Ok, I think that I might be getting on a soapbox this weekend but here goes.
For almost 30 years I have been practicing as a dentist in the Los Angeles area and sometimes I just wonder about stuff. Let me say this straight up about dentistry. If dentists are committed to doing their job properly we should be slowly putting ourselves out of business. Isn’t the best dentistry no dentistry and doesn’t every one out there want to get their teeth cleaned and say “Thanks, I will see you again in 6 months”. And yet we are losing the battle against cavities, as the statistics point out an increase in the number of teeth needing treatment in the teens of America. And guess what that means…I will still be in business because most of the dentistry done today is replacing dentistry that has failed. It’s not that you are getting poor dental treatment, it’s just you have already destroyed what nature first provided you… you will eventually destroy what a dentist puts in your mouth.
This takes me to a quote that a Dr. Sinatra, a cardiologist, posted on Facebook.
“t is absurd to expect a patient can be successfully treated, while he continues to violate the laws of health .” Thomas Frazier Rumbold, 1880
First said in 1880 and it is as true today as it was back then. And it is really all about personal responsibility.
Today I read an opinion page in our local newspaper about NY City Mayor Bloomberg asking the Department of Agriculture to grant New York City a two-year waiver to ban the purchase of soda with food-stamp cards, saying it’s a matter of public health. This is a tough one and I can see both sides of the story. But as someone who is dedicated to prevention of disease I know there is absolutely no nutritional value to most beverages on the market and soda is the leader of the pack here. I think we can all agree that there are healthier foods to use the food stamps on. I want to say “Good for you Mayor Bloomberg, you are right” but maybe this is not the right place for the battle. What about cookies or high sugar items that people will use the food stamps on..what’s the difference between them and soda. It’s about personal responsibility.
Here is something else that I wonder about. What kind of example is being set by those who speak about health reform, but take cigarette breaks? How can anyone who is educated and be any type of leader have untreated health conditions? And we know it is happening. And what about our food industry pumping our processed food that actually harms us?
Is it just me who wonders of the hypocrisy of our leaders who claim to know what is best for our country but are unwilling to do what is best for their own health?
To those in position of authority and leadership I ask you…..Stop violating the laws of health.
I’ll get of my soapbox now..have a great week.