Wish we could go back to the “good ole days”, things were so much more simple, it seems. How many times it seems we have these thoughts today. Things were cheaper. People were kinder, and the pace was slower. I remember gas at 17cents a gallon. A nice new car was $3,500.00.
The truth be admitted- things were different. There were no lifesaving surgical by-pass surgeries then. Many things that we take for granted did not exist then. We now have things that bring us comfort, pleasure, and security. It is hard to compare apples to oranges. It is difficult to remember all the things we didn’t like or have then because so much did not exist then. Computers may frustrate most of us but our world could not exist without them-they support and produce a standard of living which we like. We have products and services that would be prohibitively expensive otherwise. We have lifesaving medical services and facilities that were not available at any price. We enjoy seasonal produce year round. Although we complain about less nutritional value in processed foods,we do have a choice. We complain about the negative value of television, and the shows on television. We do have a choice. Back in the “good ole days” our choices were limited and excluded much that we choose today because so much did not exist then as it does today.
Back in the “ good ole days” we could communicate with individuals and forums that we had access to. Access was selective and dependent to a large extent on our socioeconomic position. Not today, we have affordable means to knowledge, people, and institutions with unlimited accessibility. So much information is almost scary. We can know. We can create. We can excel at a mind blogging level. Never before was so much available to so many.
I grew up in this area. I currently live in the house I was raised in. I married and stayed married to my high school sweetheart. She is still my sweetheart. I know what Pinellas County was. I have seen it evolve to what you see today. I can’t say all the changes and adaptation that have occurred are better – or worse. They are different. We have access, we have choice, and with choice comes responsibility. We can make the world better and must if our progeny are to survive and have good human experience.
Back in the “good ole days”. We made choices that we would not make today. In dentistry, more people lost their teeth because that is just what you did. You didn’t do what you would choose to do today. The dentist, the methods, the materials, the expectancy did not exist to everyone. The consequences, socio economic and health were just not as apparent then as today. We are still learning. You know the more I learn, the more I need to learn. I just came home from an international
conference of doctors, scientists, researchers and others. Our discussions involved the human microbiome, which is another name that means the ecological community of microorganisms good, bad, and other, that literally share our body. We discussed what that means. The face and nature of disease-all diseases is evolving and being understood faster and faster than ever before. It is no wonder we have difference of opinions. Some people stop learning and stick to what there were told. Others embrace new science and all the ramifications of that. Again it is all choice and the responsibility that choice commands. Ultimately each of us must take responsibility for our choices which come from what we avail to ourselves. If you are my patient today – Do not necessarily expect the same suggestion or therapy 2 years from now for the same problem. I will have learned new science, applying new therapy for old health issues.
Some of the exciting therapies I have embraced are: ozone, safe mercury removal, balancing the microbiome to homeostasis, new treatment for the gums, and new material applications to restore or create beautiful functional smiles, consideration to detoxification from heavy metal and fluoride. These are significant diversions from current, older dental modalities. Some depending on state laws must be done by partnering with other health care providers who are licensed to do so. The laws vary depending on the state, but the need and value of those services cannot be denied by anyone who take the time and expense to learn, make choices and be responsible. It has been my experience that the loudest to protest to change come from the uninformed. That doesn’t change.
This Dunedin, Clearwater, Safety Harbor, Palm Harbor community has changed. But for those seeking, we now have the opportunity to make informed choices that can provide you a better healthier human experience than was available in the “good ole days”.
