It’s been decades since I first became aware of the relationship between inflammation and almost all chronic diseases. Yes, this article is directed at heart disease, but it would be easy to do the same kind of expose about multiple sclerosis, diabetes, arthritis, psoriasis, irritable bowel disease, Crohn’s, cancer, and probably most of the conditions treated with antipsychotic drugs.

In general, people take too many drugs because they erroneously believe that the drugs’ makers, their doctors, and the people who pay for the drugs are sincerely interested in making them healthy. The facts, though, suggest that the aforementioned groups are definitely more interested in selling drugs than they are in improving health. If health was their focus we would certainly be inundated with advice about more exercise, drinking clean water, eating organic food, avoiding processed foods, eliminated sugars, and so on. Sure, there are numerous experts who have been sounding the alarms for years, but the mainstream still seems to believe that popping a pill will make things all better – and it will do so without side effects.

I often write about beliefs and opinions, about how they are likely to be wrong. For example, people believe; that cholesterol causes heart disease, that statins improve heart health by lowering cholesterol, that depression is caused by imbalanced brain chemistry, and that the most important health issue we face is who will pay for my drugs.

It is impossible to not have beliefs and opinions. They pop into existence of themselves (likely created by conclusions we make about the experiences we have) and they are sometimes pushed on us by others. My mom instilled in me that it is wrong (sinful even) to wear a hat in church, that chocolate causes acne, that if I made a certain face it would freeze that way, and many others. Mom wasn’t alone. A nun caused me to believe that red fingernail polish is the work of the devil and indicates the wearers interest in blood and gore.

We can certainly be controlled by our beliefs – and we will use them when we interact with others. While that is a fact, there is something we can do about it, especially when the beliefs are untrue and hurtful. We are, therefore, obligated to discover the truth and put aside any and all beliefs and opinions that cannot be substantiated by fact.

I am linking to an article by Dr. Dwight Lundell that prompted me to write this article. Dr. Lundell is clear about the causes of heart disease and there’s ample evidence that supports his conclusions – not opinions, not beliefs, but conclusions based on evidence.

The tide is turning. I’m sounding the trumpet and so are others. I pray our sound becomes deadening and that there’s a mass migration away from drugs, surgery, and radiation treatments. While there may certainly be roles for those things at times, we can not depend on them for health or longevity. I care about the future because my grandchildren and their grandchildren will be living there. They have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and they shouldn’t have to live with drugs, radiation, and surgery merely because so many people wrongly believe in those things.