As a naturopathic doctor, I believe in the healing aspects of nutrition and movement; however, I do not believe in generalized recommendations for anything, including food and exercise. This is based on the power of personalized medicine and the naturopathic medicine principle to treat the whole person. They are why I aim to have individualized diets for my clients that support their biochemical individuality and emotional balance.

In this fifth blog in my series of articles designed to bring awareness to healthism, I continue to debunk myths that are pervasive in diet-culture and, most recently, healthcare. Previously, I got into the dangers of trading food rules for relationships. I also discussed how orthorexia and disordered eating behavior can occur when food practices become obsessive and/or viewed as a moral obligation.

In this post, I will explore more on why counting calories and maintaining and valuing rigid nutritional and lifestyle rules could be contributing to our society’s rise in sickness and mental illness.

Our Very Sick Healthcare System

Recently, I wrote about the sad, current state of United States healthcare on Natural Path:

With all this money changing hands and the United States spending about 18% of its Gross Domestic Product on health care, you’d think we’d have a nation of very healthy people.

We don’t.

The U.S. world ranking for wellness indicators are not only pathetically low, but dismal. For one of the richest nations, life expectancy has been on a continual downward trend while the number of people living with multiple chronic diseases has been rising.(source, source, source, source, source, source, source)

In comparison to most other developed countries, we spend twice the amount on healthcare and that earns us a place in the bottom for life expectancy and infant mortality.(source, source, source, source)

Something is really, really, wrong.

(I continued with more sad statistics on our nation’s health here.)

Is Eating “Cleaner” and Exercising “Optimally” Really Going to Fix a Broken HealthCare System?

Many wellness and integrative medicine experts point out these problems within American healthcare. They often tout that the lack of focus on lifestyle and preventative medicine is a major reason for them.

Of course, lifestyle practices and optimizing diet can make huge strides in addressing many chronic diseases. For example, research demonstrates how naturopathic medicine is effective for managing symptoms of cardiovascular disease, anxiety, diabetes, and low back pain. Furthermore, a recent Cleveland Clinic study reported how functional medicine improved health-related quality of life.

As I’ve stated, I also believe food and movement are important and can be medicine, but they are not the sole solution to our broken healthcare system. It is much more complicated. There is a bigger picture that includes sociogenomic factors and mental health.

The 11-Country Study, which used survey data to measure and compare patient and physician experiences across wealthy nations, ranked “U.S. last overall, and on providing equally accessible and high-quality health care, regardless of a person’s income.” This issue of lack of access is true whether it be to supplements (source, source) or standard of care. It seems the people who need intervention the most are less likely to get it.

An article in Medscape also discusses another major reason why drinking kale smoothies and going keto aren’t the biggest missing links to what may be contributing to death, at least not directly (bold emphasis mine):

US life expectancy has decreased since 2014 after increasing for most of the past 60 years, according to a report published today in JAMA.

Major factors include an increase in deaths from drug overdoses, suicides, and organ system diseases among young and middle-aged adults of all racial groups.

Steven H. Woolf, MD, MPH, and Heidi Schoomaker, MAEd, with the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond, note that the increasing rate of deaths in midlife affect working-age adults, and consequently, the economy and national security.

“The trends also affect children, whose parents are more likely to die in midlife and whose own health could be at risk when they reach that age, or sooner,” they write.

The increase in deaths in midlife from 2010 to 2017 was linked with an estimated 33,307 excess US deaths.

There were statistically significant rises in midlife mortality in 37 states in the years leading to 2017 but they were concentrated in several states. The largest increases in mortality were in New England (New Hampshire, 23.3%; Maine, 20.7%; Vermont, 19.9%; Massachusetts, 12.1%) and the Ohio Valley (West Virginia, 23.0%; Ohio, 21.6%; Indiana, 14.8%; Kentucky, 14.7%)…

Between 1999 and 2017, midlife deaths from drug overdoses increased by 386.5%. By age group, they increased by 531.4% among those aged 25 to 34 years, by 267.9% among those aged 35 to 44 years, and by 350.9% among those aged 45 to 54 years.

In another Medscape report, the author reiterated the contributing factors of overdose and deaths of despair, but also pointed out the impact of economic hardship:

Suicides and alcoholic liver disease, the other components of so-called “deaths of despair,” increased as well. But this is not the full explanation for our declining life expectancy. Deaths of despair only explain 15% of the disparity in life expectancy in the United States versus other countries.

For clues as to what else is causing life expectancy to fall, we need to look deeper into the data. You can see here the states most profoundly affected by falling life expectancy—[Florida] and the Ohio Valley, which are driving these results.

What was happening in those states when life expectancy was stalling and then falling? An economic downturn, the erosion of the middle class, and rising income inequality. In fact, much of the disparity between life expectancy in the United States and other economies was driven by those at the lower end of the income spectrum.

Essential Oils and Anxiety

I wanted to leave you with one tool that can be used for mental health that is weight-neutral and life-enhancing, essential oils. They are one of my favorite modalities because they are a gentle way to nourish your body and senses in a holistic manner. I find them very helpful for those seeking health and wellness but struggling with finding balance with their relationship with movement and food.

I previously wrote several posts on using essential oils for anxiety. Click here to learn more and access how you can use these gifts from nature to live a more serene life.

Be sure to also check out my third article on the power of relationships and using essential oils to enhance the dining experience when breaking bread with loved ones.

If You Are Struggling with a Dysfunctional Relationship with Food

Part of my practice is focused on Health at Every Size (HAES) and helping people heal their relationship with food to truly nourish their bodies and lives.

If you are struggling with dysfunctional relationships with your body, food, or exercise, you are not alone. Please, reach out for help. I am happy to either assist you myself or help you find the right fit for you.

If you find this message helpful and want a truly healthy life that incorporates food as medicine, but not as the most important part of your life, please share this post and comment below.

Please also see my previous posts.