Today, there is constant talk about “recommendations.”

If you think something is correct just because it’s written in books or textbooks, or because an expert said or recommended it, don’t forget that heroin was once recommended and used for medical purposes as a cough suppressant (primarily for children). It was also used as a non-addictive alternative to morphine (today we have a similar story with methadone). Heroin was completely legal for a full 26 years, as were the recommendations.

Cigarettes weren’t considered harmful until 1964! On the contrary, they were advertised (recommended) as beneficial!

Recommendations are a variable category; the truth is not.

If the majority or the experts say something, it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing. There are countless examples of this.

Nikola Tesla was ridiculed! …by the scientific community for his claims, including the idea of creating wireless communication.

One of the most important and greatest thinkers of all time – Socrates (who was the teacher of Plato, who was the teacher of Aristotle, who in turn was the teacher of Alexander the Great) – was literally, in the most democratic way, sentenced to death for thinking for himself; that is, for being a thinker. The charges were that he was corrupting the youth because he taught them to think for themselves and to question “authorities,” and that he showed disrespect toward the Athenian gods. The jury consisted of 501 Athenian citizens, the majority of whom voted (recommended) for him to be sentenced to death. Thus, one of the greatest and most influential thinkers (in the very cradle of democracy) was, by recommendation of the majority (and democratically), sentenced to death by drinking poison because he thought.

THE EXPERTS RECOMMEND is the motto of the “roboticism” that Socrates “fought” against through wisdom. This doesn’t mean that experts don’t exist or that no one should recommend anything. It means that in a sea of recommendations, the only salvation is personal understanding.

“Lifestyle mistakes causing you health problems? Here, have some chemistry.” It suddenly became “super,” especially after Rockefeller usurped medical and pharmaceutical science.

To “normalize” high blood pressure, many people use medications to block the action of adrenaline. But these contribute to decreased testosterone and fertility. But where is the resolution of the actual causes of high blood pressure? It seems easier to cover our eyes with our hands like small children and imagine the real causes aren’t there because we don’t see them.

To “normalize” cholesterol, almost everyone with elevated levels is given cholesterol production blockers, even though cholesterol is the raw material from which the body produces testosterone, estrogen, cortisol, and Vitamin D. The important thing is to “pass” the test. As long as the test shows good numbers, it’s a certificate of health. Meanwhile, the growing statistics of ill health stand like silent billboards, passed by experts with a shrug of their shoulders.

This doesn’t mean that medications are never justified for anyone, but it means they aren’t justified always and for everyone. And it means that medications are not a substitute for a healthy and proper lifestyle. It doesn’t take much to conclude that the rising profits of the pharmaceutical industry ARE NOT accompanied by the rising health of the population.

All these previous examples are recommendations from experts, regardless of the era they come from. They recommend constantly, yet a health catastrophe still reigns on this planet.

Too many examples exist of the paradoxes surrounding us. Sugar is used for sports as a preferred fuel. Then, during the sporting event, new supplies of sugar are swallowed to keep the activity going. Sport, sugar, and “health.” All of this is based on textbooks and selectively cited science. And then you see the athlete—drained of energy.

If reason prevails, these things will be part of a more primitive past in the future.

All reason first boils down to an individual level. From there, we can outline the logical steps for personal progress, which is also a:

Program for how reason can prevail:

1. Learn what a truly healthy life is
2. Actually practice a truly healthy life
3. Encourage others to do the same, through:
   A. Personal example and
   B. Pointing to the materials you studied that contributed to your success

Many institutions, organizations, and groups can help with this, but change is first individual, not systemic. A system is a whole made of connected parts, and the most individual part of a society is the person. That’s why progress is always individual, and only then can it become collective.

There are experts and there are experts. But only one is the first and last expert on your healthy life – you. No one will improve your health if you put the wrong things on your plate and in your body. Why not engage in expertly living a healthy life?

A healthy life is recognized in very simple ways.

Dino Nikolic
Creator and author of Muskultura
Health Coach
Fitness Instructor and Strength and Conditioning Coach
Certified Nutritionist
August 6th, 2023