The number of physicians in the United States is 700,000. The number of accidental deaths they cause per year is 98,000. That comes to 0.14 accidental deaths per physician each year. The number of gun owners in the United States is 80 million. The number of accidental gun deaths per year is 1,500. That comes to .00001875 accidental deaths per gun owner. Therefore, doctors are approximately 7,500 times more dangerous than gun owners.
About the Author...
Joanne Hay, Editor of Nourished Magazine, Chief Nourisher and Mother of three is very grateful to live in Byron Bay and be able to share all she has learned about Nourishment. She has trained as an Acupuncturist (unfinished), Kinesiologist (finished) and parent (never finished). She serves the Weston A Price Foundation as a chapter leader. She loves sauerkraut, kangaroo tail stew, home made ice cream, her husband Wes and her kids Isaiah, Brynn and Ronin (in no particular order…well maybe ice cream first).
Jun 23rd, 2007 at 2:08 am
I don’t think that is a very good comparison. First of all, physicians see several patients per day while I doubt a gun owner handles a gun every day, let alone several times a day. With that in mind, if a typical physician sees 10 patients per day and works 5 days a week, that’s 50 patients per week that he sees. In a year (minus two weeks of vacation), that would be 2500 patients. Multiply that by the number of total physicians and you get 1.75 billion patients. Compare that to the number of accidental deaths and you get .000056. And that was using a conservative value of 10.
Jun 23rd, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Good point Tudor, I’m not much of a mathematician but the physician statistic alone is a little scary don’t you think?
Jun 24th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
I agree. I always try to go to the doctor only as a last result. On the contrast, however, they do save a lot of lives.
Jun 25th, 2007 at 10:43 am
I once cheekily questioned a Doctor about these statistics, and the comment was, they are under the microscope more than most and they tend to cop a lot more notice, and also they pay very high public liability fees to cover them, whereas a homeopath doesn’t have to pay these fees their statistics are out there but no one puts that out but they fail too, there are Dodge’s in all fields its just Doctors are noticed more. I feel Doctors are very necessary, but it is like everything if you have doubts seek another until you are satisfied.
Also I must comment I am not a Doctor.
Jun 25th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Yeah, I have a friend who is taking 5 blood pressure tablets per day and has so many side effects it’s crazy. His doctor told him there’s nothing else he can do for him. Does anyone know of a natural alternative for reducing blood pressure?
Jun 26th, 2007 at 12:22 am
If overweight - loose weight!
Avoid stress
- lots of people benefit from yoga or meditation.
Sleep enough ! 8-10 hours- and best before 11 at night !
Some patients with hypertension has a problem with sydrom X
- and need to reduce their carbs espcially sugar, flour etc
Jun 26th, 2007 at 3:41 am
Here are some helpful suggestions:
1. Sidestep salt
Avoid using too much table salt, limit salty fast foods, and read labels to find low-sodium foods in your grocery store
2. Watch what you eat
Choose a diet low in cholesterol and animal fat, and high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and low-fat milk products, with some nuts and seeds
3. Maintain a healthy weight
Lose excess weight and keep it off with a long-term program of exercise and healthier eating
4. Try CoQ10
Taking 100 mg a day of this powerful antioxidant may have a significant impact on your blood pressure after one to several months
5. Boost heart health with supplemental garlic
600 to 900 mg a day of a standardized garlic extract can improve heart and blood vessel health, and also has a mild blood pressure–lowering effect
6. Take minerals
Supplements of calcium (800 to 1,500 mg a day) and magnesium (350 to 500 mg a day) may be helpful
Jun 26th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
there is another way of reducing your blood pressure take up Thai Chi or do Yoga, it all helps to relax the person and it is a wonderful way to exercise your inner self as well
Jun 26th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
I in no way agree with some of the 6 suggestions. Number 2 !!! Please read about the work of Weston A Price, and the work done by my other hero Sally Fallon. The mind set on food is so upside down. People should not be so scared of natural foods, low fat is not natural! Eat LESS of the good natural foods, enjoy food. If you have to read a lable don’t buy it. Give thanks for the magical tastes and richness of the natural foods God has given, it is ment to taste great. Follow the wisdom of traditional food preperation, savour the fat of the lamb, rejoice in the taste of chicken skin, it is ment to taste good. Shun the processed foods high in sugars and filled with chemicals to extend shelf life. Low fat is killing our race, it is so sad.
Jun 26th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
I agree with Louise ! Read WAP ! and the cholestrol Mythm by Uffe Ravnskov
Some individuals btw seem to react very badly on the lots of whole grain /low fat approach !
My steph dad got worse when he got on the doctors diet with low fat, high whole grain food with no beef, lamb eggs etc.
After 3 months he got so deperate he turned to blood type diet:
He is an O and he started to avoid all wheat - eats small amounts of soaked spelt, brown rice and millet.
No sugar - only olive oil and lots of ghee.
He eat lots of green veggies, broccoli, berries, pineapple, walnuts, salmon and other fatty cold water fish and lots of grass fed beef and lamb.
After 3 months his blodpressure had dropped from 180/ 95 to 125 /80 ! and the doctor was pretty shocked especially when he told about his diet !
Btw he started exercicing as well
- our lack of exercise is really crucial for most modern diseases !
Jun 27th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Yes I do Katrina, it is called Rossella syrup it is new out, and you can buy it at the Pharmacy
Regards Gillian
Jun 27th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
I disagree with this:
“2. …Choose a diet low in cholesterol and animal fat, and high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and low-fat milk products, with some nuts and seeds …”
Beef and other meat products are excellent forms of nutrition if they are pasture-raised; milk products NEED the fat for digestibility and assimilation of nutrients; and too much fruit, vegetables, and grains can cause health imbalances.