Americans spends the highest amount of money in the world on its health care system. Its modern health system costs up to a huge sum of 1.3 trillion dollars a year. Still more than 40 million Americans are not health insured and diseases like obesity, AIDS, tuberculosis, cancer etc. are on the rise every year. Why is it so?

1. Modern medical system itself is based on inconsistent principles, which keep on changing. Medicines, which were used 10 years ago, are now discarded because of their toxic effects. If allopathic system of medicine is fully scientific, then why they were approved and prescribed in the first instance? Science means things and theories one can prove consistently. Hence, if these medicines are proven wrong today, it establishes the fact that they were wrong at that time too. In other words, they were not fully supported by the scientific facts. Rather, they were based on the interests of those pharmaceutical companies, who either manipulated the raw data for their own benefit or did not care to go through enough research on these medicines.  Perhaps, there exists a huge nexus between big drug companies and medical profession.

2. How to save 90,000 lives every year?

More than ninety thousand Americans die in hospitals and homes only because physicians prescriptions are not legible or due to some misunderstanding in hospitals’ staff and administration while administering medicines to the patients. To resolve this problem, the American Federal Government should make it mandatory that all the prescriptions should include clear instructions regarding the sequence and combinations, in which medicines are to be taken. It should be printed in clearly legible capital letters.

In the modern computer age, it is of paramount importance that every physician must have a computer in his clinic. All the records pertaining to the medicines prescribed to the patient should be stored in computer. It must also have a database program to alert the physician, if a particular medicine prescribed by him is harmful for the patient, as the patient may be allergic or sensitive to certain medicines. The computer will be able to discard a particular medicine prescribed by the physician, if it does not match the patient’s history, like – blood pressure, sugar level or other medical parameters.

I suggest that the Federal Government should make this software costing $ 50 million. It should be provided free of cost to all medical practitioners in America. It may also be made available on the entire Internet network in the world for free download. This has been a totally neglected area concerned with public health.

The existing provisions in law also needs to be rectified, wherein allows only qualified physicians possessing a degree of M.D. to practice homeopathy, naturopathy or other established alternate therapies. This law may either be rectified or changed immediately. For holistic health purposes a homeopath or a naturopath qualified in his respective field may be allowed to practice these alternate therapies, although he or she may not be a qualified allopathic physician.

It is ironical to note that John D. Rockefeller, the richest man in the world, funded the research paper on the basis of which, a senate resolution was passed. It prohibited all the homeopaths and practitioners of other alternate therapies, from practicing their respective therapies unless they secure a qualifying medical degree from a medical college. This is how a flourishing thereby beneficial to human beings like homeopathy was put to slow death.

It is even more surprising to know that a person of Mr. Rockefeller’s status, took only homeopathic medicines through out his life from who were not, but were experts in their own field.

It is also an interesting fact that not a single person ever died because of any wrong homeopathic medicine. They are very effective in treating a majority of human illnesses. Hence, there is no need to burden them with the irrelevant requirement of putting in eight years of study of allopathic system just to secure a MD degree and enable them to practice homeopathy.

Therefore, I request the Federal Government to change this law and allow a homeopath who has studied the subject from a recognized institution located in any part of the world to practice homeopathic system of healing. It is has not shown any side effect or any death among millions of people who take it world over. In most of these countries homeopaths are allowed to practice, though not be having a degree of M.D.

There is simply no correlation between the two systems of treatment – allopathic and homeopathic, as both the systems have completely different sets of rules and principles. Therefore, the restriction of getting a M.D. degree, before practicing homeopathy, must be abolished with immediate effect. This one act will benefit millions of Americans and it will help to bring down the cost of treatment drastically.

A fund of one billion dollar per annum should be allocated to re-establish harmless alternate therapies like Yoga, Naturopathy, Color therapy, Ayurveda, Homeopathy etc., so that people can get simple cost-effective and harmless medication to treat their illnesses and live a long healthy and vibrant life.

