Real Healthcare Reform Could Save Billions of Dollars

Introduction
In addition to saving a lot of money, my proposals would also improve the quality of healthcare. My idea of healthcare reform is to improve the treatments. However, the drug companies wouldn't make as much money. Right now they are making a killing in more ways than one. Natural substances are cheaper, safer, and more logical than most drugs. Diets are also cheaper, safer, and more logical as a rule, but this only goes for healthy diets.

Drugs
Information on drugs is given in Ref. 1.
Alternative Medicine
There are a number of good sites on alternative medicine including Ref. 2.
Exercise
Exercise in moderation. Exercise that is too strenuous could cause problems.

Nutrition
Nutrition is important for cardiovascular health (3, 4).
"There is a large body of scientific evidence that has been confirmed in randomized controlled trials indicating a cardioprotective effect for omega-3 fatty acids from fish." Geleijnse et al (3)
Refs. 5 & 6 provide more support for the nutritional value of omega-3 fatty acids, which are favored by Dr. Andrew Weil (7). It would appear that the cardiovascular surgeons would have a lot less work to do if people followed healthy diets (8-11).
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is considered to be beneficial to the cardiovascular system (12).
"Blood vitamin C concentration falls after uncomplicated surgery and further decreases in surgical intensive care unit patients. The decline may be owing to increased demand caused by increased oxidative stress. To normalize plasma vitamin C concentration, much higher doses than the recommended daily allowance or doses recommended in parenteral nutrition guidelines are needed in these patients."
Fukushima R, Yamazaki E.

Department of Surgery, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan. ryojif@med.teikyo-u.ac.jp

Beneficial Fats

Although fats have long been considered bad guys because of the high calories, new research is now favoring certain beneficail fats. Ornish and Pritikin both favored low-fat diets. However, they were criticized by Weil. Ref. 13 supports Weil.

Bad Fats

The problem with eating dead animals is that they have bad fats including cholesterol & saturated fats. Certain meats also have nitrates and nitrites. These can be converted in the body into nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic. This may be why the new England Journal of Medicine published a report saying that red meat is a risk factor for colon cancer. Also when you eat dead animals or animal products, you don't get any fiber or flavonoids. These good substances are only in plants.

Minerals

Sodium and potassium are important for heart issues and kidney issues. Sodium is a risk factor for hypertension and heart failure. Potassium is usually beneficial. However, some foods that are high in potassium are also high in sodium. Fruits are good because they are low in sodium, high in potassium, high in water, and have few calories (except for the avocado). Fruits are low in fat (except for the avocado). Silicon is considered anti-arteriosclerotic (4).

Sodium is high in the following foods (4):

Anchovies, bacon, beef, bologna, bran, butter, Canadian bacon, clams, corned beef, dulse, green beans, green olives, ham, Irish moss, kelp, margarine, meat, milk, poultry, rose hips, salt, sardines, seafood, tomatoes. Supplements: Baking soda, monosodium glutamate, sodium ascorbate, sodium chloride.

Avoid processed foods. Produce has little sodium. Many of the foods high in sodium are animal products. Sodium can cause you to gain weight because it causes your body to retain fluids. These extra fluids are a burden on your heart and kidneys.

Potassium is high in the following (4):

Almonds, apricots, avocados, bananas, beef, bran, Brazil nuts, brewer's yeast, broccoli, brown rice, cabbage herb, cashews, celery herb, chard, citrus fruit, dairy foods, dates, figs, fish, fruit, garlic, grapefruit juice, green leafy vegetables, guava, legumes, lentils, meat, milk, molasses, nectarine, nuts, oranges, parsley, parsnips, peanuts, peaches, pork, potatoes, poultry, raisins, rice bran, sardines, seaweed, seeds, soybeans, spinach (fresh), squash, sunflower seeds, tomato juice, veal, walnuts, wheat bran, whole grains, yams. Supplements: potassium ascorbate, potassium aspartate, potassium benzoate, potassium carbonate, potassium chloride, potassium gluconate, potassium hydroxide.

In most cases potassium is beneficial (unless you have an excess of potassium). Seaweed is not good because it has an excess of sodium.

Conclusions

More research still needs to be done even though a lot of research has already been done. I am looking for a nutritional treatment for atrial fibrillation, which is a form of irregular heartbeat. If I find one that is credible, I will experiment with it and possibly write an article on it. Nutrition is cheaper and safer than drugs. Many deaths have been linked to drugs. This does not mean that I would abolish drugs. It means that you have to be very careful with drugs. Never abuse drugs. Medication errors can kill people.
References
1. WorstPills.org.

2. www.healthy.net.

3. Alpha-linolenic acid: is it essential to cardiovascular health? Geleijnse JM, de Goede J, Brouwer IA. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2010 Nov;12(6):359-67.

4. www.orthomolecular.org.

5. Gebauer SK, Psota TL, Harris WS, Kris-Etherton PM. n-3 fatty acid dietary recommendations and food sources to achieve essentiality and cardiovascular benefits. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;83(Suppl 6):1526S-1535S. [PubMed]

6. Zatónski W, Campos H, Willett W. Rapid declines in coronary heart disease mortality in Eastern Europe are associated with increased consumption of oils rich in alpha-linolenic acid. Eur J Epidemiol. 2008;23:3-10. doi: 10.1007/s10654-007-9195-1. [PubMed] [Cross Ref]

7. www.drweil.com.

8. Hansen SN, Harris WS. New evidence for the cardiovascular benefits of long chain omega-3 fatty acids. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2007;9:434-440. doi: 10.1007/s11883-007-0058-8. [PubMed] [Cross Ref]

9. Harris WS, Kris-Etherton PM, Harris KA. Intakes of long-chain omega-3 fatty acid associated with reduced risk for death from coronary heart disease in healthy adults. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2008;10:503-509. doi: 10.1007/s11883-008-0078-z. [PubMed] [Cross Ref].

10. Wang C, Harris WS, Chung M, et al. n-3 Fatty acids from fish or fish-oil supplements, but not alpha-linolenic acid, benefit cardiovascular disease outcomes in primary- and secondary-prevention studies: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84:5-17.

11. Brouwer IA, Katan MB, Zock PL. Dietary alpha-linolenic acid is associated with reduced risk of fatal coronary heart disease, but increased prostate cancer risk: a meta-analysis. J Nutr. 2004;134:919-922. [PubMed].

12. Vitamin C requirement in surgical patients. Fukushima R, Yamazaki E. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2010 Nov;13(6):669-76.

13. Djoussé L, Arnett DK, Carr JJ, et al. Investigators of the NHLBI FHS: Dietary linolenic acid is inversely associated with calcified atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries: the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study. Circulation. 2005;111:2921-2926. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.104.489534. [PubMed] [Cross Ref].