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Originally Posted by ladyjane  How sad that you feel there is such a conspiracy. I do have a question for you: do you apply the same thinking when it comes to your healthy? |
Yes, I do apply that type of thinking to my health. In the past people have blindly followed physicians instructions with out questioning because they felt that a doctor knows everything and is one step below God. I'm sorry but doctors do not know everything. Physicians are frighteningly dependent on pharmaceutical and other medical supply companies for their information. Physicians do not have time to research the drugs, medical supplies and equipment that they must use in their practice. They get about a 6 week course in nutrition during medical school unless they decide on their own to learn more. I am not saying there is a conspiracy of any kind. I am saying that in our modern era we have found ways to make food for both humans and animals in a way that is convenient. In order to increase the amount of time that a product can survive from reaping to sale the food industry has had to change the nutritional content of food.
I have worked closely with doctors for years. They do the best they can with the limited knowledge they have. When dealing with my health issues I am not afraid to question my doctor about any tests or medications he/she may want to prescribe. A good doctor should be happy to discuss his diagnosis and treatment plan. Certainly no one should leave the doctor's office without knowing exactly what the medications are, why they have been prescribed, what side effects may occur, and how long the doctor feels they may needed. Any patient should feel free to ask for a second opinion if they are uncomfortable with the physicians plan and quite often patients find differing opinions when they do so.
Pet food companies are using grains for convenience not because grains are the naturally intended food for a dog. Much of the sickness and disease in this country, for both human and animal, is caused by poor diet. Our foods do not contain the nutritional content they used to. Our meats are pumped full of antibiotics, steroids and hormones. Our produce is genetically engineered to be resistant to insects and to last months beyond their natural life span. Produce is also engineered to be of uniform size so that transport and packaging can be more convenient.
Dog food companies have to make a food that will last on a shelf in a bag for months at a time. They use corn and other grains to substitute for the meat that they cannot preserve in it's natural state. Many times they also add some form of sugar to make the product taste better to the animal. Dogs are carnivorous. They do not graze like a cow. Their bodies are created to metabolize meat as the main component of their diet. The pet food industry puts together the ingredients that will remain stable for long periods of time and they add artificial preservatives and vitamins. This they then call nutritionally complete. Some dogs can tolerate these types of foods better than others. The vet is depending on the research the pet food company has done to support the health of their patient. Yes, humans and pets survive on this artificial diet for a time but eventually health breaks down and the body becomes less resistant to disease. The result being obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc.
This is a subject that everyone needs to educate themselves about. Of course we should not trust everything we read on the internet because much of it is biased in one way or another but there certainly is good information available out there. We all have to make decisions about what is best for ourselves, our families and our pets. That decision should be based on factual sources not blind faith in any physician. It is wrong to blindly follow anyone, physician or industry. We don't live in the same world our parents or grandparents may have lived in. Our bodies were made to consume foods that come from nature not boxes. I don't think the pet food industry is out to kill our pets. But they are producing a product that is not natural to the animal's body and they are doing it because they cannot produce a natural healthy product with a long shelf life that they can maintain their profit margin with. Vets sell these products because it is all that is available. Of course they make a profit on it and there is nothing wrong with that. I am not condemning the veterinarians. They are doing what they can with the information they have. I hope in the future our educational institutions will start spending more time teaching holistic health care. Instead of waiting for disease to enter the body and then treating the symptoms they could be helping to prevent disease by teaching how to produce healthy foods and how to eat a healthy diet.