Could Health Care Reform begin with the USDA?

We’ve all heard the news.  Health care costs are out of control.  We are spending millions and millions of dollars on disease management.  It’s not just adults who are battling diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, it’s children as well.  The old saying, we are what we eat couldn’t be more true and it’s smacking us across the face more than ever.

We are exposed to more and more toxins and poisons in the foods we eat than ever before with the pesticides and fungicides that are sprayed on the fruits and vegetables we eat.  Many of the fruits and vegetables we eat have been genetically modified (aka GMO’s) to give them a longer shelf life so they don’t spoil as quickly.  What this means is that scientists have created have created fruits and vegetables which is said to stay fresh for 45 days  -  three times longer than the conventional version. This is not natural.  Not the way nature intended it to be.  Much of the livestock we eat (beef, chicken, pork) are fed a diet of hormones and anti-biotics.  This is not their natural diet. Just about every packaged food you eat (breads, condiments, beverages, salad dressings, etc.) contain high fructose corn syrup.  It’s no wonder sickness and disease is more the rule rather than the exception. 

Six months ago, I bit the bullet and went organic. No doubt, organic foods cost more than “conventional” foods and it really shouldn’t be that way.  My health is important to me and I’d rather spend a little more on buying organic foods and livestock that are grass fed, than lose money in lost productivity due to illness, or spend my money unnecessarily on expensive prescription drugs or a visit to my doctor. 

Robyn O’Brien, author of The The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick - And What We Can Do About It, had some interesting things to say about the cost of organic foods in a recent article, which really is The Unhealthy Truth.

“Organic food costs more than its conventional counterparts because our taxpayer dollars are not used to support organic farms to the same extent that our dollars are used to support conventional farms. Under our current system, it is more profitable for farmers to grow crops laced with chemicals than organic ones because they will receive larger government handouts from the USDA Farm Subsidy program, more marketing assistance and stronger crop insurance programs.

If farmers do choose to grow organic crops, it costs them more because not only do they not receive the same level of financial handouts from the government, but they are also charged a fee to prove that their crops are safe and then on top of that, they are then charged a fee to label their crops as "organic." As a result, organic farmers have a higher cost structure -- with added fees and expenditures required to bring their products to market -- while our taxpayer dollars are used to subsidize the crops with the chemicals.


Wouldn't it make more sense to use our taxpayer dollars to subsidize the crops without chemicals given the increasing evidence pointing to the impact that these environmental insults are having on our health? What if our most powerful weapon in the war on health care is a farm subsidy?


Health care reform could begin at the USDA, with an equal allocation of our taxpayer dollars between organic and conventional farming. The USDA could continue health care reform by providing equivalent marketing assistance and crop insurance programs for organic crops and by eliminating the organic certification fee farmers are required to pay in order to label their crops as "USDA Organic".


If we invite the US Department of Agriculture to be part of health care reform, the USDA could level the economic playing field for the farmers, enabling more farms to grow crops free of chemicals, synthetic and genetically engineered ingredients which would, in turn, increase the supply of these crops in the marketplace -- which, as any good economist knows, would drive down costs. Organic food would be more affordable to more of us.”


We all make our voices heard with the way we spend our dollars.  With every dollar I spend on locally grown organic fruits and vegetables, or grass fed live stock that was raised locally, not only am I supporting my local farmers, I am casting a vote.  I am also taking control of my health by no longer exposing my body to toxins and poisons that are harmful to my health.  I will not support industrialized farming that doesn’t care about how they are harming our health and costing us billions of dollars in health care costs. The choice is yours.  Either way your dollars will be spent?  Do you spend them nourishing your body with healthier foods free of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, etc., or do you spend your dollars on prescription medications and doctor visits?  Personally, I think it’s a no brainer.

Sources:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1247900/The-end-squashy-tomato-Genetic-breakthrough-let-fruit-month-longer.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samuel-s-epstein/a-ban-on-hormonal-meat-is_b_446060.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robyn-o/health-care-begins-with-a_b_443650.html

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Health Reform - What's NOT being said

Notice, I said Health Reform, not Health Care Reform.  Granted, health CARE reform is a topic being hotly debated, well actually, it’s more about health insurance reform.  What’s not being discussed is that it is up to us as individuals to reform our own personal health, and in order to do that, one must make changes to lifestyle choices that affect our health as individuals.  What’s not being talked about is prevention.  What’s not being talked about is people taking responsibility for reforming their personal health.

