“The way you have to look at medicine is not as a scientific profession, but rather a religious profession. It has its irrational beliefs. It has its own special language. It has its tools, it has its rituals. The fact that they don’t make us better is ignored.” – Nicholas Gonzales, M.D.

America is waking up with a nasty hangover. A hangover from the idea that pills will save us. The vast majorities of Americans opt for conventional care because it’s branded as “science-based” or “evidence-based” medicine. This branding is intentionally deceptive. It’s meant to imply truth (science) and proof of that truth (evidence). Sadly, this is not always (not even most of the time) the case. Thousands of lifestyle and diet studies are ignored in the conventional rhealm becasue they don’t result in profits despite showing results that vastly exceed that of chemical medicines for treatment of chronic diseases. Conventional medicine would be more accurate if described and marketed as “patent-based” or “profit-based” medicine. For obvious reasons, this isn’t as attractive. Conventional medicine has it’s place and has an impressive track record. However, it’s critical to understand when you need it and when you need to seek alternate care that promotes true healing. Family Support America was created to help you “awaken” and discover potentially lifesaving (or at least life-aletering) information. Health has little to do with luck (aka genetics). Health requires knowledge, work, and ownership. So, let’s get started.

One out of every two men and every three women living today will get cancer, half of all adults suffer from a chronic illness, 70% of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, as much as a quarter of all children are on at least one prescription drug, and life expectancy is dropping. We’re facing epidemics of Autism Spectrum Diseases, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, allergies, etc. What’s changed within the last 80 years that’s causing this? Simple math will allow you to confirm that the exponential increase cannot be contributed to genes alone. Genetics is becoming increasingly understood as the field of Epigenetics (gene expression) continues to make profound discoveries. Your genes do not have to be your destiny because you largely have control over whether or not that gene expresses itself. Environmental factors have been confirmed to be at least equally important as genetics in disease prevention.

The bad news is that our environment is becoming increasingly inhospitable. Our bodies have to battle with it every day. There are many different aspects of our environment contributing to the current health crisis. Likely, it’s not one but many of these factors stacking up against you. Most people do not get enough deep, restorative sleep. Most people have high levels of unmanaged chronic stress. Most people eat a highly inflammatory diet that lacks nutrients. The power of thought and human connection is often overlooked and toxins have invaded our lives at unprecedented rates.

These harmful toxins are in the air, the water, household cleaning products, beauty products, sprayed on furniture, used in processing our clothes, in our food, in our pharmaceuticals, etc. Our body has ways of combating these toxins through natural detoxification methods but evolution couldn’t keep up quick enough to prepare us for the onslaught of harmful chemicals we face on a daily basis today. See our post “25 Ways to Minimize Your Daily Toxin Exposure” for more information.

It’s no sign of health to be well adapted to a profoundly sick society. -Krishna Murti

Speaking of battles, we’re engaged in a war that you may or may not be aware of. Arguably, a bigger one due to its insidious nature: the war against industry money. Large industries such as, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, oil, and chemical have such a pervasive influence that they’ve been able to shift the general public’s beliefs through mainstream media, alter consumer habits, arm-twist public safety agencies, manipulate or purchase science, and even dictate standard medical practices and education. Unfortunately, these industries have their best interests at heart, not yours or your family’s. The more pharmaceuticals are pushed on us and the more we eat industry-promoted foods, the sicker we become. It’s likely that you know someone with cancer, autoimmunity, diabetes, or some other chronic illness. Statistically speaking, chances are high that you have a chronic illness right now or are setting yourself up to have one in the future. This has become the new normal and we shouldn’t accept it. Common does not equal normal. Our bodies are marvelous tools designed to be healthy and to heal themselves. Something is interfering with this process.

Doctor’s should be valued for what they’re trained to do. Allopathic (conventional) medicine doctors play an important role in keeping us healthy through the treatment of acute illnesses and acute trauma. Conventional doctors should be appreciated and recognized for the thousands of lives that have been saved and/or extended through emergency care and symptom management but on the other hand, we must recognize that more people are living lower quality lives today than ever before and sadly, death by doctors (iatrogenesis) is now the third leading cause of death in the United States with some estimates putting as the number one cause. Allopathic medicine does not prevent or cure chronic illness. That is painfully obvious in today’s statistics. The conventional medical care system is able to manage symptoms using a pharmacological approach and put a name to your disease (diagnose). That’s almost always as far as it’s able to go when it comes to helping you overcome or cope with a chronic illness. What’s worse, some prescription drugs and treatments often make things worse or cause secondary problems (i.e. side effects), even death. In fact, the total number of deaths caused by conventional medicine practices is an astounding 783,936 per year with about 106,000 of that being contributed to adverse prescription drug reactions that were used as prescribed. This does not include the staggering number of deaths that occur each year from abuse of easily accessible prescription drugs. While not all pharmaceuticals are bad all the time, there are often safer and more effective approaches. Even so, the best approach is always a preventative one.

