SANDY

Seeking Truth: Food & Other Drugs 

A documentary titled What the Health explores the realities of healthcare, food production, and the medical issues that can stem from the two. These issues, along with a personal issue of my own, inspired the work forSeeking Truth: Food & Other Drugs. For the past nine months, I have suffered from a specific form of acid reflux called Laryngopharyngeal Reflux. After many months of misdiagnosis and unnecessary medication, I switched to a plant-based diet to heal. This forced me to evaluate not only how food impacts health, but also the way drugs are prescribed in modern medicine. I enjoy finding the ironies in the relationships between these industries to question their intentions. Since 2014, veganism has increased 500%, rising from 1% to 6% in the last four years.[1] In 2016, the pharmaceutical industry was valued at 446 billion dollars[2].What do these facts mean? After compiling research from award-winning physicians, documentaries, informal interviews and personal experience, thereare a few things I know for certain. There is a truth to the power of aplant-based diet, the pharmaceutical industry has a great deal of control over physicians, and nutrition labels are not telling the full story. While the understanding of this subject is far from over, Seeking Truth: Food & Other Drugs is starting the conversation.

[1] Neff, Michelle. “6 Percent of Americans Now IdentifyAs Vegan - Why This Is A Huge Deal For the Planet.” Onegreenplanet.org, June 2017,www.onegreenplanet.org/news/six-percent-of-americans-identify-as-vegan/.

[2] https://www.statista.com/topics/1719/pharmaceutical-industry/