The True Pathology of America

By Evelyn Higgins

If you look at the $50 billion dollar marketing budget that the pharmaceutical industry spends to convince us that drugs, pharmaceutical drugs, are the only resolution to our self proclaimed "pathologies," you would easily understand that this is the why we think the way we do. It has become a part of our culture. It would also lend itself to figuring out why we are sitting right smack in the middle of a looming health care crisis. We have little to no conceptual idea of what wellness and prevention means when our answer to every medical problem or imperfection of humanness is met through pharmaceutical routes. Unless we start revving up our engines for wellness and prevention and see health as more than simply the absence of disease, we will never come out of this crisis. Our imperfections lie in our mindset! You would also believe that each and every one of us, in our humanness, actually have "pathologies" that must be treated with medications. In reality, the situation is that every day we have human experiences, which can result in occasional anxiety for a given social situation, perhaps one that even left you baffled because it never happened before nor again. The pushing of drugs for our "illnesses" has come to an all time high - or low depending on how you look at it. The new "drugs for everything" approach to life, has left us bankrupt in the lifestyle changes department - bankrupt in the area of those situations or complications which actually make us grow in wisdom and character and develop us physically, emotionally, intellectually as well as spiritually. We have come to the societal conclusion that for one to be healthy and happy, requires medication. What a crutch we choose to stand on, which takes away our most valuable lessons as a result. [more...]

Obesity Tax... At What Cost?

By Dr. Evelyn Higgins

New York Governor Paterson proposed an 18 percent sales tax on non-diet soda and juice drinks in an effort to reduce the state's budget deficit. The tax would not affect bottled water, diet soda, coffee, tea or milk and is estimated to raise more than $400 million in its first year. So we had the usual complaints from the people. First, government should not be involved with personal behavior such as what people eat. The beverage industry also says the proposal would harm industry jobs in New York. New York sees an easy way to raise money and other states will follow. New York is far from the most obese state, so this could raise considerable revenue for other states. In reality, government has already been intimately involved in what we eat in negative ways. For instance, by allowing sugar laden beverages to be promoted in schools or by failing to restrict marketing of unhealthy foods to children. To me, the issue is deeper than the obvious. It is the risks associated with the diet sodas. The water is a wonderful idea! Aspartame is considered to be about 200 times as sweet as sugar. It is calorie free. Aspartame in reality is a poison... [more...]