American drug companies spend 35% of their total budget on sales and marketing of the drugs. While they spend only 15% on research. Therefore advertising of prescription drugs for consumers should be banned. This one law will solve and help divert these funds for research and development of better remedies.

Promoting Miracle of Stem Cell

New research in the field of ‘Stem Cells’ may be fully encouraged and $ 1 billion per year may be granted for its research work. Proper safeguards are needed against immoral and unethical use of stem cells for human cloning. As far as human cloning is concerned it should be out-rightly banned.

But, this does not warrant a ban or discouraging research on stem cell, because this is going to be a very cost effective and beneficial technique for the treatment of human illnesses. In fact, stem cells have a power for transforming a weak heart, kidney, liver, brain etc. into entirely healthy and rejuvenated organs at a very low cost without going in for any surgery. A physician simply injects a stem cell preparation in the patient’s body, and these cells generate new organs or repair the damaged ones.

A needless debate is going on in America, whether the government should promote the stem cell research or not. I think it is inhuman and unethical to stop a miraculous technique from flowering and benefiting human beings. In this regard, many people have selfish and thoughtless motives, hence, a proper public awareness and information campaign is urgently needed to make people understand the vast benefits of stem cell therapy.

Some other factors that may help Americans to lead a healthy life are also given below to help Government to frame right policies :

Diet and Nutritional Deficiencies

Food can make or break our health. Increasingly, factors related to food, like its quality, nutritional constituents, even how it is grown and processed etc. are considered a primary agents for contributing to the initiation and promotion of cancer. According to the National Academy of Sciences 60% of cancers in women and 40% cases in men may be due to dietary and nutritional factors.

One of the major factors accounting for the steady rise in cancer incidences and mortality rates is a nutritional imbalance. The rise of degenerative disease has paralleled the adoption of an overly refined and adulterated, high-protein, high fat diet over the past 100 years. After World War II, the US population shifted away from regular consumption of whole grains and fresh vegetables, and instead increased its consumption of less wholesome, overly refined foods. This so-called affluent diet is high in fat, which can more readily concentrate such chemicals as pesticides preservatives, and industrial pollutants. The National Research Council’s extensive report in 1982 titled ‘Diet, Nutrition and Cancer’, provided strong evidence that much of the rise in cancer rates may be related to typical US dietary practices.

Excessive intake of Animal Protein

The high intake of animal protein is associated with an increased risk of breast, colon, pancreatic, kidney, and prostate and endometrial cancers. Excessive protein may produce large amounts of nitrogenous waste in the

intestine, some of which can be converted to highly carcinogenic nitrosamines and ammonium salts. Heavy-protein diets may also cause the building up of metabolic acids in the body and cause large amounts of calcium to be leached from the bones. This is an obvious problem for women hoping to prevent osteoporosis, but also a serious detriment in the case of bone cancer, when bone-calcium reserves tend to be mobilized and depleted.

A causal relationship between red meat consumption and cancer is supported by several large studies conducted in the US Specifically, women with the highest level of meat consumption had double the rate of breast cancer compared to those who consumed small amounts of meat. Men who ate red meat over a 5-year period were nearly three times more likely to contract advanced prostate cancer, than men consuming mainly vegetarian fare. High rates of colon cancer have recently been linked to a regular intake of beef, pork or lamb. In each of these studies, the meat-eating risks are associated with fat intake as well, since American meats are typically high in fat and fat-soluble toxins like pesticides and herbicides.

The link between cancer and meat eaters’ exposure to toxic chemicals goes even deeper. All fried and broiled foods contain mutagens, chemicals that can damage or mutate cellular reproductive material, but fried and broiled meats have far more mutagens than similarly prepared plant foods. Additionally, potentially cancer causing substances are produced when meat, poultry or fish are fried, broiled, grilled or barbecued for a long time at high temperatures.

