National Healthcare can not help us, MFP can

BroiledNotFried

My thoughts...

I don't know how many trillions the United State collectively spends on healthcare, nor how much of what is spent is wasted on admistrative costs and duplicative procedures/tests. But, I do think that no matter how much money and medical talent we throw at healthcare, we are a sick nation and all such medical interventions do not truly fix the problem. The main problem facing this country is obesity and its health effects. It is a problem linked more closely to human behavior. Until we change human behavior, we are going to lose the health race. Without a healthy population, I do not think we can soar as a country.

I visited a man in the hospital this weekend. He's a close friend. I really don't want to see him die, and all I can do is think of him. But, I keep thinking that he is so close to his end. I didn't see his medical chart. He has diabetes, is in his early 70s, and has a very irregular heart beat. It's been "fluttering" and he's gained alot of water weight very recently (10 pounds in a week). His blood is backing up into his heart chambers, and he's now on blood thinners. They are talking about putting him under to jump start his heart and/or put in a pace-maker. He's never been morbidly obese, just very overweight/hefty/chunky/lighy obese since I've known him. He's on every medication known to man. I know the blood thinners are a big time risk for stroke. And, the pooling blood is a sign for organ damage/failure . . . if not a blood clot to the brain or lungs.

There a millions like him. Same story. Overweight, diabetes, bad health effects. The medical community comes in at the end, with millions of dollars. Oh, the doctors attempt warn us all, but very few take it seriously. I think the medical community would collapse if we all really got healthy. I wonder if the medical community is half-heartedly telling us to get fit and healthy, to procure their profession along.

What was the jolt that made you take control?