About Legacy

The Need Is Great

Hunger is on the Rise.  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are more than 33 million hungry people in the U.S. alone, including 13 million children, who suffer from chronic nutrient deficiencies that can lead to serious health problems.  According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2002 saw an average increase of 19% in the demand for just emergency food, although in some cities it was over 50%.  An average of 16% of this need went unmet, and many emergency food agencies ran out of food (some for the first time ever) and were forced to turn people away.  U.S. Hunger Statistics.  The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates that globally a shocking 842 million people were undernourished from 1999-2001, the most recent figure available.

Toxins in Our Food and Environment.  In most cities, the water contains over 700 chemicals, while 10,000 different toxic and carcinogenic chemicals are used in food processing and preservation, with foods additionally losing most of their nutritional value during processing.  Even if you think you're eating healthy, you may not be.  The average American is exposed to over 50,000 chemical agents in his lifetime, and only a fraction of these have been studied for their effects on humans.  Almost 1.5 billion pounds of pesticides are sprayed on non-organic wheat and vegetable crops in the U.S. each year.  According to experts, only 2% of this actually serves to protect the crops, while the air, water and the food itself absorbs the other 98%. (Over 110 different kinds of chemicals are used on apples alone.)  Our bodies are being bombarded by more and more added chemicals that are reacting as they are absorbed in our bodies in unpredictable combinations, attacking us physiologically and neurologically, and contributing to the manifestation of disease.  Chemicals and contaminants are now found abundantly in our food, clothing, vaccines, medications, carpeting, cleaning products, cosmetics, cookware, water, home, air, ground -- everywhere we work, live, and breathe.

Homelessness -- A Barrier to Good Health.  Of the 3.9 million working families facing critical housing needs, 8 out of 10 pay more than half their limited income for housing, while the remainder live in severely inadequate housing (Ibid), leaving less money for healthcare, childcare, transportation, utilities, and nutritious food.   A total of over 15 million families, working and nonworking combined, now have critical housing needs.  Poor health can lead to homelessness, and homelessness can lead to poor health -- it can be a very vicious cycle that is difficult to get out of.  Recent evidence confirms that homelessness, especially among families with children, has increased dramatically, up by an average of 17% per year, and studies have shown that 1/4 of the requests for shelter assistance are denied.  Declining wages that have not kept up with inflation have put housing out of reach for many working families.  Living at the poverty level can mean that a person is an illness, an accident, or a paycheck away from homelessness.  Contrary to public opinion, approximately 42% of people experiencing homelessness are employed, and current limited welfare benefits do not provide relief from poverty, as temporary benefits for a family of three are approximately one-third of the poverty level, with 39% of those suffering being children (Urban Institute 2000).  It is much more difficult for a homeless person to recover from an illness or injury, or live a healthy life, than it is for an individual with a secure and permanent residence.  Increasing health problems, family problems, and unstable economic conditions, which are all interrelated, are contributing to the plight of the homeless.  Additionally, research indicates that 40% of homeless men have served in the armed forces and, nationally, approximately half of all women and children experiencing homelessness are fleeing domestic violence (Zorza, 1991; National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2001).

The State of Healthcare and Disease.  According to a recent study by the Partnership for Solutions, a Johns Hopkins project, nearly half of the population currently lives with some type of chronic condition, and rapid continued growth is expected.  About 60 million Americans live with multiple chronic conditions.  Statistics tells us that our life spans have increased due to technological advances.  Yes, we are living longer, but we are living longer sicker -- often in an unenjoyable state of poor health, dependent on medical treatments, including a plethora of expensive synthetic medications that typically suppress the body's natural expression of symptoms, rather than cure the underlying cause.  In just one year, 2003, U.S. pharmaceutical sales were $163 million, more than half of all global sales combined.  According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Allopathic medicine kills at least 225,000 Americans per year, constituting the third leading cause of death in the United States, after deaths from heart disease and cancer. 

