Week 2 Post 2

To transform the current US health care system would take revolutionary change and possible devastation to the American economy. America is plagued by loss of life due to chronic illness and a falling life expectancy. Many other highly modernized wealthy countries have found a way to balance health care spending while maintaining a healthy population. America has failed to do so, ranking highest in modern day health care spending, and lowest in population health in a study on wealthy countries. Although it seems that with the loss of productivity and brunt cost wasted on preventable illness, the government would attempt to take affirmative action to improve the economic and health environment, they have not. There is a very frightening and honest reason behind this. America is in a health care spending crisis.  Chronic illness accounts for 16% of the GDP. That is greater than the contribution of infrastructure, the military, or education. This is why leadership has no incentive to do anything but perpetuate the crisis. In fact, when the Take Back Your Health Act made it to Congress in 2009, it died and really, was not talked about. Had this bill been passed, intensive lifestyle medicine would have become medical school course work which students would be taught and doctors paid to practice. Given that the two leading causes of death, heart disease and cancers, are 90% and 60% preventable, this would have saved an unprecedented amount of American lives. The answer to stopping the rising death count is in epigenetic. The presence of the BRCA gene leaves a person with a 60% chance of developing breast cancer. However, limiting our exposures to damaging factors can leave the gene powerless. Exposures such as diet, pollution, and infection increase a person susceptibility to chronic illnesses. By treating the causes, America could nearly eliminate chronic illnesses presence in society. 

    Changes will not be made in the foreseeable future, so it is now more important than ever for individual citizens to take their health into their own hands. It seems the best way to solve the chronic illness crisis is by individual/community action that does not involve the government. This is, of course, nearly impossible to do. To prevent chronic illness, a person must practice a healthy diet. That means, staying away fro inflammatory foods, like saturated fats, red meat, iron, white flours, and oils, and eat a plant-based diet. The number one catalyst of bad health is unhealthy diet. As long as good health is bad for business, the individual citizen must develop strategies to beat the system and promote a beneficial lifestyle. Should a person upkeep this healthy lifestyle, the risk of diabetes, stroke, heart attack, depression, anxiety, etc is drastically reduced. Take for example Denmark, the "happiest country" in the world. This is only really because they have social equity, communal spirit, and a strong sense of group responsibility. One of the greatest barriers to America reaching that level of satisfaction is the current health care crisis. Majority of Americans struggle with physical or mental health daily and there is no support or help from the government or community. If together, Americans decide to fight for their health and do it together, American will be happier, healthier, and more powerful.