Prevention is cheaper than treatment
About my father, complementary medicine and the revenue model of the health industry.
My father was a naturopath. More than sixty books written about nutrition, herbs and health. A practice in Amerongen. A radio column at RTV Utrecht that was so popular that listeners organized a signature campaign when the time threatened to shift.
His core belief was simple: prevention is cheaper, more humane and more effective than treatment. That sounds obvious. But it collides head-on with the revenue model of the health industry — which makes money from illness, not health.
He deliberately called it complementary medicine. Not alternative — that implies “instead of.” But additional — “besides.” An acknowledgment that the regular system works, but is not the whole story.
In a time of Ozempic as a lifestyle drug and ultra-processed food as the norm, that position is more relevant than ever. We medicalize behavior that we could prevent. Not through pills, but through knowledge. By knowing what you eat. By understanding why your body reacts the way it reacts.
The supplement industry is not an ally in this. They sell subscriptions, not knowledge. A bottle of vitamin D won't solve anything if you don't know why you have a deficiency. Knowledge does.
What my father did with his Anchors of one and a half euros each - taking the knowledge from the consulting room and putting it on the street - is exactly what Nourishment is trying to do. Don't sell, but equip. So you can continue without us.
That's the difference between a customer and a human being.