“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” — 19th century Welsh proverb
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” — Hosea 4:6
“No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.” — 1 Timothy 5:23
No one would claim that a Big Mac is a better choice than a salad for dinner. It is axiomatic that a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle lead to unfavorable outcomes, while a predominantly natural diet and moderate activity lead to better overall health and less need for medical intervention by doctors (and, by extension, pharmaceuticals). But at what point did our society begin to seek pills or surgery instead of knowledge: how God designed our bodies to function and what causes disease or promotes health? Dr. Sherri Tenpenny wrestled with these questions as she listened to God’s unique call in her life: to provide answers to the patients she has cared for in many settings.
The daughter of chiropractors, Sherri was dissuaded from following in their steps by her mother, who encouraged her to train as a traditional physician and avoid the disdain historically shown to holistic practitioners. As an undergraduate, she volunteered at a local hospital, often chatting with patients about their concerns. Some of them she recommended consult a chiropractor, knowing her father had successfully treated similar maladies at his clinic. When her supervisors (all medical doctors) learned of this, she was unceremoniously dismissed from her unpaid position. Witnessing the opposition of ‘traditional’ medicine to positive outcomes resulting from a holistic approach, she determined to pursue osteopathic medicine – a combination of modern medical interventions with health promotion and disease prevention.
Dr. Tenpenny was board certified in emergency medicine from 1986 to 1998; during that time, she worked as a full-time physician and Director of a Level II Trauma center. In 1996, she founded Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center near Cleveland, Ohio, to provide natural, holistic approaches to getting well. She worked at both the ER and her clinic for 4 years, toggling between a pharmacological and surgical perspective in the hospital and a nutritional, lifestyle and integrative perspective practicing privately. Once, Dr. Tenpenny prescribed a probiotic to an infant who had been in chronic pain with an infection, despite multiple ER visits and rounds of antibiotics. When his mother returned to the ER to thank Dr. Tenpenny for the total healing that occurred as a result, her fellow medical practitioners wrote her up for not prescribing more pharmaceuticals for the child. She subsequently resigned in disgust.
In 2000, a flyer from the National Vaccine Information Center advertising its annual meeting piqued her interest and, after attending it, her world turned upside down. The people and stories she encountered there drove her to begin thorough investigation of the history of vaccination in the US and the implications for health outcomes in the populace at large. Since then, she has spent more than 40,000 hours researching, documenting, and exposing problems associated with vaccines and the lack of informed consent for patients taking them. The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 prevents the manufacturers of vaccines from being sued for any negative impact their products have on individuals, despite widespread mandates that children be vaccinated to participate in school or other communal activities. The act also established a publicly available reporting system for adverse events (VAERS) and a federal compensation fund for those injured or killed as a result of a vaccine.
In 1970, the US expenditure on healthcare totaled $74 billion and average life expectancy was 70.8 years. In 2000, healthcare spending was $1.4 trillion, and by 2020, it had topped $4.1 trillion. But while life expectancy in 2019 was 78.8 in 2019, it plummeted to 76.1 years in 2021 – its lowest since 1996. Currently, pediatric hospitals are experiencing an explosion of RSV cases among children, and influenza cases are higher than they have been in 13 years. The health of our nation is declining by the day.
This blatant failure of the traditional medical establishment to not only prevent illness but to prolong life years despite exorbitant spending calls into question the industry at large as well as the methodology and mentality that underlies it: drugs and ‘expert’ opinions have not protected life or health. Dr. Tenpenny, through her advocacy for a truly holistic approach, acknowledges both the positive impact of traditional medical interventions as well as knowing how God designed our bodies to naturally fight disease and heal with the proper use of lifestyle choices, nutrition and supplementation. Patients from all over the US and 17 countries have found healing at her clinic, and her website provides educational materials, supplements and even a prayer for healing.
Jennifer is a flight attendant with a desire for answers and a penchant for searching out truth wherever it may be found. She enjoys classical music, sleeping in and chocolate.
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