Using a Common Sense Approach

As I mentioned when I started this blog, I'm not an expert, but through research and my God-given common sense, I'm searching for the answers to a healthy life. The main advantage to using common sense is that no one is profiting from it. As much as I'm able, I research various issues first, but as anyone who has tried to find a straight-forward answer about anything health related will probably tell you, they've most likely found it to be incredibly difficult. I'm sure there are many reasons for all the contradicting information available, but I have a feeling it all boils down to money.

The pharmaceutical companies are billion dollar corporations; the diet/fitness/exercise industry is a billion dollar industry; medicine and health are billion dollar industries. The government is a billion (er, trillion, eek!) dollar industry. If it was easy to figure out what was healthy and how to become and stay healthy, there would be very little need for all of these - well, I suppose we might still need the government. None of them want that because that would hurt their profits, and money is power. Many scientists probably have a price - that amount when they're willing to alter, suspend, or outright lie about their findings. So these scientists publish information that is wrong or misleading, often with the backing of their money-men - the very people we're supposed to trust, like the FDA.

I'm sure not all scientists are like this however, and they publish their findings with legitimate results but also with little fanfare. It takes a while before the general population starts to give these studies any attention or consideration, and when they do, it starts with not knowing what to believe. (For me, the best starting point is going against what the big companies or government are supporting until I have a valid reason to believe them.)

So after reading all the contradicting "facts," I'm left with my common sense to help me figure out what to do. This is where I'm coming from when I write, which compels me to remind you that common sense can be very subjective and what makes sense to me, might not make sense to you. I'm ok with that if you are ;)

This article is mostly a prelude to the next few articles I have in mind, but for now, I encourage you to implement this one small action: Before making a decision, ask yourself, "Who is profiting from this? Do they really care about me? Or do they just care about making money?" And then use your common sense - just because someone is making a profit from it doesn't make it bad, but just because "science" is supporting it doesn't make it good.