And the number is most likely even higher. Most of this data is derived from studies in hospitalized patients only. Orthodox medicine focuses on finding cures, like the cure for cancer, with little success, instead of trying to find and eliminate the causes.  These statistics emphasize the importance of finding non-toxic and non-invasive preventative solutions to our healthcare problems that proactively address the root causes and help prevent disease from occurring in the first place.

A Rand Corp. study, published in the journal of Health Affairs in January of 2004, said disability rates rose sharply in the last two decades among those under 60 years of age.  "We've always had the assumption that medical science is advancing and that people are getting healthier, but that is not the case," said Darius Lakdawalla, lead author of the study.  The health of young Americans is getting worse.  The extremely poor state of health of our population is evident when looking at the virtual epidemic-level of increases we are experiencing in diagnosed diseases and illnesses in people of all ages, many of whom are not elderly, poor, or sedentary.  Just a few of these afflictions are:

• Diabetes.  The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 177 million people worldwide have diabetes, and the Centers for Disease Controls and prevention (CDC) reported between 1990 and 2000 that the most dramatic increase in diabetes reported -- a 70% jump -- was seen in people aged 30-39.  Dr. Frank Vinicor, Director of the CDC diabetes program, referred to diabetes as an apparent "chronic disease epidemic."  Read the article "Silent Killer" published in Time Magazine.
• Asthma.  According to the EPA, asthma afflicts about 20 million Americans, up from approximately 8.6 million in 1985, including 6.3 million children.  Since 1980, the biggest growth in asthma cases has been in children under the age of five.  In 2000 there were nearly 2 million emergency room visits and nearly half a million hospitalizations due to asthma, at a cost of almost $2 billion, and causing 14 million school days missed each year. 
• Cancer.  There are 10 million new cases of cancer annually and, according to the World Cancer Report, it is expected that this number will increase alarmingly on a global scale.
• Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, and Rheumatoid Diseases.  Fibromyalgia was not a frequent diagnosis prior to 1980.  By 1995, fibromyalgia was one of the most common diagnoses made by rheumatologists, and today nearly 6 million Americans suffer from this debilitating condition.  In 2001, 49 million American adults reported doctor-diagnosed arthritis and another 21 million reported chronic joint symptoms, making arthritis one of the nation’s most common health problems.  Arthritis is not just an old person’s disease. Nearly two-thirds of people with arthritis are younger than 65 years.
• Intestinal Disorders.  The Merck Manual, the medical industry's standard for the diagnosis and treatment of disease, tells us that colon degeneration is on the rise.  The incidence of diverticulosis has increased dramatically over the last 40 years.  It states, that in 1950, only 10% of adults over the age of 45 had this disease, in1955 15%, in 1972 30%, and in 1987 almost 50%.  
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  In the early 1990's, the CDC estimated that there were only 10 in 100,000 people who had chronic fatigue syndrome, a difficult-to-diagnose and debilitating condition that seemed to primarily afflict professional women, and was previously dubbed "yuppie flu."  By 1999, the estimate was 422 in every 100,000 people.  More recent numbers revealed at least 800,000 adults in the U.S. with chronic fatigue syndrome, twice the number of people with multiple sclerosis, and that number is rapidly growing.

Since individuals become weakened, and often diseased and dysfunctional, when toxins are not avoided and the proper nutrition necessary to maintain a state of good health is not accessible, our ultimate goal when providing nutritional information and products is the significant improvement of eating habits, living habits, and overall health to a level that will enable the individual to have the strength, confidence, and state of mind and health to be able to independently break the chain of dependence and take more positive and proactive measures in their health and nutrition choices, and in their life.  

The need for the types of products and services that The Legacy Health Foundation provides is great, and continues to grow.  Therefore, your tax-deductible donation is critical to helping us accomplish our mission, and is greatly appreciated!

Please download our donation form to print and mail with your donation check or money order to the address listed below.  You can also make a donation online using your credit/debit card or PayPal by clicking on the buttons below, or leave a legacy through your will, living trust, or other planned gift.  All checks and money orders should be made payable to The Legacy Health Foundation.  

Thank you for your generosity!

The Legacy Health Foundation

Oberlin, Ohio  44074-0276