Bill Maher's Health Advice

Of all the topics that are the cause of controversy by Bill Maher, his views on health, food, and the pharmaceutical industry tend to get people fired up the most.

On a recent episode of Real Time, Maher made the bold statement that he had not had a cold or flu in years, and he attributes his good health to the food that he eats. He made the analogy of a mosquito and a swamp. (With the mosquito being a germ and the swamp being the human body). Mosquitoes fly around looking for swamps to land in and to call their home. If there is no swamp, the mosquito simply won't go there--implying, of course, that if your body is healthy and free of chemicals and illness, and your immune system is strong, then the germs that make you sick will simply not impart themselves into your system.

The guests on his show gave him some doubtful sideways glances and quickly hurried him onto the next subject--but I was fascinated. This is not the first time that I have heard Maher discuss this topic on his show, and not the first time his guests have cocked their head to the side, raised a discerning eyebrow and edged him on to the next topic. Why are people so challenged and offended by this topic? Why is it so difficult for people to be introspective when it comes to the subject of their health?

It is especially interesting to me that people don't like to discuss this topic considering how consumed everyone in this country is with their own health woes. People love to talk about their aches and pains, their latest cold, that strange pain in their abdomen, and on and on....yet people appear to become offended when this topic of what can actually be done to prevent illness comes up.

People just accept that it is common to get several colds a year and that getting the flu at least once a year is just a part of the human existence.But what if, like Maher says, it's not supposed to be this way? What if we are actually designed to be healthy and pain free, and by making some changes in what we eat and what other substances we put into our bodies, we might actually become less dependent on medicine and might actually extend our lives and feel great on a daily basis.

Most of the reason that I am interested in this topic is because I am probably one of the worst examples of healthy lifestyles around. I eat the wrong food, I don't exercise enough and I smoke. Being a smoker, (and living in California where smokers are constantly made to feel like lepers for their habit), it is fascinating to me that people constantly feel that it is perfectly acceptable to go right up to a smoker whom they've never met, and spoonfeed them their opinion on smoking. They will tell you all about how bad it is for you, how bad it is for the environment, and how bad your smoking is for them. I often wonder how many of them stopped to lecture me on smoking and then turned on their heel and high-tailed it to McDonald's for a Big Mac and fries!

No one would ever think to go up to someone who is overweight and tell them how their obesity is killing them. Now granted, someone else's obesity is not going to have an effect on my personal health like smoking (arguably) could...but then again, no one is going to get lung cancer by walking past a smoker and inhaling a hint of a puff of smoke. (Ok you non-smokers go ahead and jump all over me for that one..... I can take it)

But I digress....I am getting off on a slight tangent here I realize, so back to the main point.

I think there is a lot to be said for Maher's philosophy--a philosophy that I'm sure many other healthy people adhere to. I hope that people in this country will start being able to switch their conversations from a discussion of all their aches and pains or what medications they are taking and opening up dialogue on the benefits of eating healthy and living well.