Let Food Be Thy Medicine
I
It seems hard to believe that Hip-
pocrates, a Greek physician who lived
in 500 BC, revolutionized medicine
when he considered the whole human
body and not a series of isolated parts
with diseases concentrated to organs
and treatments directed at the symp-
toms and not the root causes of the
diseases. His approach radicalized
medicine at a time when there was gen-
eral dissatisfaction with the practice of
medicine. Hippocrates lectured that the
human body, when given the right envi-
ronment, had the power to heal itself.
He placed great emphasis on the body’s
inherent resistance to disease through
lifestyle measures, especially diet.
Now in the 21st century we seem to be
repeating history. Modern medicine
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PEACHYTHEMAGAZINE.COM
WRITTEN BY Nancy Palermo Lietz, MD
spends billions of dollars treating
symptoms with a “pill for every ill.”
Yet Americans are unhealthier today
than in the last four decades. Despite
the overwhelming amount of health
information, Americans do not seem
to be getting the right messages. Two
thirds of Americans are overweight,
and half are plagued by chronic dis-
eases like diabetes, hypertension, heart
disease and cancer. An alarming two
thirds of deaths are caused by these
chronic diseases every year. The US
now spends close to 18 percent of the
GDP on healthcare. This is more than
national defense, homeland security,
education and welfare combined! Over
133 million Americans live with at
least one chronic disease. Sadly, one in
every three children born today will