Offense or Defense?
Health maintenance is a billions-dollars industry in the United States. Diets, Drugs, Diagnoses, Dollars.
The industry includes people’s ideas about “natural” health aids. I worked for a physician for a few years. He needed a new Physicians’ Desk Reference volume each year. It included indications for which certain drugs were prescribed, prescription strengths based on weight and age, and interactions between drugs that changed their effects on humans. Because he treated many people who took herbal and chemical supplements, I started getting him the Physicians’ Desk Reference volume that listed herbs and supplements and their interactions with drugs requiring prescriptions. He called that book his “voodoo PDR”.
Many healthcare providers disagree about what the best treatments are for various conditions and diseases. A basic question that arises in the arguments seems to be whether the best strategy is offence or defense.
Harming my health with sugar and tobacco and alcohol and crack cocaine and sodium can cause sickness and disease. When I get sick or diseased, taking a drug or chemical can change things sometimes, but if I don’t stop adding the poison to the mixture, the cure will be temporary.
Leaving out healthy components of foods, like protein or iron or calcium can cause problems with my health. Adding those missing parts can improve my health. Eating good food and avoiding bad food are both in the category of defense against poor health, but in a preventive way. More like offense than defense. Taking drugs after I’m sick is clearly defense.
These images speak truths that are related to my emotional, mental & spiritual health, too. If I am going to be battling habits and demons and distractions and temptations, I might not be successful if all my strategies are simply fighting back after I fail. It would be wise to strengthen myself before the fight.
Reading Scriptures frequently, praying constantly, associating with strong believers, learning my enemies’ strategies, asking others to pray for me, are all proactive and preparatory strength-builders. The strength to prepare will make me stronger and safer. If I only have strength to recover, I will need to recover more often.