Irradiated Foods

The intent of food irradiation is to kill insects, bacteria, molds, and fungi and thus to extend shelf life, but the results might be dangerous to consumers. The process of irradiation leads to the formation of toxic substances, such as benzene and formaldehyde, and other chemical by-products that have been associated with cancer risk. For example, food irradiation may increase the levels of aflatoxin, a deadly carcinogenic, it may allow the botulinum toxin (which causes botulism food poisoning) to remain undetected in irradiated foods, and over time, it may induce some microorganisms to mutate, giving rise to new dangerous species. When food additives and food contaminants are irradiated, they are transformed into "unique radiolytic products" of uncertain toxicity. The FDA estimates that 10% of the chemicals in irradiated foods are not found in normal (non-irradiated) foods and are unknown to science."

Food Additives

Of the 3,000 chemical additives introduced into the American food supply each year, only a small fraction have been tested for their effects on humans (most are tested on animals). Among the most common are aspartame, saccharin, and cyclamates, artificial sweeteners that have been linked to a greater incidence of cancer, butlyated hydroxytoluene, a food preservative that may contribute to liver cancer; and tannic acid present in wines and fruits and linked to liver cancer. Other food additives that may increase the risk of certain kinds of cancer include Blue Dye No.2, propyl gallate, and Red Dye No.3.

Mercury Toxicity

As even a smallest amount of no.11 micro-molecule of mercury can cause 92% reduction in brain tubulin activity, which may result in Alzheimer disease.

Mercury a toxic heavy metal that often comprises up to 55% of "silver" amalgam dental fillings, is a noted carcinogen. Microscopic mercury is released into the body of the person with an amalgamated filling every time the person chews. Like other heavy metals, mercury has been shown to cause damage to the lining of arteries and nerve bundles, thereby contributing to cancer. In addition, heavy metals act as free redicals, highly reactive, charged particles that can cause damage to body tissues if inhaled or absorbed. The international Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) cites evidence indicating that dental mercury amalgams are a major contributor to immune dysfunction and free-radical pathologies including cancer, kidney dysfunction, and cardiovascular disease. Therefore mercury amalgamated dental filling should be immediately banned.

Pesticide/Herbicide Residues

Clear evidence has linked long-term exposure to pesticides with cancer, leading a consortium of 75 Environmental Protection Agency experts to rank pesticide residues among the top three environmentally derived cancer risks. "Many cancer-causing pesticides and industrial chemicals found in the environment and in our foods tend to accumulate in fatty tissues, whether in fish, cattle, fowl, or people", notes Dr Epstein. "Although these chemicals for the most part have been banned or strictly regulated, they are very durable and remain in the environment for a long time. Crops grown in soil contaminated with these chemicals will pass on their residue to the animals that are fed with them, where they will accumulate in the fatty tissues. If persons choose foods with the high concentrations of these chemicals, then they too will build up higher and higher concentrations of the same chemicals in their own fatty tissue." This process is known as bio-accumulation and according to Dr. Epstein these fat-soluble carcinogens are found in highest concentrations in the body’s fattiest tissues, such as the brain, sexual organs, and breasts.

Unfortunately, the use of these poisons is not being curtailed, rather it has increased tenfold since the introduction of DDT in the 1940s. In the past 50 years, 15000 chemical compounds and more than 35000 different formulations have come into use as pesticides and herbicides worldwide. Many of those banned in the U.S. (including DDT) are sold to Third World countries, where they enter food products, such as coffee, fruits and vegetables that are then imported into the U.S. In addition to agricultural uses, household and garden pesticides and herbicides represent another major source of toxicity. Therefore most of these poisonous and harmful pesticides should be banned.

Industrial Toxins

A great number of highly toxic chemicals, materials, and heavy metals are released by industrial processes. These toxins later can find their way into human tissue, where they have negative health effect, including cancer.

By 1980 the Environmental Protection Agency had detected over 400 toxic chemicals in human tissue. Some industrial by – products minimize the activity of estrogen once inside the body, creating havoc in hormonal balance. Therefore, it is high time that a national task force should be set up under the chairmanship of Dr. Deepak Chopra to study and suggest ways to ban and replace them with organic substances and natural pesticides like Neem.