Silver Lining - What to do about Health Care

I don't have health insurance and don't want any. Obama's much touted health care program is a farce and I'm not having any of that either. A poll appeared on Yahoo! this morning that listed America's most medicated states - Texas wasn't one of them and I like to think I'm doing my part to keep it off that list. I take care of myself. My program is simple;

Eat right; red meat moderately marbled, chicken, fish, etc., no veggies,
Get out in the sun and exercise, and
Stay away from doctors.

But, you say, those are the things that Health Care professionals say you shouldn't do. The reason they tell you this is because there's no money in it for them. They aren't promoting health care but Disease Care; the big pharmaceutical companies don't want you to be healthy because they make money as long as you stay medicated. And aren't health care costs skyrocketing? Yes, and Americans are as sick and obese as ever.

Did I mention that I smoke cigarettes too? Have been for 58 years. And I drink three or four pots of coffee every day.

At this point I must state that I am not a doctor and therefore am not permitted to give medical advice, but I must admit I sometimes do. Like the time a friend, a man of forty, complained that his diabetes was getting him down. He was tired and listless, so I told him to get a bicycle and ride hell out of it. He did, and six weeks later when he went to the doctor - he didn't have diabetes anymore! I have a Gitane 10-speed with 25,000 miles on it, 17,740 since July 13, 2001. That's when I got a Cat's Eye microprocessor installed: it's a speedometer, it measures lapsed time, average speed, and has an odometer. The odometer registers up to 9,999 miles; the current reading is 7,740 miles - the second time around! On March 9, 2006 it reset to zero.

For the record, I am 71 years of age; I stand 6'2" and weigh 230 lbs. I have never been healthier, happier, stronger, and more fit than today. Besides riding my bicycle I also belong to a gym where I go to work with weights two or three times a week. I have no friends my own age; my friends are all at least fifteen years younger than I am and there isn't the slightest hint of a generation gap. And I'm not trying to "look" younger. It's like the day I was riding along and saw a fully restored 1936 Packard sedan. It was beautiful; looked showroom new. Well, I'm a 1938 model and I like to look show room new too. Get healthy and the looks take care of themselves.

The whole trick here is simply the law of supply and demand. Get fit and trim and you won't need doctors and medicines, unless you have a chronic disorder that absolutely calls for certain treatments. When I was 28 years old I worked out with weights and spent a lot of time outdoors - and I looked good. I'd go to the beach to look at the girls and the girls were looking back! At 35 years old I was out of shape and obese - 260 pounds of fat! I watched television(electronic brain damage), drank a lot of beer, and ate like a pig. That was half a lifetime ago; if I can do it there's a better than even chance that you can too.

When I started working out fifteen years ago I could barely do dumbbell presses with 12½ pound weights; today I do sets with 45 lb. dumbbells and am about to graduate to 50 lbs. I can bench press 240 lbs., not a lot by some standards, but for me at this time it's good. I could go on, but you get the idea. Like I tell my friends at the gym, "I may not be Mr. Universe, but I'm not Mr. You-Gotta-Be-Kidding either."

Try it, you may like it. I do. And you get to keep your money instead of paying for expensive prescriptions.