In 2010 Americans spent over $2 trillion
dollars, or 17% of the gross national product on medical care- the majority of
which went to treat chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, both
of which are preventable and certainly reversible.
Rather than focusing on prevention, our
"health-care system" is primarily a disease-care system.
The unspoken message has generally been to
ignore prevention, wait until it’s broken, and then seek out the “magic
bullet,” or latest, greatest, usually most expensive, drug to cover up the
symptom(s). Or if that doesn’t work, simply cut it out.
This expensive approach, one that is threatening
the welfare of a growing number of American households, will cause some 54
million Americans to go without health insurance this year alone.
Spending money on expensive medical procedures
is often worthless as well as foolish.
Take for example the data provided by the
American Heart Association showing that 1.3 million coronary angioplasty
procedures were performed in 2006 at an average cost of $48,399 each. And in
the same year 448,000 coronary bypass operations were performed at a cost of
$99,743 each.
Americans spent more than $100 billion in 2006
for these two procedures alone.
Yet
a randomized controlled trial published in April 2007 in The New England
Journal of Medicine found that angioplasties and stent-therapy don’t prolong
life or even prevent heart attacks in stable patients (i.e., in 95% of those
who receive them).
Coronary
bypass surgery prolongs life in less than 3% of patients who receive it.
In spite of the studies, and there are several which show that bypass and stent
therapy are ineffective, physicians, insurance companies, and the public at
large, all continue to robustly support these expensive and dangerous
procedures.
When it comes to our health we should heed the
words of the great philosopher, Virgil, who said, “The greatest wealth is
health.”
Save
Money and Live Longer With Healthy Habits
If you really want to save some money, invest in
prevention- a healthy diet, exercise, proven nutritional therapies, and
proactive health habits.
Research continues to show that those who eat
antioxidant-rich foods reap health-enhancing, disease preventing benefits. Antioxidants
are intimately involved in the prevention of cellular damage -- the common
pathway for cancer, aging, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, and a number of
other diseases.
Radicals
and Disease
Our bodies are made up of cells. Our cells are
composed of molecules. Molecules are nothing more than positive and negative
charged atoms-protons and electrons.
Oxidation is a chemical reaction at the
molecular level that changes the body’s protons and electrons, which in turn
produces something called free radicals.
Free radicals are created through internal
external sources. External sources include stress, alcoholic beverages,
unhealthy foods, cigarette smoke, toxins, and pollutants.
Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms
with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons and can be formed when oxygen
interacts with certain molecules. Once formed these highly reactive radicals
can start a chain reaction, like falling dominoes. Their chief danger comes
from the damage they create when they react with important cellular components.
Free radicals damage our cells and cause numerous disease
processes and accelerated aging. Fortunately, antioxidants can prevent this.
They stop free radicals from initiating disease reactions in our bodies.
Evidence continues to show that most of the degenerative
diseases that afflict humanity have their origin in deleterious free radical
reactions. These diseases include atherosclerosis, cancer, inflammatory joint
disease, asthma, diabetes, senile dementia, premature ageing, and degenerative
eye disease.
If you want to prevent of these diseases, rather
than treating their symptoms with expensive medical therapies, antioxidants are
the way to go.
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