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Article:Promoting healthy lifestyles will cut care costs



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 6th, 2004, 07:00 PM
Carol Frilegh
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Default Article:Promoting healthy lifestyles will cut care costs

Promoting healthy lifestyles will cut care costs

DAVID CRANE

As concerns over the cost and affordability of health care grow,
long-overdue attention is at last being paid to the determinants of
health, how to be healthy rather than sick.

Rather than having to fund costly pharmaceuticals and surgery to deal
with chronic health problems, such as heart disease, emphysema,
diabetes and ulcers, more attention ‹ but still far from enough ‹ is
being paid to promoting healthy lifestyles that reduce the need.

Indeed, this is likely to be the most effective way to curb rising
health-care costs. The approach would also enable us to live more
active and productive lives.

Unfortunately, promoting healthier lifestyles can run into walls of
resistance. The tobacco industry fiercely resisted curbs on smoking
despite clear evidence linking smoking to lung cancer, heart disease
and the risk of stroke. The auto industry resisted curbs on auto
emissions and the oil industry on leaded gasoline and high-sulphur
gasoline, despite the growing problems of disease from air pollution.

Now, a new battle is being waged by the some in the food industry
against tough new standards for a healthy diet being promoted by two
agencies of the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the
Food and Agricultural Organization.

The two are co-operating on new global guidelines to reduce obesity, a
major source of diabetes, heart disease and stroke. The guidelines
include strict limits on the amount of sugar and fat in a healthy diet
as outlined in a new global code that the United States is resisting.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson said at a
recent World Economic Forum session in Davos, Switzerland, that the
United States wanted more time to study the guidelines. They have been
under development since 1989, leading to charges that the powerful U.S.
sugar lobby, which wants the new guidelines to contain a much higher
provision for sugar than the proposals have set, is unduly influencing
the U.S. stance.

Thompson, for his part, did not deny that unhealthy diets are a source
of major health problems in the United States. He pointed to many
initatives to reduce obesity and acknowledged the United States could
save billions of dollars in health-care costs, as well as having a
healthier and more productive population, through improved diet and
lifestyles.

Indeed, Susan Blumenthal, assistant surgeon-general in the United
States, said 70 per cent of diseases and 50 per cent of deaths in the
country are due to lifestyle factors, such as smoking, poor diet,
alcohol, obesity and unsafe sex.

Alfred Sommer, dean of the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Medicine,
said 100,000 Americans undergo stomach stapling each year and 15
million qualify for gastric barometric surgery.

With globalization, obesity is becoming a global problem as Western
lifestyles spread to more countries.

"Other countries are starting to think like us, eat like us and now die
like us," Dean Ornish, president of the Preventive Medicine Research
Institute, said at the forum. He is working with PepsiCo Inc. and
McDonald's Corp. to produce healthier products.

But the spread of McDonald's shows what health officials are up
against. Between 1987 and 2002, according to Food and Agricultural
Organization estimates, the number of worldwide McDonald's outlets
increased to 31,108 in 2002 from 9,911 in 1987. China had 546 outlets
at the end of 2002, up from a mere three in 1987. In Japan, the number
increased to 3,891 from 604; in Latin America, to 887 from 99; and in
South Korea, to 357 from zero.

Kiyoshi Kurokawa, president of Japan's Science Council, said at the
forum that "in Japan 50 years ago, people were dying of starvation; now
we have seen a 100-fold increase in diabetes."

Janet Voute, chief executive officer of the World Heart Federation,
said heart disease is the Number 1 killer worldwide and obesity has
become a major factor. One-fifth of all children in Beijing are obese,
she claimed.

Many different groups will have to collaborate to reverse the dangerous
growth in the global problem of obesity.

Governments will need to adopt smart regulatory requirements as well as
promote healthy eating and exercise. Food companies and fast-food
chains will have to come up with healthier products. Parents will have
to educate their children in healthy eating and set an example.
Companies will have to pay more attention to employee health. Doctors
will have to give patients better advice.

If we are to have healthy populations and curb rising health-care
costs, however, we have no alternative.

--
Diva
******
There is no substitute for the right food
  #2  
Old February 6th, 2004, 08:10 PM
That T Woman
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Default Article:Promoting healthy lifestyles will cut care costs


"Ignoramus17685" wrote in message
...
but it will increase social security costs and the cost of providing
other services (medical etc) to *people* who live a long time instead of
promptly dying around retirement time. Without considering it, it is a
flawed calculation.

i


Have they checked your blood for chunks of ice floating in it? (That's a
very cold blooded assessment.) Do you plan on "promptly dying" at that
time? These are real *people* being discussed and not just statistics.
There is no reason to think that they don't deserve to live long and healthy
lives just like you do and I do. There are more important things in life
than just money, even for the government. I'd rather see my tax dollars
spent on keeping someone's great grandma healthy than bombing the sh!t out
of some village on the other side of the world. If they'd only stay on
their side of the world ;-)

Tonia


  #3  
Old February 7th, 2004, 01:49 AM
SnugBear
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Default Article:Promoting healthy lifestyles will cut care costs

Ignoramus17685 wrote in
:

but it will increase social security costs and the cost of providing
other services (medical etc) to people who live a long time instead of
promptly dying around retirement time. Without considering it, it is a
flawed calculation.


Another misconception is that servicemen have it *lucky* because they can
retire at full pension after 20 years. Fact is, those 20 years take
quite a toll and most of them don't live to collect that money nearly as
long as their civilian counterparts.

