Who doesn't want to feel better and live longer? Who's willing to give up sugar immediately and abandon their other ingrained habits to make it happen?

The answer to the first question is "everyone." The answer to the second is...complicated. But to get better, to get past medications, to stop treating symptoms and start addressing causes, we have to change the way we think about health. Here's how to begin.

Why is it that more American consumers are suffering from obesity? If the Guiness Book of World Records is to be believed, the heaviest man who ever lived lost two-thirds of his body weight after being hospitalized.

If he can do that, why can't we at least cut down on desserts?

Government agencies like the USDA and the FDA routinely cite studies about food and nutrition to guide our dietary choices. These studies often involve years of research, and they're expensive, sometimes costing millions.

But what if this government research isn't financed by the government? The fact is, some of the studies meant to inform about us about food, beverages and alcohol are funded by the food, beverage and alcohol industries.

Few tout the health benefits of eating tires. But the steel-belted radials on your car contain some of the same ingredients that go into your food. One foodstuff is found not only in tires, but in cleaning products, industrial solvents, and many other places you're unlikely to seek nutritional value.

Why is this food so ubiquitous, and if we want to avoid it, are there other, healthier substitutes?

As a child, the greatest American Olympian ever suffered from ADHD. How did he work past all that? The same way you can, and you can get started today.

An unhealthy immune system means your body is less able to fight invaders. Infections and viruses can not only infiltrate your body, but hide out and spring back to action later, when your system is weak.

The consequences can be serious. There are literally dozens of autoimmune diseases, and one serious misconception about all of them.

Menopause isn't just for women. Many of the same symptoms, the irritability, hot flashes and night sweats, are experienced by men of a certain age, just as they are for women. And usually, the causes are the same, too.

The solution? Your diet. Change what you eat, and you can make all those changes in your body changes for the better.

Sugar is so bad for us in so many ways, it's tough to create a comprehensive list. Sugar's addictive properties are for real: if you crave it, it's because your body chemistry has been trained to pine for it.

The alternative? Healthy, organic foods that sweeten your palate, enhance your diet, and don't turn you into an addict hungering for your next non-nutritional fix.

Every spring and summer, millions of Americans reach for medications they hope will help relieve the sneezing, hacking and pain of seasonal allergies. Many are also convinced that if they can limit their exposure to pollen, they can control the extent of their allergic reactions.

Not true. Pollen's not the problem. It's other things in our environment that are causing all the trouble. And yes, we can manage our exposure to hazards and better control our allergies.

The very ground upon which we walk may be toxic, and more importantly, the soil in which our food is grown is toxic, too.

Soil polluted by synthetic fertilizers and other pollutants produces foods that are deficient in nutrients and essential vitamins and minerals. These deficiencies can't always be corrected by dietary supplements.

So how do we account for tainted soil that produces unhealthy food?