OK, I’m a dreamer, dreaming that there could be a chance I could be appointed Surgeon General even though I’ve not yet met President-elect Donald Trump.

But here is what I know I could accomplish: I would hold bi-monthly press conferences to discuss particular ways Americans can avoid serious ailments and premature deaths.

Here are some examples:
1) Heroin and other narcotic addiction: Yes, it’s a good idea to stop importation of drugs illegally across our borders. But supply is not the only problem. Demand for the drugs is even more important. If my house were filled with heroin and other “recreational” drugs, I would never touch them. Why?I don’t believe i need them, and I know they are dangerous. People who believe they need them will do whatever they can to get them, including committing crimes to get them. When I took care of Methadone Clinic addicts, I was able to convince most of the ones I talked to about this issue that they just need to tell themselves it’s ok to tell people they trust what is bothering them. Narcotic addicts generally believe it is wrong to do that. So the pressures build from all that mental garbage they can’t throw out, and the narcotics relieve that pressure.
Once they agree to try telling others what is upsetting or bothering them, they realize that the pressure goes away and they don’t need the drugs!!!

2) Overweight and obesity that causes high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, cancers, diabetes, and serious back, hip and knee arthritis: No dieting needed. All that the people with weight problems need to do is eat the way lifetime slim people do. They are very picky and fussy eaters who eat for only one reason: Physical hunger they can feel. They pay attention to their bodies. When the body tells them to rest, they do. When they feel the need to use the toilet, they do. And when the body tells them they need water or food, they take care of that. They don’t eat by the clock, they don’t eat by the calories, and they don’t eat for stress, boredom, or just as a habit. They eat what they really want, if they can get it, when they are physically hungry. That’s it! Oh, and they stop eating when they don’t feel physical hunger any more, not only when their plate is empty or only when all the food is gone. I lost my 35 extra pounds eating like them! And, my book, The Marshall Plan for Lifelong Weight Control tells the story so that everyone can do it.I also have short Guides that walk people through this and all the other problem-solving solutions I’ve come up with.

3) Smoking cigarettes: People follow their own beliefs. If you tell yourself that you need to smoke, that you won’t die from it or get seriously ill from it, that you need it to feel socially comfortable, etc., then you will continue to smoke. If you tell yourself what the non-smokers tell themselves on all those items, you can stop smoking. Beliefs lead to your behavior, and your behavior gives you the results you get. Change those beliefs, and your behavior and results change accordingly.

My Guides are available on my website, DrEdMarshall.com. If I were appointed Surgeon General, and my Guide sales were to increase, I would donate all those profits to healthcare charities. I’m sure thousands, if not millions more Americans would get better health if this doable miracle could happen.

Thank you for your attention to this Blog! Your friendly problem-solver,
Dr. Ed Marshall