It’s Time to Wake Up: The Truth About Health in America

Recently, I read a story from someone who was told by their doctor to avoid the sun after being diagnosed with rosacea. Now let me be clear—I am not anti-doctor. I have deep respect for the medical field. I have amazing friends I love and trust in the medical field. But this moment, like many others, highlights a deeper issue: too often, we treat symptoms instead of looking for the root.

“Use this cream.”

“Take this prescription.”

“Avoid the sun.”

The body is giving us signals, and we’re being told to mute them.

We’ve grown so accustomed to outsourcing our health that we’ve stopped listening to the very system God designed to heal itself.

America’s Health Paradox

Here’s what’s important to understand:

✅ The United States makes up about 4–5% of the world’s population.

❌ But contrary to viral claims, we do not consume 65% or more of the world’s pharmaceuticals.

✅ However, we do account for over 40% of global pharmaceutical spending—meaning we’re paying more for medication than anyone else, by far.

In fact, according to IQVIA Institute, Americans consume roughly 7.7% of the world’s daily medication doses, but due to inflated prices, we shoulder an outsized portion of the cost.

That matters. Because even though we’re paying more, our outcomes are worse:

• Chronic illness is skyrocketing.

• Autoimmune issues are on the rise.

• Mental health struggles are increasing.

• We spend more on healthcare per person than any other nation… yet we rank poorly in overall health outcomes.

Why Are We So Dependent on Medication?

Part of the problem is cultural conditioning. We’ve been trained to see medication as the first solution instead of the last resort. And here’s something most people don’t know:

The U.S. is one of only two countries in the world that allows direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. (The other is New Zealand.)

That means we’re bombarded with commercials that tell us:

• “Ask your doctor if this is right for you.”

• “Side effects include… but don’t worry, there’s a pill for that too.”

In most countries, this type of advertising is illegal—because it encourages patients to request medications they may not need, without fully understanding the risks.

The pharmaceutical industry in the U.S. spends billions every year on marketing. And it works. We’ve normalized a system where treating illness with drugs is expected, while promoting true healing through food, lifestyle, mindset, and nature is considered “alternative.”

God-Given Healing Isn’t Hidden

Here’s what I believe:

We don’t have a shortage of medicine—we have a shortage of root-cause thinking. Your body was designed to heal. And yes, medication has its place—but it was never meant to replace wisdom, intuition, or God’s natural design.

Things like:

• Sunlight (in moderation) for hormone balance and skin health

• Whole, nutrient-rich food for energy and cellular repair

• Movement to detox, strengthen, and regulate

• Sleep, community, purpose—all vital forms of medicine in their own right

The body whispers before it screams. But when we mask symptoms with prescriptions instead of understanding the cause, we lose the opportunity to truly heal.

It’s Time to Wake Up

We don’t need more pills—we need more perspective. We need more curiosity. We need more faith in how we were created. True health is not about silencing symptoms. It’s about understanding the why behind them.

So let this be your invitation:

Start asking different questions.

Start listening to your body.

Start building a life that promotes healing instead of managing disease.

Your health is too valuable to outsource.

So, are you ready to explore a different path—one that supports the way your body was designed to heal?

If you’re curious about natural, root-cause solutions and want to learn how to reclaim your health from the inside out, I’d love to connect.

👉 Click here to book a call with me and let’s talk about what’s possible for your healing journey.

🌐 Supporting Research & Broader Context

• Harvard Health reports that the U.S. is one of only two countries (with New Zealand) that allow direct consumer pharma ads—a practice tied to increased spending and risk of misleading claims.

• A Johns Hopkins study in JAMA found that pharmaceutical companies spend disproportionately on medications with lower clinical benefit, yet sales for those drugs still spike following consumer ads—increasing healthcare costs while not necessarily improving care.

• U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) data show prescription drugs featuring heavy TV ad campaigns accounted for billions in Medicare spending between 2016–2018.

  
  

Check out this hard-hitting look at how big pharma evolved from doctor-only to consumer-targeted marketing—and how that shift has made U.S. citizens more prescription-dependent: