NO MORE EXCUSES. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS, YOUR HEALTH AND SO YOUR LIVES. THE DOCTOR IS NOT YOUR CRUTCH.

Remy Szykier Shanee Moret Allison Lane Dr. Marcos Levy Juan Carlos Villalba Achint V Choksy MD Andrew Feltz, O.D. Brianna Rhue, OD, FAAO, FSLS Prof. Dr. George Grant, Ph.D. , NMD, C.Chem, RM., M.Sc., M.Ed. Roberta Kline MD Christopher Pittman, M.D., FAVLS, FACR, FACP (Hon) J. Michael Connors MD Alejandro Badia, MD Jay Shetty

Over the past few months, we have witnessed raging debates about the state of our "healthcare." It has become patently obvious that there is NO HEALTHCARE; it is SICKCARE. Let's take a deeper dive into this.

When does the average person go to the doctor? When they feel like something is wrong, right? Why?

Because we are imperfect beings who spend a great deal of our lives abusing the constitution of our bodies without fully understanding the consequences. We have become experts in inconsequential trivia—distractions from anything truly meaningful, like understanding the basic fundamentals of our bodies and how they function.

We have come to view the doctor as part of our toolkit, someone who can “fix” whatever ails us—often with a magic potion better known as a drug. Health insurance has become a priority because we feel it’s an essential part of our “benefits.” We believe that, God forbid, if something happens to our health, we’ll be “covered.”

Understandably, we reach for insurance because we see how broken the “healthcare” system really is. We know that if something does happen, the costs of healthcare are astronomical—well beyond normal comprehension.

The issues are several:

1. Should we accept that health insurance is a safety net that hopefully covers all our health issues? This mindset often leads to a lack of concern, as we believe we have the necessary backup if something goes wrong. To some degree, this complacency allows us to lower our guard and be less prudent in the way we lead our lives. We might be more cautious if we had to take full responsibility for our actions, which could include refraining from risky or indulgent behaviors.
2. Should we accept that the doctor is always on standby, ready to address whatever health issues we have? If we see doctors as a panacea, we may use them as a crutch and avoid taking full responsibility for our own health.

The alternative to these scenarios is to take full responsibility for our actions. Many of us make so many excuses that we eventually believe the lies we tell ourselves. We’ve become experts at inventing excuses:

• I cannot lose weight because... name the excuse.
• I cannot achieve my goals because...name the excuse.
• I am who I am because... name the excuse.
• This or that happened to me because... name the excuse.
• I wish I could do this, but... name the excuse.
• I would love to, but... name the excuse.
• I didn’t complete my mission because...name the excuse.
• I dropped out of college because... name the excuse.
• I wish I could do this or that, but... name the excuse.
• I’m sorry, I’d love to help, but... name the excuse.

The list is infinite. Many of us have become masters of excuses—professionals at inventing them.

The reason I mention this is that we have the power to take remedial action and avoid many of the health problems we encounter by making educated lifestyle choices. Yes, these choices may require some restraint and sacrifice.

I often repeat the analogy of not putting diesel fuel into a petrol vehicle. Following that logic, why would we put bad food into our bodies? We know—or should know—that certain foods are harmful, yet we often ignore this.

For example, our levels of Type 2 diabetes are appallingly high compared to other countries. Why? Because we fall prey to clever advertising that tempts us to believe unhealthy products are good for us. Can we truly accept that sugary breakfast cereals are healthy for our kids? Just look at kids' menus in restaurants and consider the quality and ingredients of what is being offered.

Unfortunately, we’ve become part of a system where we give in to the demands of our kids’ and our own palates, abandoning common sense.

Today is the first day of the new year—a perfect moment to reflect on what we want the year ahead to look like.

Do we want to continue relying on doctors as a crutch, or are we willing to make sacrifices and take personal responsibility?

For doctors, it’s not easy to see 20 to 30 patients a day—a necessity because insurance payments are often delayed, reimbursements are shrinking, and electronic records consume a significant portion of their time. Doctors sacrifice many years to become who they are, yet many of their patients present problems that are often easily preventable.

The rate of burnout among doctors is high because they are caught between insurance companies that dictate their charges and patients whose coverage is limited. Under the current system, we are all dependent on insurance companies.

Are you satisfied with this? Please comment. Next newsletter we will look at how to minimize our risks and make a difference in our lives.

It’s time to say: NO MORE EXCUSES.

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