No Health Utopia...
Like many, I've been immersed in Covid-19 writings--the public health approach, dire statistics, immunizations and boosters, masks or not, etc. I'm troubled.
Mirage of Health Utopias, Progress, and Biological Change by Rene Dubos, though written in 1959, offers a mostly accessible dive into Dubos’ philosophy around public health, living a “healthy” life, and mindfully co-existing in the environment.
“Life is an adventure in a world where nothing is static; where unpredictable and ill-understood events constitute dangers that must be overcome, often blindly and at great cost; where man himself, like the sorcerer’s apprentice, has set in motion forces that are potentially destructive and may someday escape his control. Every manifestation of existence is a response to stimuli and challenges, each of which constitutes a threat if not adequately dealt with. The very process of living is a continual interplay between the individual and his environment, often taking the form of a struggle resulting in injury or disease…” (From Chapter 1 “The Gardens of Eden”)
What I appreciate about Dubos’ approach is the idea that perfect health is a utopian fantasy, incompatible with our necessary and rewarding excursions into the world around us. What troubles me is the belief by some that, most if not all of our illness and disease, can be attributed to a toxic combination of faulty thinking, poor judgment, the use of prescribed drugs and therapeutics, the Western medical model, and living in urban settings, to name a few.
A healthy debate of this topic is beyond the scope of this particular post, but here are a couple of my thoughts and positions on the idea that disease is mostly preventable by regularly having our energies adjusted and spending a small fortune at health food stores or Whole Foods.
Yes, we might all be healthier (depending on one’s definition of health) if we all gave up meat and dairy, ate only locally grown organic produce, got our daily dose of sun and nature, and walked as much as possible. This utopian vision is unattainable for many, not because they haven’t seen the light so passionately promoted by utopians, but because of circumstances over which they have little control. The proponents of an utopian vision would like to blame weak wills, brainwashing by corporate interests, and limited intelligence on the failure to embrace this healthier model. Through no fault of their own, many people in the United States are destined to a diet of fast food, inexpensive meats loaded with chemicals, public transit, and concrete jungles. Can we accept that all of us are doing our best with what we have and stop the shaming?
I believe in Western medicine—or the medical industrial complex—as it is often called. My life has been saved more than once by overpriced drugs and vaccines from Big Pharma and very expensive technology. That said, I believe reform is needed and every person has a right to accessible, affordable, up-to-the-minute health care. When life-saving drugs are beyond the reach of everyone except billionaires, that’s a huge problem. Fortunately, within the “walls” of these bureaucratic structures, there are many committed and highly trained individuals working to make desperately needed changes. They are also fed up. I do not believe there is a grand conspiracy to keep America sick in order to increase profits even more.
Dubos’ views on pandemics, epidemics, and public health emergencies throughout human history have much relevance for today’s Covid pandemic and efforts to manage it. The entities in charge—the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control, and presidential panels—have struggled to clearly communicate effective strategies and information. Many dubious experts and self-proclaimed experts have muddied the waters promoting dangerous “cures” and head-spinning theories. Rene Dubos would have been a welcome voice in this out-of-control debate. His thoughts are illuminating, thought-provoking, occasionally debatable, and could be used to support various positions on how the current pandemic has been handled/mishandled. His tone is always sane, reassuring, and trustworthy.
There’s this:
“Life is like a large body of water moved by deep currents and by superficial breezes. We have gained some understanding of the winds and can adjust our sails to them. But the really powerful forces which determine population trends are deep currents of which we know little, the fundamental physical and biological laws of the world, the habits and beliefs of mankind with their roots deep in the past. It is intellectual deceit to be dogmatic in these matters on the basis of scientific knowledge, because information is so incomplete. And it is always dangerous to bring about radical and sudden social changes, because the complexity of the interrelationships in the living world inevitably makes for unforeseen consequences, often with disastrous results” (From Chapter VI, “Social Patterns of Health and Disease”)
Many have cited this passage as evidence that social distancing, masking, lock-downs, shut-downs, etc. are not the right strategies for managing a pandemic; that the consequences (more deaths, economic disruption, angry citizens) outweigh the benefits (fewer deaths). Many bona fide experts also disagreed on the best approach. I trusted the experts that prevailed. I did what I was told. I’m fully vaccinated and plan to get my Moderna booster soon (I’m 70 years old, immunocompromised). I have disappointed myself by becoming angry and judgmental about those who have refused to follow the “expert” advice. I have been judged for getting the vaccine, for wearing a mask, and for limiting my social activities. I’m not here to debate what might have happened if we had done nothing, or if what we did was the best approach. This is new ground for nearly all of us. My hope is that we put an end to this pandemic and learn something that will make the next one less deadly, less virulent, less political, and much less divisive.
“It is not man the ecological crisis threatens to destroy but the quality of human life.”
- Rene Dubos