--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Today, Americans spend billions of…" description: "\"“Today, Americans spend billions of dollars every year to maintain a strong national defence as a deterrent against external attack by foreign powers, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c2/daniel-reid-24741_chinese-medicine_today-americans-spend-billions-of-dollar_3045866.jpg" --- # Today, Americans spend billions of dollars every year to… ![“Today, Americans spend billions of dollars every year to maintain a strong national defence as a deterrent against external attack by foreign powers, but they fail entirely to apply the same principle of preventive defence to their own health. They eat, drink, and live indiscriminately and treat…” quote by Daniel Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c2/daniel-reid-24741_chinese-medicine_today-americans-spend-billions-of-dollar_3045866.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c2/daniel-reid-24741_chinese-medicine_today-americans-spend-billions-of-dollar_3045866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c2/daniel-reid-24741_chinese-medicine_today-americans-spend-billions-of-dollar_3045866.jpg) > ““Today, Americans spend billions of dollars every year to maintain a strong national defence as a deterrent against external attack by foreign powers, but they fail entirely to apply the same principle of preventive defence to their own health. They eat, drink, and live indiscriminately and treat their bodies as engines of pleasure, without the slightest regard for the damage their habits inflict on their health. When they get sick, they run to the doctor or hospital for a quick fix and never imagine that their ailments are self-inflicted. Those ailments are then further compounded at the clinic, because more often than not they are not correctly diagnosed owing to the lack of a comprehensive and systematic view of the human body and human health. Western medical practice has become increasingly fragmented into narrow fields of specialty, and patients are referred to 'specialists' based entirely on what parts of the body exhibit their symptoms. It does not occur to Western medical specialists that symptoms may appear in parts of the body far removed from the root cause of the disease, although this remains a fundamental tenet of traditional Chinese medicine.”” [Daniel Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-reid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote compares national defense spending with personal health neglect, urging a preventive, holistic approach to health similar to defense strategies. **In simple terms:** Health should be defended preventively like a nation’s defense. Key Takeaway Adopt preventive, whole‑body health habits. Themes health prevention holistic medicine systemic thinking Mood concerned critical Type analytical persuasive When to use this quote - personal health planning - policy reform - medical education - public health campaigns Key Concepts preventive care integrative medicine systems biology Questions to Reflect On - How can individuals adopt a preventive health mindset? - What systemic changes are needed in healthcare? A Different Perspective Western medicine’s specialization can miss root causes, limiting effectiveness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chinese medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese-medicine/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Human body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-body/) [Human health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-health/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Root cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/root-cause/) ## Related quotes > [Many people treat their bodies as if they were rented from Hertz - something they are using to get around in but nothing they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chungliang-al-huang/many-people-treat-their-bodies-as-if-they-were-rented-from-hertz/) [Chungliang Al Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chungliang-al-huang/) > [I think it's so important for girls to love themselves and to treat their bodies respectfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-grande/i-think-it-s-so-important-for-girls-to-love-themselves-and-to-treat/) [Ariana Grande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-grande/) > [It's important that we treat our bodies with respect because it's what we have to make do with as long as we live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddharth-shukla/it-s-important-that-we-treat-our-bodies-with-respect-because-it-s/) [Siddharth Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddharth-shukla/) > [I wish we could treat our bodies as the place we live from, rather than regard it as a place to be worked on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-orbach/i-wish-we-could-treat-our-bodies-as-the-place-we-live-from-rather/) [Susie Orbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-orbach/) > [Spirituality can not be separate from how we treat our bodies, construct our lifestyles, and keep our energy at higher levels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-redfield/spirituality-can-not-be-separate-from-how-we-treat-our-bodies/) [James Redfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-redfield/) > [Our state of mind affects completely how we treat our bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-stiles/our-state-of-mind-affects-completely-how-we-treat-our-bodies/) [Tara Stiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-stiles/) > [How we treat our bodies directly correlates to how we treat our souls. 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There's a resurgence of people eating according to traditional Chinese medicine. So our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indra-nooyi/i-spent-some-time-at-a-university-for-traditional-chinese-medicine/) [Indra Nooyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indra-nooyi/) > [Qi gong therapy, as well as other branches of Chinese medicine, can be reduced to two simple principles: the cleansing of meridians to achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wong-kiew-kit/qi-gong-therapy-as-well-as-other-branches-of-chinese-medicine-can-be/) [Wong Kiew Kit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wong-kiew-kit/) > [Only desperation can account for what the Chinese do in the name of 'medicine.' That's something you might remind your New Age friends who've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/only-desperation-can-account-for-what-the-chinese-do-in-the-name-of/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) ## More by Daniel Reid > [“As for osteoporosis, it is caused not so much by calcium deficiency in the diet as it is by dietary factors which leach calcium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-reid/as-for-osteoporosis-it-is-caused-not-so-much-by-calcium-deficiency-in/) [Daniel Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-reid/) > [“In true, Taoist parlance, 'immortality' refers to a spiritual state, not a condition of physical permanence. In his books on the teachings of Don…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-reid/in-true-taoist-parlance-immortality-refers-to-a-spiritual-state-not-a/) [Daniel Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-reid/) > [“Food enzymes are another important dietary element for cultivating vitality. 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Owing to the pig's omnivorous diet, pork is even more acidifying than other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-reid/for-different-reasons-pork-is-also-a-poor-choice-in-meat-owing-to-the/) [Daniel Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-reid/) > [“The original mind of Tao is like an immaculately clean mirror, clearly reflecting everything towards which it turns its attention. The human mind, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-reid/the-original-mind-of-tao-is-like-an-immaculately-clean-mirror-clearly/) [Daniel Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-reid/) > [“Viewed from the Taoist paradigm, the utter emptiness of space is a state known as 'extreme yin'. Taoist texts state; 'When yin reaches its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-reid/viewed-from-the-taoist-paradigm-the-utter-emptiness-of-space-is-a/) [Daniel Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-reid/) > [“Tap water is another example of a legally condoned public health hazard. 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I don't take Chinese medicine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/even-though-i-believe-we-should-promote-chinese-medicine-i-personally/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [“Rububiyyah: Lordship, the quality of being a lord. A term derived from the Qur'anic descriptions of Allah's lordship over creation. 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Those ailments are then further compounded at the clinic, because more often than not they are not correctly diagnosed owing to the lack of a comprehensive and systematic view of the human body and human health. Western medical practice has become increasingly fragmented into narrow fields of specialty, and patients are referred to 'specialists' based entirely on what parts of the body exhibit their symptoms. 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