OPINION — When Being Sick Becomes the Norm
There is something deeply troubling about our society.
Being sick is now considered normal.
Diabetes.
Severely altered cholesterol ratios.
Chronic lung conditions.
Heart disease.
Autoimmune disorders.
Gut health syndromes.
Inflammatory conditions.
These are no longer treated as warning signs.
They are presented as life stages.
We are getting sicker—and we are getting sick younger and younger.
It is no longer shocking to see a 22-year-old dealing with a debilitating autoimmune condition, chronic gut issues, or systemic inflammation.
And what do we do?
We medicate.
Immediately.
Often permanently. And most of the time, blindly—because we assume the white coat must always be right.
Pills as a social norm
At dinners and social gatherings, conversations casually drift toward prescriptions:
“Before bed, I need to take my meds.”
“I have to renew this prescription.”
“I can’t eat that, it interferes with my treatment.”
People list the pills they take almost like a badge of adulthood. As if illness were inevitable. As if being medicated were the default state of modern life.
And almost always, it’s followed by the reassuring sentence:
“But this drug has no side effects.”
Usually right after:
“I only take omeprazole and Advil, so…”
Diagnoses that are never questioned
What shocks me most is how rarely diagnoses are revisited.
A label given 5, 10, sometimes 15 years ago becomes permanent truth—despite the fact that science evolves, medical knowledge progresses, and human physiology is anything but static.
I personally know people who have been taking PPIs or corticosteroids for over a decade without ever reassessing whether these medications were still necessary—and without being informed of the long-term consequences: brittle bones, gastric damage, muscle wasting, accelerated aging, metabolic dysfunction… while the original issue often remains unresolved.
Why is it considered radical to ask:
Is this diagnosis still accurate today?
Are there alternatives before committing to lifelong medication?
What about addressing root causes instead of endlessly suppressing symptoms?
The double standard of “acceptable” interventions
And yet—ironically—when someone refuses to accept sickness as inevitable, judgment appears.
Therapeutic plasma exchange?
Perfectly acceptable for severe disease… but not to avoid becoming sick.
Breathing oxygen because our lungs are weak? Fine.
Breathing hydrogen-enriched air to support mitochondrial function? Absurd.
Red light therapy? Questionable.
Infrared sauna at home? Extreme.
Yet sitting in a chlorine-loaded public jacuzzi is considered normal.
Injecting insulin or Ozempic (both peptides)? No problem.
Using peptides for longevity or tissue repair? “Dangerous.”
Taking ten drugs a day? Responsible.
Taking supplements to support physiology? “Out of your mind.”
Suddenly, that is considered extreme.
So let’s be clear:
In our society, it is acceptable to be sick.
What is unacceptable is not wanting to be sick.
“It’s normal to get sick in winter”
Is it?
We hear it constantly:
“Everyone gets a cold in winter.”
“Your immune system drops.”
“It’s just how it is.”
No.
That narrative benefits one industry very well—but it does not reflect how humans functioned for most of history.
Before:
ultra-processed food
massive sugar consumption
seed oils
sedentary lifestyles
chronic sleep deprivation
people did not get sick every winter.
Illness existed, of course—but it was the exception, not the norm.
Fast-forward to 2026:
getting a cold, the flu, COVID, or “some virus” once—or several times—per year is now considered normal.
I don’t accept that.
Treating symptoms instead of supporting healing
What’s more, when a simple cold hits—fever, cough, runny nose—the reflex is immediate:
Advil. Sudafed. Flonase. Throat lozenges.
Few people realize these drugs have real side effects. Even fewer are told that fever is a biological tool, not a mistake. Suppressing it often delays healing rather than accelerates it.
Throat lozenges loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners increase inflammation. Nasal sprays disrupt natural mucosal defenses.
I like to say:
A treated cold lasts seven days.
An untreated one… lasts a week.
A personal note
I haven’t been sick in over three years. I’m not bragging—just stating a fact.
I’m not counting a lung episode after Tanzania, which was clearly environmental: plastic overload and polluted air irritating my lungs. That was mechanical, not pathogenic.
I’m talking about classic illness: cough, fever, body aches.
Like everyone else, I’m exposed daily to thousands of viruses and bacteria. The difference isn’t exposure—it’s resilience.
Recently, I was with six family members.
A virus went through the group.
Five people got sick.
Two didn’t: my father and me.
The two people who actively biohack their health.
Did I feel something coming on? Yes. A runny nose for about 48 hours.
Here’s what I did immediately:
Removed all sugar (even dark chocolate) for 48 hours
Focused on bone broth, lean protein, healthy fats
Reduced intensity but kept walking outdoors, hitting my Oura goal
Used salt-water gargles and sinus rinses with a few drops of grapefruit seed extract
Slept
Rested
Let my body do its job
Result: the virus didn’t take hold.
The Western reflex: suppress, don’t support
In roughly 75% of the Western world, the reflex is the same:
suppress pain
suppress fever
suppress discomfort
Then lie in bed scrolling, watching TV, overstimulating the brain—the most energy-hungry organ we have—when what it actually needs is rest.
And we justify it all with:
“It’s normal to get sick.”
I say no
I’m not claiming I’ll never get sick again. That would be dishonest. And frankly, who knows what can happen tomorrow?
But I refuse to:
accept illness as the baseline
normalize chronic weakness
outsource all responsibility for my health
treat symptoms while ignoring causes
Instead, I choose to:
build a resilient body
question outdated narratives
use modern tools preventively, not desperately
share what works so others can make informed choices
Because being sick should be a signal, not a lifestyle.
What’s your opinion?
Valérie Orsoni
Biohacker since 1998 | Longevity Expert
Instagram : @valerieorsoni
My fave brands + super promo codes here ==> ValerieOrsoni.com
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I love this opinionated post and I would have to say I’m in absolute agreement with you. This perspective really needs to be shared with more people.