2 meals a day; that sounds like a do-able option.
Anyway, I feel like more change is on the horizon. I don't know where my ideas will take me. I am thankful to meet more and more people each week who agree with me! It is encouraging to think that change is coming to the minds of Americans.
Treat your body well... it's the only one you're gonna get!
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