These statistics on disease rates and projections are alarming and even more discouraging when you hear from mainstream media, conventional medicine avenues, and government that there’s no known cause or cure. If you’re alive today, you believe in cause and effect. The truth is that there are known causes and there are often times known cures. When you’re sick, you generate hefty profits for the morally corrupt pharmaceutical industry. It’s no surprise that non-pharmaceutical treatments don’t get publicity. Especially when you consider that mainstream media received 2/3 of its revenue from pharmaceutical companies.

I started Family Support America (FSA) to focus on prevention by arming you with the information you need to keep your family healthy and make sound, informed decisions regarding medical care. I attempt to accomplish this by explaining the regulatory environment behind decision making and exploring real, agenda-free evidence. Dr. Richard Horton, the Editor in Chief of one of the most well respected medical journals in the world (The Lancet), describes the current environment around medical science by stating, “The case against science is straightforward: much of the scientific literature, perhaps half, may simply be untrue. Afflicted by studies with small sample sizes, tiny effects, invalid exploratory analysis, and flagrant conflicts of interest, science has taken a turn towards darkness.” Dr. Horton is not alone. Dr. Marcia Angell, the former Editor in Chief of the New England Medical Journal, said this, “It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of the New England Journal of Medicine.” A Harvard Professor of Medicine, Arnold Seymour Relman, said this, “The medical profession is being bought by the pharmaceutical industry, not only in terms of the practice of medicine but also in terms of teaching and research. The academic institutions of this country are allowing themselves to be the paid agents of the pharmaceutical industry.”

Medicine should be practiced by using the age old wisdom and the best pieces of modern science to enhance it. -Dr. Rangan Chatterjee

Although we have every reason to be skeptical of medical science, it has been so ingrained in our culture that most people today subscribe to this train of thought: conventional medicine=science and all science=advancement, therefore, conventional medicine=advancement. This equation doesn’t actually add up when you review the evidence. Yet, it’s almost gotten to the point where it resembles a cult-like mentality. A 2011 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that even when doctors follow existing medicinal guidelines to the letter, 86 percent of the time they are using treatments that have little or no scientific support. The quality science that is used in the conventional realm predominately supports emergency care procedures. Doctors follow existing guidelines, trusting that medical authorities who sit on guideline-drafting panels know what they’re doing. They don’t. Guidelines are based more on assumption and opinions, usually heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical industry.

We’re taught not to question authority and to leave the science to certain select experts. We should not just roll over and accept this. We should question the “all-powerful”. They’re not infallible or immune from corruption. We shouldn’t ignore equally qualified expert opinions or the censored science and we should understand the political, money-grubbing environment that has created consensus-based medicine NOT evidence-based medicine in the conventional realm. Everything should be considered and our commonsense should remain intact. In mainstream media, intellectual conversations about standard medical practices are often avoided or deflected with low-level manipulation tactics that more closely resemble schoolyard bullying than a rational, evidence-based discussion. The good news is that propaganda science is becoming more diluted and people are starting to recognize that there’s a problem with the current health care model. The bad news is that people who buy into heavily touted “window dressed” science as their panacea or who have bought into the “conventional doctor knows best” mentality, may never be satisfied and will, therefore, hinder meaningful reform and jeopardize their health (and consequently the health of others) in the process. We can’t forget that studies require funding and often times, a lot of it. If study conclusions can result in profit gains, the study (usually multiple studies) will get funded. This means the scientific scales (in terms of quantity, not quality) will likely always tip in the direction of synthetic, manufactured products/practices. Keep in mind, there is no money in preventative care. This is why it’s so crucial that you take ownership of your health and do your best to distinguish industry-funded studies from agenda-free studies. There are still good people out there trying to do good and honest things. It’s also worth noting that there are plenty of good people out there unknowingly doing dishonest things.

Another thing to keep in mind is that quality, irrefutable evidence that goes against current standards of care takes a rrreeealy long time to implement into routine protocols in the conventional realm. Some doctors are JUST NOW starting to consider the possibility of scaling back the prescribing of antibiotics when the evidence has been around for decades telling us that their use results in overall health deterioration for the patient through gut destruction and the creation of “superbugs” (bacteria resistance) that could kill thousands.  Antibiotics should be used in life-threatening situations ONLY.

The other phenomenon to consider in this perpetuation of bad medicine is the reliance on the public’s trust. When government, media, or agencies take a stance on a product, procedure, or standard, they’re hard-pressed to revoke their support for fear of losing public trust. The evidence has to be overwhelming and for reasons just mentioned, it likely won’t ever be that way. Not to mention, many agencies (and most certainly news outlets) have substantial conflicts of interest and industry ties. This has, unfortunately for all of us, created a destructive alliance that will keep anyone who isn’t proactive or curious in nature in a state of ignorance and, therefore, powerless.

We have truly reached a sad state of affairs in this country with many countries following suit. We have deviated far away from the natural processes our bodies evolved to operate under. You cannot pharmacologically intoxicate someone into health. Damage control surgeries or symptom-treating drugs are not the answer. Education in disease prevention in order to protect future generations and stop this health crisis is a good start. It’s no longer enough to know the basic foundations of health. We have to be hyper-diligent if we’re going to win the war against environmental conditions and industry. It’s time to take ownership of our health.