Food Fight #6Give me something
To answer my prayer
Hurry, fix it quick
So I can skip healthcare
Just like a fighter whose hope is in a knockout punch instead of in a disciplined fight, the quick fix mentality is a one shot attempt to overcome a lot of hits to health.
For years I took prescribed pills thinking that was pretty good healthcare. In addition, I kept eating way too much non-food. I made no attempt to change the external habits that created the internal conditions that made the pills necessary. Pills became a quick, easy fix.
Approached improperly, multivitamins can also become a quick fix. I now consume bee pollen, aloe vera gel and multi-nutrient food. My current plan is to not take pills because I'm too early in my recovery and fearful of slipping back into depending on any kind of pill to give me everything I need. I am fearful a multivitamin might give me that same old false sense of security that will ease me back into eating doughnuts, combo meals and drinking sodas. Medicines, shots, medical treatments, medical procedures, vitamins, supplements and fortified foods are not substitutes for eating right every day and being active.
Now that I have a better awareness of my health, I encourage anyone taking any pill for any reason to become doubly focused on eating food. The main reason to take most pills is that the body is already weakened, is being overwhelmed, needs help or can't get enough satisfaction from a healthy diet. Anyone not taking any pills should try to avoid having to by using food as a primary preventative measure.
During most of my grown-up years I sank slowly in quicksands of quick fixes. Despite modern conveniences I was living an inconvenient life entrusting my primary healthcare to an industry rather than myself. I was guilty of killing myself softly. Those days were so sweet with so much available to eat. That's tongue-in-cheek because my malnourished immune system began to act like me and attack me. My immune system began to assist me in the slow suicide I started.
Here's a glimpse at inconvenience from a future viewpoint on “The Outer Limits”
Person 1: How long did it take you to get here?
Person 2: 11 microseconds.
Person 1: That's not too bad.
Person 2: It's only 11 million miles! It's supposed to be instantaneous!
Person 1: It used to take 1 minute.
Person 2: How did you stand it?
As you can see, quick fix thinking lurks everywhere.
Until recently I was putting everything before healthcare. A quick fix fits perfectly into the busy lifestyle of an adult with a lot of responsibilities. Even though the pills were prescribed by a doctor, I gladly cosigned and did as I was sold. At no point did my immune system get better. I tried drug after drug to see which one would hide my symptoms best. One made me nauseated, one made me hungry a lot and one endangered my liver. These and other side effects meant other parts of my body were being affected that shouldn't be.
A side effect is not something that happens just on the side.
A side effect is a direct in-side effect. This is not a minor thing. A side effect is an undesired effect we accept as a tradeoff in order to get the desired effect of taking medicine. When you realize what has to happen at the cellular level for a side effect to occur, you know any side effect is serious and often dangerous to health.
A quick fix usually attempts to fix symptoms. A quick fix is unlikely to be a solution and often causes more problems. Just be careful not to use something that can be helpful as a replacement for daily discipline. Improvement is possible if we are willing to take the time to do it right. The miraculous preventative and curative powers of food happens one bite at a time. Stay fixed on health.
As I learn to change my lazy ways
I'm less concerned with saving time
looking good and how clothes fit
and more concerned with healthy days
