Morning Message Book

We have been taught for a generation that the foods our grandparents ate are unhealthy. Instead, we are encouraged to consume highly processed and nutritionally vapid products. These new and improved choices have led to chronic illnesses, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer. Our media is saturated with food companies and big pharma ads, and our healthcare industries are captured by their pharmaceutical sponsors.

I received only a few hours of nutrition education during my medical school training – mostly about obscure diseases such as scurvy, beriberi, and rickets. We were taught that red meat was unhealthy, butter clogged our arteries, and butter substitutes made with vegetable oils were healthier. We were told that low-fat diets should be emphasized to patients to prevent heart disease and diabetes. Yet, 150 years ago, heart disease and type 2 diabetes were much less common. Heart disease is now the leading cause of death in the United States, and 40% of our population has a chronic disease. Just look around the next time you are at the mall – how many obese and unhealthy-appearing people do you see? Now, look at the old pictures of the Woodstock music festival from the summer of 1969; you can’t find a single obese person in the pictures.

It was during the Covid crisis that I realized much of our modern allopathic medical focus has been wrong and perversely influenced by big pharma's need to feed their bottom line. A disease model that says there isn't a symptom or condition that a pharmaceutical product cannot help is a model that thrives on illness. We are one of only two countries that allow direct-to-consumer advertising by the pharmaceutical industry.

During the Covid pandemic, I started posting and recording on social media, particularly on Instagram, under the handle @RxForLiberty. I shared information on a radical new path: a return to a more foundational approach to health that emphasizes clean eating – grass-fed organic meat, including organ meat; raw dairy; raw honey; organic produce; pasture-raised eggs; sun exposure; hydration with purified water; exercise; and a focus on mental health and stress reduction. To my delight, my presence on social media grew, and my reach expanded. During this time, my office-based medical practice was filled with patients seeking out a like-minded physician – one who respected a patient's right not to be vaccinated and never required a useless face diaper. My Instagram "Morning Messages" became a go-to source for holistic health ideas for many people.

Thanks to the encouragement of my children, I have embarked on this journey to publish my insights in the form of a Morning Message book. My daughter, Allie Barke, created my Instagram account and my website. My son in law Pierce McDonnell and Sam Barke my son, offered to help me publish this book. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed creating these messages. Thank you for inviting me on your journey toward optimal health of the mind, body, and soul.

Jeffrey I. Barke, M.D.