There is no one else in the world that influences your health more then you do. I had a discussion with a DR the other day. The conversation turned to how many of his patients were there from their own actions. She told me it was right around three fourths. There is no doubt about it, unhealthy lifestyles are taking over. Go to the mall. Everywhere you look there are obese people. Its not just a problem of good looks. Overweight can cause a wide variety of ills. Also among young people venereal disease are a consistent and recurring issue. The real prickly issue is that these diseases are avoidable if you just use protection. And there is no excuse for not doing so. Everyone has been told about the risks and the causes. If you contract an STD at this point, its most likely because of risky behavior. There is no doubt that many Americans need to exercise more. A lack of physical activity can lead to a wide range of health problems. Everyone knows that exercise is good for you. Simple walking can make a major change in one’s health. Even though we know what to do, my physican says people just aren’t doing it. It wouldn’t be an issue if it didn’t result in everyone sharing the cost. The government is in major debt, and this is one of the causes. And most businesses are paying for it. They are the ones providing insurance in most cases. When people jack up costs through expensive treatments because they aren’t living healthy lifestyles, the companies have to pay. And so then the health insurance providers raise rates for everyone. In this sense we are all paying for the preventable diseases of others. At least with smokers they are paying large taxes for their poor decisions. The question is would obese or sedentary people change their behavior if they had to pay for the medical costs of that lifestlye. We’ll probably never find out. Society will never permit that..
Tags: Health, health care, obesity, preventive medicine