A New Direction

Hello Reader,

I'm writing this post as it marks a change in direction for Preliminary Health Care, a change I hope is more perfectly aligned with my vision.

It is of my sincerest beliefs, that Health is a birthright to all of us--a birthright that is being stripped from us by perverse financial incentives. For example: food producers are NOT necessarily incentivized to provide us with healthy food options, but rather to make us believe they offer something healthy regardless of the truth; drug companies are not incentivized to cure our most common health conditions (such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc.), but rather to convince us these conditions are incurable and must be managed with drugs--drugs which actually allow the condition to slowly progress and create new problems...all of which are further treated with more drugs; supplement manufacturers are not incentivized to offer effective products, but rather to make you believe they offer effective products; most health-information outlets are not incentivized to give you accurate and contextual information, but rather to get your eyes on their page.

In other words, the entities from which we are made to choose for our well being are NOT motivated by us being well...then how do we trust? to whom do we listen? how do we spend our money among them? Companies tirelessly try to influence us through marketing. We are advertised to relentlessly--but marketing is far more than banners, commercials, and pop-ups; while we think we're watching these ads, we are actually being watched! Each ad is "feeler," testing you and measuring your reaction...that data is used to shape and mold the public image of the company in such a way to extract maximal money from you...that public image informs future marketing efforts...a machine with the explicit purpose of maximizing profit. This is not to say companies or marketing are inherently evil or malicious, but ask yourself "how many cycles of marketing are required before the public image of a company has completely detached itself from the product or service of the company?" We only think we're buying a product or service, but we're actually buying into the public image of the product or service.

This is how everything is marketed, from alcohol to zit creams. I fear I may be naive, but I believe our Health should be treated differently; that mechanistic checks and balances should be implemented to ensure the product/service be inseparably coupled to the public image and marketing. So lastly, let me discuss the implications I envision for me and Preliminary Health Care.

I truly believe I have something positive to contribute to the health and lives of others, and what alternative purpose or opportunity in life could rival that? I can think of none. It seems for now, the most effective means of doing so is by offering informational content that is accessible, complete, contextual, and thoughtful. With that content, it is my intention to empower and positively intervene in the health of as many people as I possibly can.

To ensure and demonstrate my sincerity and the fidelity of this mission, I will implement the following practices:

My blog posts will generally be created based on trending health-news topics. I will only comment on topics on which I believe I can offer context and insight--characteristics which are usually neglected for sensationalism by the outlets running these stories, driven by the financial incentives I mentioned earlier.
Based on which topics receive the most attention from you, I will create eBooks dedicated to providing complete and contextual information you can use to improve your life. You can participate in deciding what eBooks are created by sharing, liking, or commenting on your favorite posts.
All eBooks will be available on a voluntary-donation basis. In other words: you can decide to offer financial support when you download an eBook or not, or you can download and read the eBook without contributing at first, but do so afterwards if you choose (there are links within the eBooks, or you can go to the "Share" tab at the top of the page). In this way, you can be assured you are getting exactly what you expected without loss.
Because I am not "selling" this content, I hope you will share it with others who may benefit. From the download page, you can easily share it to your social media accounts; on the bottom left of most pages within the eBooks is a "share" button which will also allow you to share to your social media; you can also email it directly to other people, or even print it off and give it away.
I will neither sell non-informational products (such as supplements) or ad-space on my site, lest doing so would taint the trustworthiness of my content.
If you have any suggestions for these, please share. While the precise methods may vary with time, I hope it is clear that my intention is to faithfully pursue my stated mission. Thank you for reading today and every day.

Be well,
Nicklaus Milican