Feb 10, 2010
I’ve often wondered if common sense could be applied to complex issues. Take health care reform for example. To describe it as labyrinthine would be an understatement. With stakeholders galore, political, financial, social, commercial, religious, ethical interests tussle for supremacy. Did I mention the seven billion lives at stake? What a wonderful challenge!
Where to begin? Perhaps with a few observations… The design of the body is marvelous. It adapts to a wide variety of climates. It runs on all types of fuels. It is self-healing in all but the most extreme cases. It is capable of amazing feats and if you doubt that, go marvel at a performance by Cirque du Soleil www.cirquedusoleil.com, read about the Haitian man who survived 27 days under the rubble http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8505387.stm, take a look at the astronauts currently on the Space Station http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html, and I could go on!
That said, your body has its limits. Sleep too little, work too hard, eat an imbalanced diet and eventually the edges will begin to fray. The performance envelope shrinks and “I just can’t do what I used to do” or “It takes me so much longer to recover after exertion” replace the sense of invincibility and limitless capability you likely enjoyed in your youth.
Recently, scientists in Germany observed that intense exercise over time improves “telomere biology,” meaning, that intense exercise extends the lifespan of your cells http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/phys-ed-how-exercising-keeps-your-cells-young/. Likewise, many studies are concluding that a balanced diet that goes light on alcohol, sugar and highly refined or processed ingredients can likewise make a big difference in overall health. So, we are finding data to support the maxim as an ounce of prevention really is worth at least a pound of cure!
We live in a world where chonic disease has spread like kudzu. Hold your breath and read this summary by the World Health Organization (WHO):
“Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Disease rates from these conditions are accelerating globally, advancing across every region and pervading all socioeconomic classes. The World Health Report 2002: Reducing risks, promoting healthy life, indicates that the mortality, morbidity and disability attributed to the major chronic diseases currently account for almost 60% of all deaths and 43% of the global burden of disease. By 2020 their contribution is expected to rise to 73% of all deaths and 60% of the global burden of disease. Moreover, 79% of the deaths attributed to these diseases occur in the developing countries. Four of the most prominent chronic diseases – cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and type 2 diabetes – are linked by common and preventable biological risk factors, notably high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and overweight, and by related major behavioural risk factors: unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use. Action to prevent these major chronic diseases should focus on controlling these and other key risk factors in a well-integrated manner.” http://www.who.int/chp/about/integrated_cd/en/index.html
So, the bulk of the problem is due to “common and preventable” factors. Brilliant! There is our starting point. Perhaps we can resolve a complex issue with common sense, after all! But how would that look? We’ll take a look at simple starting points for avoiding the well worn path to death and disability in future posts.
Add your comments to this post and share your ideas on how to approach healthcare reform.
Good reminder of what, as Brad said, we already know but need to be told again and again. Why is it that the simple and knowable are so hard to actually do?
I suggest that it is because we have lost the ‘base’ out of which the simple and obvious once grew: the home. We have also lost someone to care for humans in their daily home space. We are all so outwardly directed.
If natural health care is to be successful, I believe the role of home (and of “nurture and nourish”) must be made equal to that of office/workspace (and of “provide and protect”). We must consider as a society and as a species how we do this. How we honor the individuality of each human, regardless of gender, and find ways to equally affirm, value, educate and make secure those humans whose gifts create and maintain nurturing and nourishing homes.
I feel this is the most successful way to address the “common and preventable” factors of chronic disease, especially for future generations.
Thanks for pointing out the obvious. In the hustle & bustle of day to day living it’s the simple things we take for granted, we forget…and then habits set in that we never intended (ie-New Years exercise resolutions fade) and “suddenly” we have this physical body we never imagined & often promised ourselves we’d “never let happen”.
We tend to lead selfish lives, but perhaps if we step back and consider the impact of our actions today and the ripple effect it will have on those around us, like our children!, say in 20 years – a ha!! – what was once a difficult habit to break suddenly becomes a big motivator to get the keester and go for a walk, at the very least, as a start. Wow, the things we can achieve when we choose to see our circumstances from a new angle.
The reminder is timely – no one really wants to leave their fate in the hands of the Grim Reaper – Chronic Disease. As Nike says, “just do it”!