Benefits

We need health reform, ultimately, in order for any efforts at healthcare reform to succeed sustainably. Modern humans suffer from numerous diseases linked to the metabolic syndrome, such as diabetes, yet these health maladies were virtually nonexistent during most of our ancestry. In modern science, evolution is the default perspective for inquiry. In modern healthcare, however, evolution is almost nowhere to be seen. Neolithic and (especially) post-industrial diets combined with modern sedentary lifestyles have pushed our physiologies dangerously far from their adapted environments, and it is becoming exceedingly expensive and ineffective for medical practitioners to fix the resulting damage done to our bodies or halt the epidemic flood of illnesses collectively referred to as the diseases of civilization. In fact, the current generation of children may live shorter lifespans than do their parents—a startling reality that should shock health experts into creative, collaborative solution-searching.

Recently, research scientists, physicians, health experts/professionals, and e-patients have organized online around a new direction in physiology that respects our evolutionary heritage as human beings. This Ancestral Health community emerged in the Blogosphere as the aforementioned panelists engaged in scientific journalism and spread their ideas, insights, and discoveries with the world openly and freely. Starting out on the periphery, this self-organizing, decentralized community has recently gained momentum through bottom-up thinkering; thus, the time is ripe to capture this energy and cultivate further interdisciplinary inquiry through an event that unites all those interested in advancing the science and practice of human health in the twenty-first century.

With the far-reach that these presenters have on the Web—bloggers like Mark Sisson run some of the top health Web sites in the world, with thousands of readers daily—as well as in academia and in local healthcare communities, the proceedings at this event will touch a widespread audience and will foster new, unique approaches to solving our existing healthcare challenges.

Finally, this is an opportunity to support dialogue and conversation between people who are passionately concerned about restoring, maintaining, and enhancing people’s health. When we understand how our diet and lifestyle choices cause our health states to degrade, we can better implement cost-effective ways to improve health. Not only is an ounce of the right prevention worth a pound of cure, the right ounce of prevention costs a lot less. From this perspective, the health policy and administrative potential of Ancestral Health are both valuable and practical. In light of the resource constraints that our healthcare systems face, implementing concepts and ideas presented at this symposium would be beneficial.