What if I were to say that there is a war going on for our health? Do you believe me? Or are you immediately resistant to the idea?
If you feel resistance, good. Internal resistance probably means there’s some truth here. I want to find out what that truth is and why we’re so resistant to it.
I believe there is a war raging on for our health, one that we’re losing badly unless we start fighting back.
Let me walk you through what I’ve found…
The map from the CDC below shows the rate of obesity across America from 1985 to 2010.
Obesity often leads to chronic diseases (CDs). A chronic disease is an incurable disease or condition that often could have been prevented.
Today, the CDC reports that 6 in 10 American adults have a chronic disease, and 4 in 10 have two or more chronic diseases.
In America, we spend a total of $2.3 trillion every year on chronic and mental health conditions. That’s 86% of the total amount that’s spent on healthcare expenses. If you can’t grasp that number, that’s $7000 back in your pocket every year (divided between 319 million Americans).
It’s hard to find the actual number of people with chronic diseases in America. This is because many live with chronic diseases without knowing it.
Here’s Shin-Yi Wu and Anthony Green’s projection for chronic diseases they made in 1995.
If CDC predicts there are 6 in 10 American adults with chronic diseases today and there are about 254 million adults in the U.S., then about 152 million adults have a chronic disease in 2018. That number falls right in line with Wu and Green’s projections. That means that nearly 1.5 million people develop chronic diseases every year.
Chronic diseases are taking over. They will continue to do so unless we do something to stop it.
Our bodies are under attack, but who or what is behind it, and why and how is it happening?
Let’s tackle how it’s happening first (because it’s the easiest one to answer). To figure out the ‘how’, we have to look at the underlying causes of chronic diseases… Inflammation.
Chronic inflammation leads to cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, autoimmune issues, weight gain, hormone problems, infertility, digestion problems, pneumonia, and other infections… The list goes on and on.
Now on to what is behind the attack on our bodies. This question is a tough one because there is an internal and external battle going on here.
Externally, there are things happening to our food to make it more convenient for our busy lifestyle. But for food to be convenient, we are sacrificing nutrients that our bodies need. There are also external factors like stress and trauma that disrupt our bodies’ healthy balance.
Internally, we know we should eat better, but what’s stopping us? Is it time or money? Or, is it our undisciplined craving for foods that will bring immediate pleasure?
Take a few seconds to ask yourself this: what’s stopping you from eating healthier right now?
Have you ever asked yourself if what you’re eating is actually feeding your body what it needs? Or, has that thought never crossed your mind because you have plenty of time to eat healthy later? Or, maybe you just didn’t realize that everything you eat affects your health.
If you take the time to get to know yourself – why you eat what you eat and what’s stopping you from eating what’s good for you – then you will start to figure out what is behind the attack on your health. I’ve heard from so many people that health problems are just a fact of life. That’s a blatant lie to get you to surrender in the fight for your health.
You have incredible intrinsic value and worth. With that intrinsic value and worth, you have a responsibility to take care of your whole self – physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.
When you take care of yourself, you will find peace. But, when you don’t, you will only find dissatisfaction that will lead to guilt and shame. Sadly, I believe we’ve created a pleasure-seeking culture with food to cover up our guilt and shame.
What we don’t realize is that our actions don’t just affect us, but they also affect those around us. We’re seeing that effect directly in passing down genes, and also indirectly in role modeling to those around us.
Take a few seconds to ask yourself this: Who are you bringing down because of your undisciplined eating habits and lifestyle?
Seriously think about this. I know it’s not a pleasant question, but the consequences don’t just go away when we ignore it.
The fact is that whether it’s your kids, nieces or nephews, grandchildren, parents, your closest friends, or even your co-workers, your lifestyle will either encourage them towards something or deter them away from something. Each one of us has to work hard, do our best with the resources we have and be disciplined for the well-being of ourselves and those around us. By doing what’s best for our bodies, we encourage our loved ones to do what’s best for their bodies.
I‘ve recently been reading the Art of War. One of the quotes from Sun Tzu fits this conversation perfectly…
“Thus it is said that one who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be endangered in a hundred engagements. One who does not know the enemy but knows himself will sometimes be victorious, sometimes meet with defeat. One who knows neither the enemy nor himself will invariably be defeated in every engagement.”
There is a war raging for your health, a war that you (and I) are losing quickly because you neither know yourself or your enemy. But, there’s hope –you can stop accepting defeat and take time to learn about yourself and whatever is holding you back. In doing so, you will take control out of the hands of the enemy and place it back into your hands (where it belongs).
You have incredible intrinsic value and worth. It’s time to start treating your body like it.
So, what will you choose to do? Will you fight or will you surrender?