Where has health gone?

I'm not usually a fan of conspiracy theories, but I can be highly tempted with respect to health. I think of the 'military-industrial complex' that threatened to dominate the 50's (my formative years); now we're looking at the medical-industrial complex. Where's the rhetoric of a Dwight D. Eisenhower when you need it?

We're dealing with a highly technological medicine, full of acronyms like CAT and MRI... medications that leave your liver in shock (the body's primary filter, and according to the Greeks, the seat of the emotions)... corporate health providers that treat by the minute. Why does the US lead the world in cost of medical care yet show up far down on the list of health status?

My view may be skewed because I talk to many people who have exhausted the medical care offered to them. I can hope to open some doors to understanding what we can learn about taking care of our health. Look at traditional herbal medicine, look at other traditions like Chinese or Ayurvedic medicine, or the genius of Samuel Hahneman for the development of homeopathics into the highly complex discipline we have from 200 years of study. Support practitioners who have studied disciplines that work with the body's healing force. And support the winds of change in the allopathic medical community that embrace many sources of healing.

Why do we want to be healthy? To enjoy life as an active participant; to bring joy to others, and help to those in need; to see our children grow up and our grandchildren become the people we hoped for... In 2007 --- share the health! (I'll start by baking more whole grain/xylitol sweetened hermits.)