Dr. Sten Ekberg on Shifting from Sick Care to True Health and Prevention

Dr. Sten Ekberg, a chiropractic physician, presents a critical analysis of the modern healthcare system, arguing that it primarily functions as "sick care" rather than true health promotion. He defines health as the state where "everything works the way it is suppose to work," emphasizing the body's inherent ability to prevent illness. Ekberg highlights the paradox of the United States spending the most on healthcare globally yet ranking near the bottom among industrialized nations in health outcomes, attributing this to a fundamental misunderstanding of what health truly entails and an overemphasis on treating symptoms rather than fostering wellness.

The discussion delves into the pervasive issue of pharmaceutical dependence, noting that the US, with 5% of the world's population, consumes 55% of its drugs. Ekberg contends that drugs, while appropriate in emergencies, largely serve to mask symptoms of lifestyle and functional problems, requiring lifelong use without addressing the root causes. He cites alarming statistics, mentioning research from the New England Journal of Medicine and Lancet, indicating approximately one million deaths annually due to healthcare-related issues, including inappropriate procedures, drug interactions, and infections, underscoring the system's inherent dangers.

Ekberg advocates for a paradigm shift towards "true prevention," which aims to "make things not happen in the first place," contrasting it with early detection, which merely identifies problems after they have already manifested. He critiques current healthcare reform efforts for focusing on expanding access to a flawed system rather than questioning its foundational model. The core issue, he argues, is a lack of understanding of the body's mechanisms and what constitutes genuine health, leading to a reactive approach.

Ultimately, the presentation stresses that symptoms like pain, high blood sugar, or high blood pressure are not the problems themselves but rather indicators that something is not functioning correctly. Drugs, in this context, are seen as temporary fixes that cover up these indicators without restoring proper function. The call to action is to move beyond symptom management and instead identify and rectify the underlying dysfunctions to achieve sustainable health and prevent diseases from ever taking hold, thereby minimizing reliance on the "sick care" system.

Health is when everything works the way it is suppose to work.

We spend 2 trillion dollars a year on so called healthcare. But most of it is actually sick care...

...even though we spend the most money of every country in the world we rank close to the bottom of industrialized nations...

If drugs really cured something then you could take the drug and it would fix the problem and you could stop taking it.

We have 5% of the world's population and we take 55% of the drugs and that is not a sign of how healthy we are that is a sign of how sick we are.

There is about one million deaths a year due to health care. With in appropriate procedures and drug interaction side effects and complication, infections, and all those things.

true prevention is to make things not happen in the first place.

Symptoms are not causes when we have pain high blood sugar, high blood pressure, arthritis, all of those things are not really the problem they are the part indicators that something that isn't working right.

The drug is not ever going to make it work again. It will only cover up the symptom which again could be appropriate in an emergency.