Preventative Health Care: A Solution to the Crisis

Health care has become an industry in the USA, not because of greed or lack of compassion, but because only an "industry" can handle such an enormous problem. Our health over the past half century has deteriorated to such low levels that only assembly-line medicine can help us. So many people are sick, as a percentage of the population, that it has become impossible to put quality over quantity.

Take a look at the list of top ten causes of death in the United States. [Leading Causes of Death] Five out of the top six causes of death are preventable. Each of these preventable causes of death are directly related to our lifestyles. Heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, and diabetes are each linked to poor diet and nutrition, especially overeating.

Tally the numbers. Roughly 1,647,274 people die each year from the top six causes of death, but as many as 92% of these deaths, or 1,525,675, could have been prevented by eating healthy, staying active, and quitting smoking.
Health Care Statistics]

This growing number of sick Americans is commanding a great deal of money and human resources.

"95 cents of every medical-care dollar went to treat disease after it had already occurred. At least 75 percent of these costs were spent on treating chronic diseases ," says Dr. Dean Ornish. Over 2 trillion dollars were spent on medical care in 2007.
[Yes, Prevention is Cheaper than Treatment]

"A penny saved is a penny earned." Disease prevention is a smart idea fiscally, but even more importantly, disease prevention is a smart idea medically. By living a healthy lifestyle we can, all of us, add years to our lives, and lessen the burden of over-taxed nurses and doctors trying to keep up with the mass influx of unhealthy and dying patients.

Focus on Diet and Exercise

What you eat is very important to how your body will react to the aging process. So, too, is how you spend your time. If you're an active person, enjoying sports and moderate exercise on a daily basis, you will age much more gracefully than your sedentary friends and family members. Eating healthy, lean, nutritionally dense foods helps guarantee your body will have energy and help properly maintain the many chemical reactions going on inside you right now.

This will also keep you out of the hospital. You will get sick less each winter, and your bouts with the cold and flu will be shorter and less stressful. Healthy lifestyles all but banish diabetes, and help keep cancers and heart disease from getting a toehold in your body.
[Nutrition, Exercise Essential Components for Healthy Aging]

Help Yourself

A painful reminder of the realities of medicine and health care in America is Ted Kennedy's recent passing. Kennedy was one of the most influential politicians in American history, but even his health care couldn't save him from the brain cancer that ravished his final days. Ted Kennedy's lesson is one of prevention. If you wait too long to take care of yourself, it will be too late, no matter how much money and power you have.

Our role as individuals is very important to the overall health of the country. By educating family and friends on the risks and rewards related to diet and exercise (or lack of), we help ensure that our loved ones will live longer, happier lives. By educating ourselves we no longer have to depend on the "system" for care.

Live a healthy lifestyle, eat right and exercise daily. Don't smoke, don't drink, and if you can help it live in a location with little air, water, and ground pollutants.

Do what people did before modern medicine. Be your own doctor. Use home remedies and natural cures for simple and mild diseases. Orange juice, heat wraps, chicken broth, and bed rest still work in today's world, and they cost you a very small fraction of one routine hospital visit.

The best way to save money on medical costs is to not go to the hospital in the first place, but if your body can't fight the disease on its own, or your injury is more serious than what home remedies can handle, there are ways you can make your hospital trip less expensive and more efficient.

Show your doctor you don't want some quick, short-term remedy, but lasting health. Long gone are the days of the family physicians and house calls, but that doesn't mean you can't have a strong relationship with a local physician. Prepare yourself before each doctor visit. Be inquisitive, and don't allow your doctor to simply hand you a prescription to rush you out the door.

Understand your doctor is not super human. He doesn't have all the answers, so help him by being up-front and honest about your past medical history, and your current activities. Share information, and let your relationship be a two-way street. After-all, your doctor can only guide and aid you, and he can't do anything for you without your active participation.

Sources:
1. Leading Causes of Death, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
2. Health Care Statistics, Prevent Disease
3. Dean Ornish M.D.Yes, Prevention is Cheaper than Treatment, Newsweek
4. Nutrition, Exercise Essential Components for Healthy Aging, Red Orbit