Physician Argues Medical Care Differs From Healthcare, Citing Drug Dangers and Dietary Solutions

Dr. Richard Ruhling, a physician with board certification in Internal Medicine since 1973, asserts that medical care is not synonymous with healthcare, describing the former as diagnosis and treatment of disease with pharmaceuticals that he claims are a leading cause of illness and death due to adverse drug reactions. Ruhling, who taught Health Science at Loma Linda University, references the longevity of the Loma Linda community, which was featured in a National Geographic cover story titled "Secrets of Living Longer" in November 2005. The university received $40 million from the National Institutes of Health for a study to investigate why this community lived seven years longer than other non-smoking groups, a phenomenon Ruhling attributes to the health writings of Ellen White, founder of Loma Linda University.

Ruhling notes that Ellen White was ahead of her time, declaring tobacco a 'malignant poison' in 1864, a century before science linked it to malignant tumors in 1964. White opposed teaching drugs in her school, but administrators added pharmacology to gain American Medical Association accreditation despite her objections. In her 1905 book The Ministry of Healing, White wrote that drugs often merely change the form and location of disease rather than curing it. Ruhling shares a personal tragedy where his wife died from complications after taking an antibiotic, a story mirrored by his second wife's former husband who died from the same drug, highlighting what he calls a common but overlooked risk.

Citing medical studies, Ruhling points to a Journal of the American Medical Association report from April 15, 1998, that found 106,000 hospital deaths due to adverse drug reactions defined as properly prescribed and administered. A Western Journal of Medicine study in June 2000 reported 199,000 outpatient deaths from adverse drug events, totaling 305,000 deaths and potentially making medical care the third leading cause of death. An Archives of Internal Medicine study from 1998-2005 indicated a 2.7-fold increase in such deaths, which would raise the figure to 824,000 annually, potentially making medical care the top cause of death in the U.S. Ruhling criticizes the Centers for Disease Control for not including these studies in their yearly Top Ten Causes of Death list, instead blaming conditions like heart disease and cancer, which he links to diet.

Ruhling argues that pharmaceutical companies began calling medical care "healthcare" in the mid-1970s as an advertising strategy, misleading the public by diverting focus from healthy habits. He references Dr. Lester Breslow of UCLA, who stated that healthy habits could add 11 years to life. Ruhling emphasizes that doctors receive little training in nutrition or herbs, and drug companies cannot patent natural products for profit. He recounts visiting U.S. Senate offices with medical journal articles until a senator told him, "You are wasting your time…they own us," referring to pharmaceutical donations. If the 2.7-fold increase in deaths has continued since 2005, Ruhling warns that millions may die annually from adverse drug reactions, but knowledge of this could prompt dietary changes like his own plant-based diet, which he credits for his excellent health at age 83.

Ruhling advises against eating the main meal in the evening, as it can lead to weight gain by storing calories during sleep, and cautions against coffee consumption, citing a New England Journal of Medicine report from June 25, 1981, that found a strong association with pancreatic cancer. He echoes Ellen White's 1887 warning from EGWWritings.org, Manuscript 22, 1887, that tea, coffee, opium, and tobacco cause various diseases. For further information, Ruhling's book Health Happiness and Destiny, which received a 5-star review from Amazon's Top 100 Hall of Fame Reviewers, Grady Harp, MD, is available in a special holiday gift pack at https://HealthHappinessAndDestiny.com, including a bonus video typically sold on Amazon for $14.95.