I don’t think anyone is going to argue the fact that as a nation, we are unfit and unhealthy.  We all have heard the reports that the obesity rate is skyrocketing and is costing us billions of dollars in health care costs.  Most of the illnesses and diseases are directly related to obesity.

Childhood obesity is at an all time high.  What’s going to happen to all the children who are obese today when they become adults tomorrow?  What’s not being talked about is Health Education in schools ─ teaching children about what good health is, what lifestyle choices promote it, teaching them what good nutrition is and the importance of exercise. 

For adults, the latest studies talk about how Obesity Can Increase Dementia Risk By Up To 80 Percent.  This is quite serious considering that over half of the adult population is obese.  Dementia could become an epidemic.

Let’s face it.  You’d have to be pretty darn ignorant to not know all the various chronic conditions, diseases and illnesses that afflict the majority of the population is due to poor lifestyle choices.  Diseases such as diabetes, hypertension (aka – High Blood Pressure), heart disease, etc.  Simply put, the diseases we’re trying to manage are lifestyle related and therefore preventable.

Study after study proves how diet and exercise can help prevent or alleviate just about every disease there is, yet, doctors are not telling their patients that they need to exercise or ask them about their eating habits and refer them to a nutritionist to help teach them how they can make better food choices.  They’re not having a conversation about prevention – choosing the right foods, keeping your body active and managing stress.  Nope, they’re treating the effect with prescription medications, instead of addressing and treating the cause.

The cost of health care is hurting us economically as a nation, and as individuals.  All too often I encounter people with health issues that could be remedied or lessen the severity of their illness naturally with an exercise program and better nutritional choices.  However, as a society, we have been programmed by the pharmaceutical industry to just pop a pill to make it better when in fact, you’re not.  The cure lies in prevention and let’s face it, prevention means change and most people are very resistant to change.  It’s easier to pop a pill than to exercise.  It’s easier to pop a pill, hit the nearest fast food drive through than go to the supermarket and cook a healthy, nutritious meal.

We as individuals and as a nation need to change the way we think when it comes to our health.  As a fitness professional and natural health advocate, I feel that the root of prevention is teaching people how to make the right choices about food, how to keep your body physically active, how to deal with stress.

It all starts with us as individuals taking responsibility and reforming our own personal health.  It’s never too late to start.

Economics of Your Health, Fitness and Wellness

“Procrastination gives Way to Consequences” - Winston Churchill. These words apply to so many aspects of life, however, when you apply these words to your overall Health, Fitness and Wellness, they have a lot of meaning and truth to them.

It's very rare when you come across someone who doesn't want to look better, or just feel better. How many people do you know are always sick and run down? What about you? When you think about your overall Health, Fitness and Wellness, are there any changes you like to make? Chances are you answered yes to these questions, but then ask yourself, how many people do you know are actually being proactive about it? When I say proactive, how many people do you know are exercising, eating healthy, well balanced meals on a daily basis, drinking more water than soft drinks and taking a good quality multi-vitamin?

 Obesity in this country is at an all time high and the numbers keep growing not only amongst adults, but amongst children as well. Diabetes and high blood pressure are common diseases. Health care costs are out of control.

 How many people do you know, or perhaps yourself suffer from headaches, lack of energy, dizziness, are depressed or are mildly depressed? Some of these symptoms stem from nutritional issues and from leading a sedentary lifestyle. The human body was meant to be in motion, not sitting on the sofa glued to the TV with a bag of chips or ingesting all kinds of chemicals that make up the processed foods you eat. You go to the doctor because you want to feel better. The doctor says you are just getting older and it's a sign of aging so he prescribes you a pill? Does the doctor ask about your eating habits or your exercise habits? Probably not.

Complaints of physical ailments are really diet/nutritional issues as well as being sedentary, and being overweight is the obvious symptom. Being overweight or obese is not just too many calories, it is a nutritional imbalance. Symptoms associated with being obese or overweight are treated with over the counter remedies or prescription drugs.

