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Your Health: A Social Justice Issue? by Chrissy Benson, VLCE

Many of us think of our own health as a luxury – something to value and appreciate, certainly, but not something we have an ethical responsibility to maintain.  We may want to think again.  Taking control of our own health could be the most effective way – indeed, the only way – to take back our power from two of the most powerful corporate interests that now control our world: the health insurance industry and the pharmaceutical industry.  In other words, your health is not just a personal issue, but a social justice issue.

Star of life

Perhaps the most prominent corporate monopoly is the health insurance industry. Since 1998, over 400 mergers left two conglomerates in control of the huge health care insurance industry. Mergers allowed insurers to raise prices, buy influence in Congress, and redistribute cost savings to shareholders. Health insurance monopolies do business under pseudonyms to hide their identities and project a false impression of competition in the industry.

And then, of course, there are the pharmaceutical companies. Of all Western nations, only the United States and New Zealand allow drug companies to advertise their products directly to consumers. In the U.S., drug manufacturers spend billions annually on direct marketing and advertising to consumers – far beyond what they spend on research.  We’re fed the constant message:  “Ask you doctor if [our drug] is right for you.”

Big-pharm pours billions more into marketing to doctors, including via drug sales reps – one of the most lucrative sales jobs in the U.S. And it works!  In 2002, the combined profits of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies were more than the combined profits than the other 490 companies in the Fortune 500.

Clearly, both these industries have an interest in keeping us sick and dependent on their drugs. And yet, we’re powerless to combat them directly, since “we, the people” simply don’t have the funds to defeat their legislative lobbying or their Brave New World-style indoctrination of the masses.  The only way we can effectively counter them not to need them. And we do that by taking control of our own health.

Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine.” Studies incontrovertibly show that by boosting our intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, and reducing (or, ideally, eliminating) our consumption of animal products, high-fat junk food, oils and other highly processed foods, we can feel better, look better, and live longer, healthier, happier lives. A whole-food plant-based diet slashes our risk of getting cancer, heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune disorders, and virtually all of our typical Western diseases, and has even been proven to boost our mood. Throw in some regular exercise, and health and happiness numbers are off the charts.

Once we don’t need them anymore, the health insurance and pharmaceutical companies will no longer have us under their thumbs. So when you contemplate your own health, remember, the choices you make aren’t just about you; they’re a matter of social justice.

Chrissy photo

Chrissy Benson, J.D., VLCE, is a writer, lawyer, and personal coach. Her coaching website – mindbodyspiritgroove.com – will launch soon; until then, follower her on Twitter.

4 thoughts on “Your Health: A Social Justice Issue? by Chrissy Benson, VLCE”

  1. Chrissy – what a great post! I have said so many times to my friends that the health industries have to keep us chronically ill in order to make huge profits. Healthy people = much lower profits

    1. Thanks, Dawn! Great to see you on here. Yes, the “health” industries actually have a financial interest in keeping us unhealthy – bit of a flaw in the system!

  2. Love this article! Remember the old days when the only drug ads on TV were for aspirin or Tylenol?
    (and even back then the ads were misleading. Remember “Tylenol is prescribed 4 times more often – it’s the brand hospitals trust most”? That was because hospitals got the Tylenol for free!)

    1. Thank you, Bonnie! I actually don’t watch TV and I think that’s a large part of what’s helped keep me (moderately) sane. I didn’t know that about the Tylenol racket in hospitals – figures!

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