Healthy Headlines is born!

Well here it is! My blog is up and I am so excited to share it with you all!
So you may ask: what is this blog all about? In a nutshell its about health. But its really so much more than that. Health is such a broad term, usually used to describe the state of a persons physical body. But what does health mean to you? For me, health is a body free of disease, a mind that is clear, and a spirit that is happy. What I'm going to be talking about here is not your mainstream "healthcare" (which in my opinion is more like "sickcare").
I want to introduce you to a different way....the holistic way. So again I pose a question to you. When you hear holistic or natural what pops into your mind first? For many people there is an automatic stigma that comes to mind. Words like "hippie, quack, health freak, and new age" are all commonly used.  These are all misconceptions. Here is the real definition of the word holistic (taken from Wikipedia) :

"Holistic health is a concept in medical practice upholding that all aspects of people's needs, psychological, physical and social should be taken into account and seen as a whole."

Seems pretty straightforward right? I think anything other than seeing someone as a "whole" is really quite crazy. My favorite of the above misconceptions is the idea that holistic or natural healthcare is in some way a "new age" phenomenon. Ha ha ha! This one gives me a good laugh every time! In fact natural healthcare, using the resources our earth has provided, dates back at least 10,000 years! Ancient civilizations all over the world have been using plant based medicines for centuries, yet somehow it is now considered to be the "new thing"! In all actuality, western medicine that uses chemicals as a way to force a response within the body, is really the new thing.
Chemical based medicine was discovered sometime in the late 1800's but was really popularized in the 1920's, and has since become a way of life for so many Americans. So lets review. Chemical based medicine that has been around for about 100 years, or plant based medicine that has been around for thousands of years? I cant help but trust the one that's been around the longest. And it's not just about how long it's been around. It's about it's reputation! How many people have you heard of that have died from vitamins, supplements, and herbs?
In 2003 a study reported that at least 106,000 people die every year from adverse side effects of prescription medication. That's about 275 people every day! And that's only side effects, lets not forget about other conventional medical mistake cases that claim the lives of over 783,000 people every year. That's 2,150 people who die every day as a result of the system that was supposed to keep them healthy.  Need I make my case further?
Dont get me wrong, modern medicine has made some amazing discoveries over the last century. I do believe that there is a time and a place for allopathic (western or modern) healthcare. Like say for example you are in a car accident, or your appendix ruptures, or your severely injured. These are situations where a medical doctor is capable and qualified to save your life! The problem occurs in less emergency situations.
How about depression, anxiety, heartburn, ADD, colds and flu's? Is a magic pill really the answer?  Even more importantly, what caused these ailments in the first place? Why is it that most Americans trust their medical doctor 100%, but believe a naturopathic doctor is a quack? How did we get here?
In my opinion, it's no accident. The media is a major player in this game and the driving force behind it all is money. Now, I could go into some long drawn out rant about politics, money, and government, but thats not what I want this blog to be about. Most of us already realize that the system is broken. To what degree you believe that is a very personal issue and not something I want to discuss here. The bottom line for me is that while all of this information is very overwhelming and we all have different points of view, we do share one commonality: The innate desire to be healthy and happy. I don't believe anyone wakes up in the morning wishing to be sick or unhappy. Of course not. Health is something universally regarded.

So that brings me back  to my intention of this blog. I intend on providing information on a ton of topics such as healthy food, recipes, herbal remedies, exercise, meditation, and positive thinking practices. I believe it all plays a role in health so I don't want to limit it in any way. My intention is to provide you with valuable information that can help you to make more informed decisions about your health. I believe that knowledge is power.
I am very new at this writing thing, so I would appreciate your feedback on all of my posts. I am very passionate about this stuff, but I really want to make sure my posts don't come across sounding "preachy" or "ranty". I want you all to know that I am truly compassionate to wherever you are on your journey to health. I make no judgements about where you are or the current things you are doing. My only desire is to help you get to where you want to be, healthy and happy!

Please share this blog with any and all of your friends and family that you think could benefit from this information. And please ask me questions! I love to answer your questions so feel free to leave comments here or email me anytime.  Remember knowledge is power and I know it sounds cliche', but I really believe "people will do better when they know better."
Thank you all so much!
Lisa