It is safe to assume that hundreds of years ago only the strong and healthy survived.  Most people who lived during that era were in excellent physical condition and in good health.  They attained health as a result of their daily activities, diet, and lifestyle, which was quite different from the people living in today's society.  Modern medical care facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, medical imaging centers, and the corner pharmacy were all nonexistent during that time.  Yet, people were not plagued by the diseases of modern day society.  In a sense, they were much more happy, very strong, and very healthy.

Before modern times, the source of all health was found from the foods eaten.  Certain individuals in nearly every society had special knowledge of the healing properties of certain foods and specific plants.  This knowledge was passed down from generation to generation, and anyone entrusted with the secrets invested many years learning from the master.  The wisdom and knowledge of these ancient remedies were highly valued, and those who understood their uses were sought out by many people suffering from various diseases and illness.  Medicinal applications of the herbs and herbal extracts used in healing were developed independently by many cultures over a period of thousands of years.  The Chinese have a long history in using herbal remedies to heal diseases.  The Chinese also developed acupuncture, a method of healing by which the stimulation of the meridians of the body restored the function of the systems of the body.  Ayurveda, developed in India, incorporates into the philosophy of healing the treatment of the whole person, the body, mind, and spirit.  Ayurveda operates under the principle that anything of vegetable, animal, or mineral origin has some medicinal value.  The Earth-centered methods of the Native American system of healing also included the use of many herbs.  Energy healing techniques, or healing methods of and through the spirit, were developed by many ancient cultures, and are still practiced today.  Jesus healed just by speaking the word.

Modern medicine comes along on the scene, and with it so does the discovery of many new diseases and illnesses.  More new diseases are being discovered every year, with apparently no end in sight.  Modern technology gives us vision into the previously unseen world, uncovering the minute details at every level of both new diseases and old.  Scanning electron microscopes let us see antibody-antigen complexes imbedded in tissue structures.  Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners give us a look inside the body without exploratory surgery.  Computer Aided Tomography (CAT) scanners give us true three dimensional images of the body.  Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners enable early detection of tumors.  Advanced blood analysis not only tells us what has gone wrong, but often where as well.  New technology arrives every year to aid in the discovery of yet more diseases.  Were these new diseases here all along, or could they be a product of modern day civilization?  Could these diseases and disorders that plague society today have gone undetected for centuries?  Are the newly discovered diseases actually new diseases, or are they perhaps a symptom or part of another underlying disease?

When a new disease comes along, the proposed cure is often not too far behind.  Biomedical engineers working in state of the art technological laboratories invent new drugs to counteract the newly found disease or condition.  The advertisements soon hit the airways and we hear “Is work-related stress causing you pain?  Can't take it any more?  Ask your doctor about Jobocaine.”  Jobocaine, this month's new and promising medication, is just the magical cure for which everyone has been waiting.  A short time later, the supposed cure is found to cause serious health problems, such as liver failure, heart attacks or strokes.

What we have is a knotted up and twisted health care system.  With each passing day, yet a new knot is tied, transforming what used to be a simple system of health care into an unnecessarily complicated mess.  Unfortunately, it is most often the patient who is tied up by all the knots.  The time has come to unravel the medical and health care knots.  If we approach the subject of health care with the proverbial blank sheet of paper or the clean slate, we are more likely to find the real answers to the questions that are of concern.