Look, I'm not a doctor, but as a Fitness Consultant, one of the things I do with all my clients is ask for a food journal and it is obvious from all the food journals I have looked at over the years that people are eating too many processed foods, not enough fruits and vegetables and lean sources of protein. The average American knows that they don't eat healthy, but don't know how to change their habits. People want answers to diet and health.

 There are two industries out there. You have the Sickness Industry and you have the Wellness Industry. As a fitness professional, I am in the Wellness Industry. People who are sick, are customers of the Sickness Industry. People who are customers of the Wellness Industry are avoiding being customers of the Sickness Industry.

Economic Causes of the Sickness Industry:

Let's take a look at the Food Industry because after all, most Americans are eating unhealthy, processed foods that are loaded with chemicals that the human body was not created to process. The food industry consists of fast food restaurants, Processed Foods (foods that are canned, frozen or in a wrapper), and Farmed Foods. The Processed Foods industry is 95% of our foods stemming from companies like the Golden Arches, Kraft, P&G. These companies will spare no expense on Research and Development to increase consumption of these foods. The more overweight you are, the more calories/product you consume.

They mix chemicals in the foods so that the consumer is never sated. The chemicals in every processed food has been altered, so that your taste buds don't get bored with the food. Hence, you consume more product, you gain more weight. You gain more weight, your caloric intake goes up. How many people do you know who are overweight are happy being overweight?

 Trillions of dollars of lost productivity is due to health. Diabetes is up and never mind the cost for the shot. It is the 2-3 days someone is out of work because they are sick. One third of American children are diagnosed as being pre-diabetic all due to diet.

The Medical Industry

The Medical Industry targets the doctors. They have pharmaceutical reps visit doctors and get them to sing up to write Rx's for the latest drug to treat the SYMPTOMS of the newest ailment.

The Medical Industry treats SYMPTOMS, NOT DISEASES. Modern medicine is based on technology which is controlled by private companies looking to make money. Most of the drugs out there you end up taking the rest of your life because they don't cure, but treat the symptoms.

 The medical industry is now the sickness industry because you become a customer when you get sick. One Seventh of our dollars are spent on treating sickness. Sickness is one of the largest causes of bankruptcy in the US.

Medical expenditures are going to sky rocket but nothing is being done to help a person lose weight or educate them on how to make better nutritional choices. When you see a doctor, do they sit you down and really talk to you about nutrition or seeing a fitness professional?  I don’t think so.

There is a need for a Wellness Revolution before the health and wellness of America becomes more out of control than it already is. Overweight and obesity is more than just a health crisis in this country, but it has become an economic crisis not only to the individual, but to Corporate America which will affect employment opportunities.

The Wellness Industry

The Wellness Industry provides products and services pro-actively to healthy people who want to feel healthier, slow down the effects of aging or prevent diseases from developing in the first place. The Wellness Industry is what you do to keep from becoming a customer of the sickness industry.

There is a small percentage of Americans getting more fit and healthy as they age. They are early adopters for wellness. They are successful people looking to be fit and healthy and defy aging.

As I do my weekly trip to the grocery store, products that I used to purchase in a specialty market are now available in mainstream supermarkets. Publix Supermarkets, for example, now has a Greenwise products Organic Foods. WalMart is now carrying Organic products and Whole Foods Supermarkets are expanding nation wide.

It is a shame that we have become a society of instant gratification. Everyone is looking for that quick fix from looking for that magic weight loss pill, the latest diet, plastic surgery, liposuction rather than just doing what you need to do. Be consistent about your diet, exercise and supplementation. You will improve your overall health, fitness and wellness, but it is hard work and it does not happen overnight, however, the results are PRICELESS.

The next time you go to the doctor and pay the bill for the doctor's visit, the lab bill for the blood work done on you and the prescription drugs, ask yourself if all of that could be avoided if you had a piece of fruit instead of the candy bar, if you went to the gym instead of sitting on the sofa and if you took a good quality multi vitamin.

For those of you who have turned down the services of a fitness professional because you didn't want to spend the money on it, think of all the money you've wasted on fast foods, over the counter medications, doctor's visits, etc. What would you rather do, end up spending money on a visit to the doctor and the prescription drugs, or a few sessions with a qualified fitness professional. Where would you rather spend the money? Procrastination gives Way to Consequences” - Winston Churchill