Is the CDC looking out for us?

Our country is in the midst of a huge health crisis.

According to the CDC’s recently released Annual Report on the Nation’s Health, the U.S. spends over $2 trillion a year on healthcare. In fact, according to the report, “The United States spends a larger share of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health than does any other major industrialized country.”

Even though our country spends more than $2 trillion a year on healthcare, chronic diseases are the epidemic of our generation and food-related diseases are the No. 1 cause of preventable death. The following health risk factors are analyzed in the study:

Cigarette Smoking
Participation in Leisure-time Aerobic and Muscle-strengthening Activities
Obesity Among Children
Overweight and Obesity Among Adults
Hypertension Prevalence
High Serum Total Cholesterol (240 mg/dL or Higher)

All of the above are lifestyle related and there is NO DISCUSSION in the report regarding prevention by lifestyle modification!

Our healthcare system relies on medications and surgeries as opposed instead of focusing on prevention and education. In fact, if you take the time to review the report, you will see that under the section entitled “Prevention”, there are only two sections: “Statin Drug Use” and “Influenza Vaccination”.

Our good health begins with us. We are responsible. Good health begins with daily diet and lifestyle choices. Look at your own life and ask, is there one thing you could change now that would make a difference for your health?

Health Care System Transformation

December 18, 2010

· No Comments

Health Care System Transformation

This morning, I participated in an online forum sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on how to transform the Health Care system. I suggested the following:

1. Place a cap on malpractice awards
2. Eliminate conflict of interest at FDA (no funding should ever be accepted from pharmaceuticals)
3. Make it illegal for physicians and members of congress to accept anything (trips, training, money, etc…) from pharmaceuticals.
4. No more direct marketing to the consumer by pharmaceuticals (TV, magazines, etc…)
5. Have a public advisory board review the powers of the FDA and the drug approval process.
6. All medical providers should have their fee schedule posted prior to service being provided (the cost should not depend on whether patient is insured or not).

I also stated that the current system does not provide treatment to patients in a manner that is respectful to the patient. The human body is not just a group of organs. The human body is a complex system of organs that work together in an amazing way.

Many of us have lost trust in physicians because we have been prescribed treatments which do not consider the root cause of dis-ease, just provide treatment for manifested symptoms. In my humble opinion, treating the symptom without understanding the root cause could add more layers of complexity to the illness- side effects, masking of symptoms, etc…

If we are serious about improving WELLNESS in our society, our Health Care System should provide an INTEGRATIVE approach towards WELLNESS, which MUST include nutrition and nourishment education to our clients.