Physician Challenges Medical Industry Terminology, Highlights Diet's Role in Health

Medical terminology has created confusion about what constitutes true healthcare, according to Dr. Richard Ruhling, a retired physician who taught Health Science at Loma Linda University. Ruhling distinguishes between medical care, which he defines as disease diagnosis and treatment primarily with pharmaceuticals, and healthcare, which should focus on prevention through lifestyle choices. This distinction matters because pharmaceutical interventions, even when properly administered, can cause significant harm while diverting attention from proven preventive measures.

Ruhling points to research suggesting adverse drug reactions represent a major public health concern. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported 106,000 hospital deaths annually from adverse drug reactions in 1998, while the Western Journal of Medicine documented 199,000 outpatient deaths in 2000. Combined, these figures would make medical care the third leading cause of death in the United States at that time. More recent data from the Archives of Internal Medicine showed deaths increasing 2.7-fold between 1998 and 2005, potentially making medical care the leading cause of death if trends continued.

The physician attributes this problem partly to terminology shifts in the mid-1970s when pharmaceutical companies began calling medical care "healthcare" as an advertising strategy. This linguistic change, Ruhling argues, obscures the fact that medical interventions often address symptoms rather than underlying causes while generating substantial profits. He notes that drug companies cannot patent natural products, creating financial incentives to develop synthetic pharmaceuticals instead of promoting dietary solutions.

Ruhling finds support for his views in the longevity research conducted around Loma Linda University, which received $40 million from the National Institutes of Health to study why the community lived approximately seven years longer than other non-smoking groups. He attributes this longevity advantage to dietary principles advocated by Ellen White, founder of Loma Linda University, whose health writings were reviewed favorably by Cornell University nutrition professor Clive McCay approximately sixty years ago. White's 1864 warning about tobacco as a "malignant poison" preceded scientific confirmation by a century.

The physician's personal experience reinforced his perspective. His first wife developed complications after taking antibiotics for a bladder infection, eventually dying from a stroke after multiple medical interventions failed to address her adverse reaction. Ruhling later remarried a nurse whose former husband died from the same antibiotic, highlighting what he considers a widespread but underrecognized problem.

Dietary changes offer a viable alternative, according to Ruhling, who cites Dr. Lester Breslow of UCLA finding that healthy habits can add eleven years to life. The physician himself adopted a plant-based diet seventy years ago and maintains excellent health at age 83. He notes that benefits often appear within ten days of dietary improvement, though adjustment periods may vary. Ruhling specifically warns against evening-heavy eating patterns that promote weight gain and coffee consumption linked to various health issues, including a "strong association" with pancreatic cancer reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1981.

For readers seeking additional information, Ruhling's book Health Happiness and Destiny received a five-star review from Amazon Top 100 Hall of Fame reviewer Grady Harp, MD. The physician's critique extends to political systems, recalling a U.S. senator telling him pharmaceutical donations influence policy decisions. This combination of terminology confusion, financial incentives, and political influence creates what Ruhling considers a systemic failure to prioritize true healthcare through prevention over medical care through pharmaceutical intervention.