By Dr. Anthony Policastro
The new movement is to “Make America Healthy Again.” This is admirable. It is also near impossible.
Adults all know what their unhealthy habits are. If they wanted to change them they could do so. However, little is done by the average adult to do more healthy things.
We all know we should exercise regularly. However, not everyone does. We all know we should eat fewer calories. However, not everyone does. We all know that we should take prescribed medicine. However, not everyone does.
The steps that the country is more likely to take are those which are politically popular. For example, Utah and Florida have banned fluoride in their water. The theoretical benefit is offset by the number of cavities that children will get. However, not many people feel strongly about that one way or another.
If, on the other hand, we decided that cigarettes were against the law, there would be an uproar. Of course, the health effects would be tremendous. However, something like that would never happen.
Immunizations are under fire. Most of the reasons are not based on sound scientific fact. However, no one is complaining about the long term effects that legalization of marijuana will have. Those are proven. But right now, approving its use is politically popular.
Many patients are on medications for chronic illnesses. Hypertension is a prominent one. It can cause stroke. It can cause heart disease.
However, compliance with taking the medication is a problem. Studies have shown that only about 50 percent of individuals take medication as directed.There are multiple factors involved.
Individuals can forget to take them. They may fear side effects. They may not understand the importance of it. They may not be able to afford it. They may not understand the directions.
Since this is such an important area, it is one that should be at the top of the list to “Make America Healthy Again.”
So one might wonder what are the top preventable causes of death. The answers are clear. Smoking is in first place. Untreated hypertension is second. Obesity is third. These are all things that are treatable. These are all things that need to be emphasized in any program to improve the health of all Americans.