So the first thing to think about to start working back to health is what you put into your body. In order to detoxify naturally, the body must be alkaline. The usual pH of the blood is 7.45. Seven is neutral. Above seven is alkaline and below seven is acidic. The standard American diet, SAD to those of us in health care, is highly acidic. As long as you eat acidic foods and drink acidic drinks, the body will have to store those acids and the toxins in the food. The body tries to excrete excess acids but the kidneys, the organ for acid-base balance, can only excrete a certain amount of acids each day. And they must be excreted in the form of neutralized salts. In order to neutralize the excess acids, the body must draw from its stores of magnesium and calcium.   The draw of calcium comes from the bones and teeth. When I see teens or 20 year olds with false teeth, I know how they have eaten over their years. Soda is the worse contributor to this destruction. The pH of soda is 3.2. Imagine the tradeoff the body has to make to neutralize that. Each number from 3 to 7 is actually 100 x, not 1 x.

Disease is caused by the gradual accumulation of toxins. At first the body can handle it. That’s why kids run fevers, get violently ill, but then get better again quickly. They are usually in the psoric miasm (homeopathic lingo—to be covered at a later time). But over the years, through stopping fevers with Tylenol, acidic diets, medications and STRESS, the toxins cannot get processed and destroyed, and must be stored. Where you store your toxins depends on your family tendencies (some genetics, but also past familial exposures to environment). As the cells of your organs accumulate more toxins, their action is affected and eventually disease shows itself. But the disease has actually been building in your body through your entire life. Using the bridge concept, if you are born healthy you are on the centerline. And then gradually through your life, you slowly work your way sideways even though you are walking forward. Eventually you are at the edge of the bridge, and one little thing pushes you off. In the past people used to say their body fell apart at age 40. In actuality, it took them 40 years to reach the edge of the bridge. Nowadays that is happening much faster. People are developing diseases in their 20s now that we used to not see until 60.

Fifty years ago people were responsible for their health. Then came insurance, pharmaceutical companies, and doctors who cared more for their income than they did for you. Back then, doctors did house calls, and were reasonably priced. The doctor received payment directly. When insurance and pharmaceutical companies took over, things changed.

Now, very few people know how to treat anything. Everyone goes to the doctor for the slightest thing. And the medicine that the doctor prescribes is hurting you more than helping you.

In an article found in the NY Times, Peter Bach and Robert Kocher give good argument for making medical school free and then charging those that go into specialties. The basic premise is that we will have a shortage of 40,000 primary care physicians by 2020. Supposedly by making medical school free, we will get more interested in primary care to enroll, and by charging those that go to the specialties, we will retain more of the graduates in the primary care fields.