After battling the flu for over a week, I decided to pay a visit to my doctor. My cough had gotten bad enough that I wanted to make sure I didn’t have bronchitis or pneumonia. The good news is, my lungs are fine. The bad news is the medical system is more broken than I had ever thought!

I was shocked to see a soda machine and a candy machine side by side in the entrance to my doctor’s office. I’m glad to see they don’t have a cigarette machine in their lobby, but when you come to think of it, isn’t selling junk food just as bad?

When I consider the junk for sale in those machines, I’m not even considering our nationwide epidemic of Obesity. I’m thinking about the fact that refined sugar depletes your immunity. How diet soda and regular soda contribute to osteoporosis, tooth decay and increased LDL (the “bad cholesterol”). How ingredients in both those machines impact behavior in kids.

I’ve never been impressed with the fact that most medical offices have blatant advertisements for drugs in their waiting rooms. Our country is one of only two in the world which advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers. Your doctor’s office more than likely gets a nice commission for having posters or a TV screen blasting “infomercials” about the benefits of these drugs.

They obviously make some sort of money from the soda company and the vending machine company for selling the junk in that machine too. Is this ethical? Is it right?

As I sat waiting for the doc, I watched a fellow mom, more sick and tired than me with two little kids in tow. They spotted that machine within seconds of walking in the door and they were immediately harassing their poor mom to come up with some cash for some junk. Mom was too exhausted to argue, she gave in just to get a little peace. I wonder how many other mothers had done the same thing.

Why doesn’t this medical group have some Oranges for sale instead of packaged processed crap? A big shame on them for being part of the problem instead of part of the solution. Promoting junk instead of health, shame shame on you!