Nutrition and Medicine - shaped by religion, morality and profits

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The evolution of healthcare and medicine over the past two centuries has been shaped by diverse influences, including religious beliefs, social reform movements, industrial interests, and the rise of allopathic medicine. Here’s a detailed historical account based on the themes you’ve outlined:

1. Ellen G. White, the Seventh-day Adventists, and the Push for Dietary Reform

• Ellen G. White (1827–1915) was a founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Her visions and religious teachings deeply influenced the church’s emphasis on health reform, which included vegetarianism, temperance, and holistic living.

• White advocated for removing meat from the diet, believing it inflamed base passions, weakened moral strength, and promoted disease. This perspective was intertwined with her religious commitment to purity, self-discipline, and preparing the body as a temple for God.

• Meat consumption, in her view, was not only unhealthy but also linked to moral and sexual impurity, aligning with her broader concerns about controlling physical desires to achieve spiritual sanctity.

2. John Harvey Kellogg and Health Reform

• John Harvey Kellogg (1852–1943), a prominent Seventh-day Adventist and physician, was heavily influenced by White’s teachings. As the director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, he became a pioneer in advocating vegetarianism, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, and the promotion of natural remedies.

• Kellogg developed cornflakes as part of a bland vegetarian diet, designed to curb sexual urges and promote moral purity, rooted in a belief that a simple, non-stimulating diet could reduce what he saw as excessive sexual energy, including masturbation, which he viewed as morally and physically harmful.

• He also promoted hydrotherapy, exercise, and other natural remedies but was controversial for his moralistic views, which extended to eugenics.

3. Rockefeller’s Role and the Rise of Allopathic Medicine

• In the early 20th century, John D. Rockefeller, a business magnate with interests in petrochemicals, played a transformative role in reshaping medicine. Through his philanthropic foundations, he heavily funded the development of allopathic medicine—focused on pharmaceutical and surgical interventions—at the expense of traditional, natural, and holistic approaches.

• The Flexner Report of 1910, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and supported by the American Medical Association (AMA), evaluated medical schools in the United States. It advocated for rigorous scientific standards, which led to the closure of many schools teaching homeopathy, naturopathy, and herbal medicine.

• The report centralized medicine within a framework of pharmaceuticals and laboratory-based science, aligning with Rockefeller’s investments in petrochemicals. The rise of pharmaceuticals coincided with his business interests, as many drugs were derived from petrochemical compounds.

4. The Role of the A M A and Bias Against Natural Medicine

• The American Medical Association (A M A) emerged as a powerful gatekeeper for medical practice and education. It championed the Flexner Report’s recommendations, further marginalizing alternative and natural practitioners.

• The A M A’s close ties to Rockefeller-funded initiatives fostered a bias towards pharmaceuticals and away from natural remedies. This alignment created conflicts of interest:

• Pharmaceutical Industry: The reliance on petrochemical-derived medications created a financial dependency on Rockefeller’s enterprises.

• Suppression of Alternatives: Practitioners of homeopathy, herbalism, and other non-allopathic systems were dismissed as unscientific and excluded from mainstream medicine, despite their long histories and efficacy in certain contexts.

5. Dietary Reform, Morality, and Cultural Shifts

• The Seventh-day Adventists’ emphasis on vegetarianism and purity reflected broader concerns about moral reform in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Both White and Kellogg linked diet with spiritual and moral well-being, asserting that avoiding meat and stimulating foods could reduce immoral behavior, especially sexual immorality.

• This perspective often conflicted with scientific approaches to nutrition, which began to focus more on the chemical composition of food (e.g., vitamins, macronutrients) rather than moral or spiritual impacts.

6. The Broader Context of Conflicts of Interest

• Industrial Influence: The collaboration between the pharmaceutical industry, AMA, and Rockefeller Foundation ensured that allopathic medicine became the dominant paradigm, sidelining natural care in medical schools and public health policy.

• Petrochemical Ties: Many early pharmaceuticals were derived from petrochemical processes, creating a financial incentive to promote allopathic approaches over plant-based or natural treatments.

• Economic Monopolies: By controlling both the education of doctors and the production of pharmaceuticals, Rockefeller and his allies established a monopoly over healthcare that prioritized profit over integrative approaches.

Conclusion

The shift from natural, holistic care to a pharmaceutical-focused, allopathic system was shaped by a combination of religious, moralistic, and economic forces. Ellen G. White and John Harvey Kellogg sought to reform health through dietary and lifestyle changes rooted in spiritual ideals. In contrast, Rockefeller and the A M A drove the institutionalization of allopathic medicine, sidelining alternative practices in favor of pharmaceutical innovations aligned with industrial interests. This duality continues to influence debates over healthcare approaches today.