The short answer is no. Australia, like most countries, has a health care system based on a ‘cure the symptoms’ philosophy and not on a ‘let’s prevent disease’ philosophy (through food, movement and mental health). Doctors are doctors of medicine. They study for a long time to learn the ins an outs of human anatomy and how medicines can fix our issues. Unfortunately for us they receive very little education on nutrition as nutrition is not classed as medicine in this context. Therefore your GP is not qualified to treat your illness through food. They treat you through medicine. So what is wrong with that I hear you ask?

The problem is, it doesn’t work.

The Australian Government spent upwards of $81 billion 2019/2020 on health care yet one in two (50%) Australians are estimated to have at least 1 of 8 selected chronic conditions.

Medicines do not cure disease. Food does.

1 in 2 is an alarming figure. This means between you and your partner, or you and your parent/s, siblings or friends, one of you will be diagnosed with either cancer, cardiovascular disease, a mental health condition, arthritis, chronic back pain and problems, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma or diabetes. Is this what a successful health care system looks like? I wouldn’t think so.

Our bodies are created from the food we eat. Each cell is formed, repaired or dies because of what we put in our mouths. When we go to the doctor, we expect that the advice we receive from them is in the best interest of our health but instead what we get is a script for something that comes in a box, to be guzzled with water or a bite to eat.

To cure disease or to be well in general, we must feed our body with nutrition. Drugs are unknown substances which do not deal with the source of the problem, just cure the symptoms. Curing the symptom is a very short sighted solution – although easy for most to take a pill and continue doing what caused the problem in the first place, it does not support long term health. We need specific advice and support. We need to know more about how to use food as medicine. Due to their lack of knowledge on food, it is cannot be the doctors responsibility to prescribe the ‘how to with food’ when it comes to managing our illness, weight or any other disease.

Doctors have their place so please don’t get me wrong. Absolutely go and get advice and seek treatment. But do not accept that a pill will be the answer for your long term health. Food is. Plant based whole foods will cure you faster than any prescription medication.

My advice: Eat more plants and get a second opinion – seek advice from a professional who is qualified in treating illness with natures medicine, food.

• Food
• Wellbeing