Yes, I'm married to a retired Vet.

--
Walking on . . .
Laurie in Maine
207/110 60 inches of attitude!
Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03
  #5  
Old February 7th, 2004, 05:06 AM
MH
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Default Article:Promoting healthy lifestyles will cut care costs


"SnugBear" wrote in message
.17...
Ignoramus17685 wrote in

news:izydnRY-
:

I did not know that life expectancy of retired military is lower... I
thought that they were healthy, strong people.


There's something about bullets zinging by your ears that just takes a lot
out of a person.

Yep. But it also depends upon the strength of the person. My dad is a
Veteran of WWII (God bless them!!) He fought in the South Seas (Guam and the
Philiphines). He even lied about his age and joined the navy when he was 16
to go and fight. He served two terms in the navy. This year he turns 83.
He's climbed mountains, including Mt. Shasta and Mt. Ranier (maybe that's
where I get it from), raised us three kids, as well as over a dozen foster
kids with my Mom (RIP), and has been married to two wonderful women (my
stepmom rules!), and never stops.

He worked for United Airlines for over 35 years (where I now work) and
travels the world. This year, though, he had to have cataract surgery (which
went well) and didn't get to take the vacation to Malta, Majorca and Tunisia
he expected to (poor baby).

He also told me about a new workout class he's taking. It's two hours three
times a week. The instructor (he says she's pretty tough) has the class
stretching and doing lots of aerobic movements. He's always been in great
shapes, as well as my stepmom. Even though he's slower than he was, he still
has the flighting Hughes spirit he's always had. We Hughes' don't give
up...ever...

My brother was in the Army for two terms. He was in a car accident in
Germany. A Garman drunk driver hit the truck he was in. He was thrown and
had major damage to his head and in right eye. He has had numerous surgeries
and now works in the defense field as an analyst. My brother was in Desert
Storm in Germany as an analyst. My *little* brother (who's 6'4") is the
smartest person I know, seriously. But don't tell him that, I don't want him
to rule it over me. : )

My dad....he never talked about the war until just a few years ago. He saw a
a lot of action, but I'm damned proud of him. I'm proud of anyone who takes
their life in their hands for such a righteous cause. He has his faults, but
deep down is a good heart.

Martha
sorry for rambling....


  #6  
Old February 7th, 2004, 06:47 AM
SnugBear
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Default Article:Promoting healthy lifestyles will cut care costs

"MH" wrote

Yep. But it also depends upon the strength of the person. My dad is a
Veteran of WWII (God bless them!!) He fought in the South Seas (Guam
and the Philiphines). He even lied about his age and joined the navy
when he was 16 to go and fight. He served two terms in the navy. This
year he turns 83. He's climbed mountains, including Mt. Shasta and Mt.
Ranier (maybe that's where I get it from), raised us three kids, as
well as over a dozen foster kids with my Mom (RIP), and has been
married to two wonderful women (my stepmom rules!), and never stops.


Martha, give your dad a hug from me!


--
Walking on . . .
Laurie in Maine
207/110 60 inches of attitude!
Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03
  #8  
Old February 7th, 2004, 04:17 PM
Beverly
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Default Article:Promoting healthy lifestyles will cut care costs


"SnugBear" wrote in message
.17...
Ignoramus20725 wrote

SnugBear wrote:
Ignoramus17685 wrote in
news:izydnRY- :

I did not know that life expectancy of retired military is lower...
I thought that they were healthy, strong people.

There's something about bullets zinging by your ears that just takes
a lot out of a person.


That's interesting. My grandfather fought in WWII from 1941 until
1945, as a small artillery unit commander. In relation to diet, in
1942, for 8 months, he ate nothing but pea soup when he was held in
reserve. Anyway, the war definitely took its toll on him, and he had
some heart issues and diet at 78 from some sort of dementia. He was
drafted in 1939 and discharged in 1946.

He was not a professional miiltary though and so spent only 7 years in
the military.


My husband tells me the state of Pennsylvania did a longevity study on
veterans of WWI & WWII and compared actual combat survivors to soldiers
serving in support positions. The latter had a 5 year reduction in life
expectancy while the former could expect to lose 10 years.


--
Walking on . . .
Laurie in Maine
207/110 60 inches of attitude!
Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03


This is interesting. My father and three of his brothers served in WWII.
The three who were in combat died before age 60 (only one was an accidental
death). My father who stayed in the states training troops is still living.
He will be 86 next month.

I also have two uncles who saw combat in the Korean conflict. One died at
age 60. The other has battled health problems from a leg injury. They
finally had to amputate the leg 10 years ago.

I also worry about a nephew and SIL who were in the Gulf War. I wonder if
they'll suffer any health problems?

Beverly


  #9  
Old February 7th, 2004, 06:55 PM
MH
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Posts: n/a
Default Article:Promoting healthy lifestyles will cut care costs


"SnugBear" wrote in message
. 17...
"MH" wrote

Yep. But it also depends upon the strength of the person. My dad is a
Veteran of WWII (God bless them!!) He fought in the South Seas (Guam
and the Philiphines). He even lied about his age and joined the navy
when he was 16 to go and fight. He served two terms in the navy. This
year he turns 83. He's climbed mountains, including Mt. Shasta and Mt.
Ranier (maybe that's where I get it from), raised us three kids, as
well as over a dozen foster kids with my Mom (RIP), and has been
married to two wonderful women (my stepmom rules!), and never stops.


Martha, give your dad a hug from me!

Thanks, Laurie! : D

Martha


 




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