We don't have a health care crisis in America, we have a preventable disease epidemic

The debate over U.S. health care reform is hot right now, but is it necessary?

The battle over the best way to reform the health care system is arguably the most talked-about issue in America today. We can all agree that there are certainly a fair share of problems associated with the way things are being done in how health is insured, managed, and implemented in the United States right now, but what is the best solution? While lawmakers in Washington, DC debate the merits of a government-run health care system versus granting tax incentives to employers to help make it happen for those millions who are uninsured, I think there is a vital and arguably more important tertiary element to this conversation that is not being articulated all by any of the major health leaders of our day. What I’m talking about is preventative medicine through natural nutritional remedies that have been shown in scientific studies to improve most of the most costly and deadly diseases of our day!

Let’s examine three major illnesses that plague American health today:

1. HEART DISEASE–Over 25 million Americans impacted
- Leading cause of death for both women and men in the United States
- Accounts for over 27 percent of deaths in America today
- Coronary heart disease responsible for 68 percent of all heart-related deaths
- Heart disease health care expected to cost over $304.6 billion in 2009
(These statistics appear on the Centers For Disease Control web site)

2. CANCER–Over 2 million Americans impacted
- A total of 1,479,350 new cancer cases projected in 2009
- A total of 562,340 deaths from cancer projected in 2009
- Cancer incidence and death rates decreased slightly in latest statistics
- Cancer still accounts for more deaths than heart disease in people under 85
(These statistics appeared in the Cancer Journal For Clinicians in May 2009)

3. DIABETES/PRE-DIABETES–Over 80 million Americans impacted
- 8 percent of the population has been diagnosed with diabetes
- Nearly 6 million cases have been undiagnosed (one-fourth of cases)
- Another 57 million have pre-diabetes and insulin resistance issues
- Over 1.6 million new cases of diabetes diagnosed in 2007
(These statistics appear on the American Diabetes Association web site)

Add to these grim statistics the significant incidences of obesity, arthritis, respiratory problems, and brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and we’re talking about over HALF of the entire population of the United States of America walking around as a ticking time bomb with their health! NO WONDER HEALTH CARE COSTS ARE OUT OF CONTROL WHEN 1 OUT OF EVERY 2 PEOPLE ARE SICK! And the upward swing in these statistics doesn’t look very good heading into the next few decades either. What in the world are we supposed to do?

Reform is needed, but it should start with the individual’s lifestyle choices

Although a segment of the population believes in the libertarian principle that they should be able to eat and drink however they choose to without anyone telling them differently, the reality is those are the very people who have rationalized that their actions aren’t really harming anyone but themselves. Unfortunately, with the move in 2009 by President Obama and like-minded lawmakers in Congress to have the government take over the health care industry completely, we know just how foolish that thinking really is. The time for looking to the government or really anyone else besides ourselves to bail us out of our poor health decisions is over. Instead, we each need to individually deal with what should more aptly be described as a preventative disease epidemic that livin’ la vida low-carb has been shown to improve dramatically almost every time it is tried.

Let’s take a look at what low-carb does to help these health problems:

1. HEART DISEASE
- No long-term heart health issues with eating low-carb
- High-fat, low-carb Inuit diet protects against heart disease
- Low-carb improves HDL and triglycerides — better markers for heart health

2. CANCER
- Brain cancer tumors shrink on high-fat, low-carb diet
- Full-fat dairy, meat reduces prostate cancer risk
- High-carb consumption leads to kidney cancer

3. DIABETES
- No-GI diet better than low-GI diet for controlling diabetes
- Atkins diet best for treating diabetes
- High-carb diet raises insulin and blood pressure

There is a wealth of research that has come out about the undeniable connection between low-carb nutrition and so many health conditions like blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, brain diseases, and more that I will be sharing in my upcoming book 21 Life Lessons From Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb. Anyone who argues that there just isn’t enough scientific evidence supporting the low-carb lifestyle will be amazed at all the studies that I packed into the pages of my book. It’s there for anyone willing to see it — now I’ve packaged it up all in one place to put it in the proper context. And this information is crucial to fixing the problems we are seeing with health care in America today.

If government and health leaders are truly interested in “fixing health care” and making it more affordable for all Americans, then we must get a grip on this aspect of the conversation. Pretending that we don’t know how we got into this mess in the first place is disingenuous and wrong. Encourage people to be more responsible for what they are doing for their health by offering tax incentives for being healthy and allow those who choose a “live it up” lifestyle to suffer the consequences of those actions when the inevitable occurs. You have a right to choose NOT to eat healthy, but you do not have a right to expect others to pay for your declining health that is sure to come as a result. Is it asking too much for people to be more responsible for their individual choices? I welcome your feedback on this.