HW 32 - Thoughts following illness & dying unit

What's most nightmarish about our culture's practices around illness & dying?
                That the insurance commercials are just ploys to suck citizens in to an economy of lies. That a percentage of Americans can not get health insurance because of a preexisting condition, or a physical 'flaw' that would affect the companies financially. I never new what I took for granted, being about to go to any hospital as a kid, and getting treated for my kidney problems. I now see how spoiled and ignorant I was when I use to complain that my mom and I were waiting in the waiting area too long.

What alternative practices offer the most positive re-orientation in illness & dying?
          People say that 'it is all in the mind.' I would have to say that spiritual healing is one alternative that we could at least try once. That fact that we can regenerate ourselves, like a computer automatically resetting when detecting a virus, fascinates me, and saddens me that people are so dependant on technology that we forget that our bodies are machines themselves.

What might you do or address differently as a result of what you've learned this unit, individually and with your family?
          If you want the truth, I really don't put in enough effort to keep myself health, but I do have a few ideas. When getting cafeteria food, take a fruit cup and regular instead of chocolate milk. Because I love to listen to music while walking my dog, make the excuse that I want to hear more songs on the walk, resulting in longer walks, keeping me and my dog healthier.

How do dominant social practices (DSP) around illness & dying connect to DSP around food in our culture?
           The fact that we are blinded by the truth. We grew  up thinking that the food we ate came from healthy animals and happy workers on clean, roomy farms in the middle of the country. We grew up believing that every American is treated equally, that the health insurance companies and the government had our best interest in mind.