When I am out of the country it is always with some concern when I answer a call on my cell phone early in the morning.
I am in Thailand at the moment and early yesterday when I was asleep my cell phone rang and I learnt that my only sister had just died. I share this with you as there are some lessons to be learnt.
Diane was only two years older than me but, was not particularly health conscious…in fact, not health conscious at all. She was a wonderful person but had always had faith in her Doctors. Her heart health over recent years had begun to deteriorate…ironically since she was talked into going on statin drugs and other medication! I did my best to have her consider other options and use our products but her Doctor was not positive about them and insisted on her taking only her medication and as such she never tried them…not even our Omega 3 DHA fish oil.
From her perspective I can understand this…after all I was her brother and I don’t wear a white coat and have a bunch of degrees hanging on the wall. I have learnt years ago that if someone really doesn’t want to know about ways they can change their health that the information cannot be forced on them…they have to ask and be receptive…sadly, that principle also has to extend to family.
Earlier this week Diane went to hospital to have a new heart valve. This should have been a pretty straightforward procedure but the valve was slightly out of shape and as such the operation took a lot longer than anticipated. As a result air got in her system and up into the brain. This necessitated her being kept in an induced coma and put in a decompression chamber to try to eliminate the air bubble. Over a period of a couple of days she went into the chamber four times. She then was brought out of the coma and actually was able to take a few steps and the Doctors said that she was doing fine and on the way to recovery. However, she had two seizures in the short period after she was conscious but she got through them OK…but, the third one stopped her heart completely and resulted in her death.
Could her death been avoided? I have no doubt that the answer is yes. Is it anyone’s fault? Well, some could argue that it was the ‘health’ systems fault which tends to allow people to put the fate of their own bodies, and lives in the hands of a system which is not really geared for optimal health. It is very hard for the average person who has not studied health and in particular the cause of ill health to see all the flaws in the current medical system and as such they often just accept without question what their Doctors tell them.
In my opinion there needs to be a radical change in the way that people think about their health. They need to take responsibility for their own body and not forget that it is theirs and theirs alone and that they control what does or does not go in it. Doctors are fallible just like us normal mortal beings. They don’t always have the right answers and they are often a major cause of premature death. I don’t blame the Doctors as individuals but the system that has been allowed to develop in which control is largely in the hands of the pharmaceutical cartels. The medical schools are largely controlled by the pharmaceutical companies and most of the ‘educational’ material and text books is prepared by pharmaceutical funded organizations. Bodies such as the Cholesterol Council of America are dominated by special interests…in this case nine of the eleven members have financial ties to the statin drug manufacturers…that is why the ‘guidelines’ for cholesterol has been lowered multiple times over the years.
If the ‘health system’ was based on ‘health’ principles and focused on prevention then Diane would have probably have believed me when I was trying to tell that she was putting her entire health at risk with both her lifestyle and medication…and if she had taken note I have no doubt that she would still be with us today…as would countless number of other people throughout the world… It is so sad when thousands of people every day throughout the world have to endure the tragedy of seeing their loved ones pass on when they should have been able to continue to enjoy a full life for many years to come.
Warren Matthews is the co-founder and Chairman of Xtend-Life Natural Products, a family-owned, integrated manufacturer and distributor of natural supplements and skin care products.
Xtend-Life has since become one of New Zealand's business success stories, renowned for the purity of its ingredients, its innovative formulations and its competitive pricing. The company now sells its expanding range of natural supplements, omega-3 and skin care products each month to thousands of customers in over 40 countries.
Warren Matthews himself has emerged as one of the industry's evangelists. Travelling over 250 000 miles a year, worldwide, he lectures to nutritional science, health and beauty professionals, hosts consumer seminars and meets with Xtend-Life's customers and suppliers. His agenda is simple: to encourage continued scientific research into – and broader, better-informed public acceptance of – the very real benefits of pure, natural products along with sensible diet and lifestyles.
You can read his blog at http://blog.xtend-life.com/
Latest posts by Warren Matthews (see all)
- Genetics – How Big a Role Do They Play in Your Health? - October 26, 2009
- A Phone Call I Didn’t Want… - October 21, 2009
- Swine Flu Paranoia Remains… - June 23, 2009
