Avoiding the Hospital and Trying to Live Healthy

 

Time and Healthy Living Will Blunt Most Medical Conditions

I had a checkup with my doctor the other day. I’m required to go at least every few years to get my prescription refilled. I have enough refills throughout the year to survive, but per the insurance, I can’t just keep getting the same drug in perpetuity. Maybe it’s the drug companies that require that, I’m not sure. Either way it feels like wasted time. We can handle most of this through the web chart portal I would think.

 “Still having the same issues?” Yes.

 “Any difference on the prior history forms since 3 years ago?” No.

I suppose they need to do the requisite blood pressure checks and breathing tests. In person visits are the only way, no getting around that.

Early Childhood Skepticism

We didn’t go to the doctor much as kids. Only the most serious issues would force a begrudging trip to the emergency room or walk in clinic. My parents figured our bodies could take care of whatever illness worked its way through our system. Kids get respiratory infections all the time. Stomach aches too and ear infections are a regular part of growing up. Broken arms and fingers need to be set of course, but fevers just need time. You might miss school but after a short while you’ll be back to normal. There are always exceptions. I still have a scar on my right middle finger from stuffing my hand into a coffee mug and cracking the porcelain while washing the dishes. Needless to say, we rushed to the emergency room after I stopped the bleeding with a tightly wound rag.

As an adult I’ve kept the same reluctant approach toward hospitals and doctors. It’s not a fear necessarily but a “why bother” attitude. Your body can fix most attacks whether flu or headaches. Some things take longer to leave your system, but rest and time are all that’s needed. There might be some superstition in my thinking I’ll admit. Like, if the doctor can’t see something “off” in my bloodwork it’s not really a problem. This is a bit like not checking your bank account balance and hoping it’s still full after buying a vacation cruise package to the Bahamas. If I don’t look at it then I don’t have to think about it.

But there’s some truth to not thinking about problems and just letting your body fix it.

The Internal Fix

As a runner I’ve lost count of all the ankle, foot and calf pain that seems to be a regular occurrence. I’m not talking about debilitating pain but nagging injuries. Every few weeks another one pops up. They’re not enough to keep me from jogging though. Usually stretching and sleep are enough. Plantar Fasciitis was the worst injury I’ve experienced. That one forced me to quit running for 3 to 4 months until I didn’t notice it anymore. Stretching didn’t help. Massages didn’t help. Only prayer and waiting got me over the hump. The point is, the body is designed to heal itself.

Despite the sickness and disease in the world, our bodies are constantly fighting off infection, repairing damaged tissue and breaking down toxins. Our part is staying healthy and choosing to exercise and eat right. My attitude towards doctor visits was shaped as a kid. At root, is a belief in the body’s ability to heal itself. If God is the designer of our bodies, it means he created them to heal and repair and function in an orderly way. That’s a first principles philosophy on health and fitness for me. It’s only a starting point though. There remains a slew of health issues that have nothing to do with poor diet or inactivity. But leaving aside autoimmune diseases, birth defects and mental disorders, a lot of illnesses are lifestyle related. Meaning, diet and exercise are being ignored.

New Approaches to Health

I’m not one to preach healthy living but the whole MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement has made me rethink food. Like most conservatives I’ve always taken a libertarian approach to the health of others. It’s none of my business. The finger wagging stuff from the federal government has always irritated me. Unfortunately, health care’ is now shorthand for medicine and hospitals. That means runaway costs for people that probably shouldn’t be on drugs, if they took better care of themselves. In an ideal system everyone would pay their own healthcare without the distorting effect of insurance on the market. We aren’t there yet. For now, it’s a government run system heavily dependent on a both federal dollars and insurance company cooperation. I don’t pretend to understand it all. It’s too opaque.

Like education, health care spending in America outpaces nearly every other country and produces the worst results. We’re dumber and sicker. Since the American heath care system is so intertwined with multiple interests, it’s not out of bounds to start reigning in the drug companies. They’re a major beneficiary of the total spending, and that’s the way they like it. But we don’t need cheaper drugs as much as we need fewer people on drugs. I hope this is where RFK Jr and HHS (health and human services) end up. So far he’s lost a lot of people who aren’t serious about the direction of the cabinet. He’s right to start from the position that Americans are as unhealthy as we’ve ever been, and work backward towards a solution.

Conclusion

I started off mentioning my visit to the doctor to get a refill. I didn’t miss the obvious irony either, complaining about people who don’t need drugs while taking one myself. All I can say is it’s not from poor health, mental or physical. But then again, maybe there is more I can do from a trial and error perspective. I suppose I could try a different set of vitamins. The body was made to heal itself after all. God designed us as image bearers of Him.

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” (Psalm 139:14)