I was the perfect target when I was in school: a scrawny, socially awkward nerd. There was this one girl in grade school who used to punch me “just because.” Because I existed. Because I was there. Because she felt like it.
I told my mom about my experiences: how humiliated I felt when the bully called me names, how much it hurt when she punched me, and how afraid of her I was. She was twice my size and popular. My mom tried to soothe my spirit: “Bullies are insecure. She’s jealous of you because you have something she doesn’t. Deep down, she’s probably afraid of you.”
It was small comfort. I couldn’t understand why my mom didn’t step in, why she wouldn’t make the teachers punish this girl. I didn’t realize until much later: she knew I had to learn to stand up to bullies myself.
My most terrifying experience with a bully was in my freshman year of high school. For reasons I may never know, another bully decided I needed to be taught a lesson. Because I existed? Because I was there? Because she felt like it? In between classes, she started yelling at me in the halls. I tried to just walk away, but other students formed a circle around us. It was surreal, like I was watching myself on TV. There was no chanting from the spectators, though, just her voice railing at me. But I was trapped, and panicking about what would happen if she actually started hitting me. Again, she was much bigger and stronger than I was, and I wasn’t ready to stand up to bullies yet. I wasn’t confident enough.
I could hear my mom’s voice: “Bullies are insecure. She’s jealous of you because you have something she doesn’t.” But why on earth would SHE be afraid of ME?
I thanked God when a teacher appeared and told all of us to get to class.
Fast forward to today. Bullies haven’t disappeared, they’ve only changed form.
As more and more people have grown disenchanted with our broken medical system and sought to take charge of their own health, the FDA and medical community have become increasingly hostile toward natural and holistic methods. Midwives and freestanding birth centers are raked over the coals by ACOG and state legislatures trying to regulate them out of existence. Despite evidence that a midwife-attended birth is as safe or safer than a hospital birth for low- to moderate-risk women, many doctors and nurses still warn patients against it. Many companies highlight the ways various foods and other natural substances can support the human body’s ability to heal itself. In response, the FDA sends letters threatening enormous fines to these companies, even when those statements are supported by peer-reviewed research. Perhaps the most absurd example of this was when the FDA declared walnuts an illegal drug because Diamond Nuts cited research on the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. Holistic practicioners have long been the subjects of scorn and ridicule by many mainstream doctors, and now the AMA – an organization which represents only about 15% of practicing physicians – wants to silence them completely by encouraging lawsuits and threats of losing their licenses.
The attacks on individuals and companies who promote evidence-based alternative methods affect their livelihoods, but also interfere with the public’s ability to make informed choices. As consumers of healthcare, we have a responsibility to educate ourselves about the risks and benefits of different options before making a decision. We can’t do that if no one is allowed to advocate for certain options. The choice is effectively taken from us. And if successful, these attacks will hinder the medical community’s ability to grow and learn, as well. Many times in history, a scientific community has ridiculed an innovator, only to admit the research was valid later on.
Why do these attacks on alternatives to the status quo happen? Because alternatives exist. Because they are there. Because the status quo feels like it. I can still hear my mother’s voice: “Bullies are insecure. They are jealous because you have something they don’t.” What are they so afraid of?
