Measure of Health

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”

~Krishnamurti

Nothing has been more frustrating and all-consuming as trying to find the right information about diet and lifestyle. I found myself drowning in a sea of information that reflected our black/white, good/bad, either/or society. It’s a known tactic throughout history that destabilization threatens security and disempowers a society. Disinformation is one of the most effective ways to create this division. It separates “Us” from “Them” but in the meantime, someone is taking the money and the power from the people. Unfortunately, the wellness industry has played a part in taking advantage of the state of emergency that America’s health is in. We are among the sickest of nations yet we have the largest market in the health and wellness industry.

Christiane Northrup, a leading OB/GYN doctor and an authority on women’s health, shared in her book “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom” about the importance of education. A study conducted by an epidemiologist showed that “social class, education, life skills, and cohesiveness of family and community are key factors in determining life expectancy.” However, Dr. Northrup explains that “education has been shown to be the most important.” Our healthcare system ranks dead last among all other high-income countries, The Weight of The Nation Documentary Series dives into the repercussions of this ranking, and sheds light on those who suffer the repercussions the most, our low-income and minority communities:

● The life expectancy is 20 to 30 years less in places of poverty in our country compared to more affluent areas. (The Weight of the Nation)

● Many low-income neighborhoods may not have accessible healthy options.

● Your zip code may drastically alter your life expectancy.

● Low-income Americans have higher rates of physical limitation and of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other chronic conditions, compared to higher-income Americans. (Health Affairs)

● Americans living in families that earn less than $35,000 a year are four times as likely to report being nervous and five times as likely to report being sad all or most of the time, compared to those living in families earning more than $100,000 a year. These disparities emerge early in life and can be transmitted across generations. (Health Affairs)

● For the 6.8 million children living in deep poverty (those with family incomes of less than half of poverty), there are adverse consequences across the life course related to nutrition, environmental exposures, chronic illness, and language development. (Health Affairs)

The National Research Council looked further into why the United States was last in nine health domains in 2011. With Americans living shorter lives, and experiencing more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries, the downward trajectory with no end in sight caused great concern. They looked into each of the 9 domains where America is failing, and found that “U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people.” Studies showed that “even highly advantaged Americans may be in worse health than their counterparts in other countries.” The studies concluded with the statement: “We believe that there is sufficient evidence for the country to act now, without waiting for additional research.”

Reflect on how we as a society have been disempowered, rendered powerless, numbed, and medicated into complacency as you read the following. The NCBI article lists our measure of health as follows:

1. Adverse birth outcomes: For decades, the United States has experienced the highest infant mortality rate of high-income countries and also ranks poorly on other birth outcomes, such as low birth weight. American children are less likely to live to age 5 than children in other high-income countries.

2. Injuries and homicides: Deaths from motor vehicle crashes, non-transportation-related injuries, and violence occur at much higher rates in the United States than in other countries and are a leading cause of death in children, adolescents, and young adults. Since the 1950s, U.S. adolescents and young adults have died at higher rates from traffic accidents and homicide than their counterparts in other countries.

3. Adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections: Since the 1990s, among high-income countries, U.S. adolescents have had the highest rate of pregnancies and are more likely to acquire sexually transmitted infections.

4. HIV and AIDS: The United States has the second highest prevalence of HIV infection among the 17 peer countries and the highest incidence of AIDS.

5. Drug-related mortality: Americans lose more years of life to alcohol and other drugs than people in peer countries, even when deaths from drunk driving are excluded.

6. Obesity and diabetes: For decades, the United States has had the highest obesity rate among high-income countries. High prevalence rates for obesity are seen in U.S. children and in every age group thereafter. From age 20 onward, U.S. adults have among the highest prevalence rates of diabetes (and high plasma glucose levels) among peer countries.

7. Heart disease: The U.S. death rate from ischemic heart disease is the second highest among the 17 peer countries. Americans reach age 50 with a less favorable cardiovascular risk profile than their peers in Europe, and adults over age 50 are more likely to develop and die from cardiovascular disease than are older adults in other high-income countries.

8. Chronic lung disease: Lung disease is more prevalent and associated with higher mortality in the United States than in the United Kingdom and other European countries.

9. Disability: Older U.S. adults report a higher prevalence of arthritis and activity limitations than their counterparts in the United Kingdom, other European countries, and Japan.

Every day we are allowed the opportunity to create health. From the words and wisdom of Christiane Northrup, “hope, self-esteem, and education” are the most important factors in creating health. The power is in your control as to what you do with this information and how you choose to live today. Buddha said, “What you are is where you have been, what you’ll be is what you do now.” Call upon your intuition to remind you of your hope and self-esteem, it will lead you to wisdom and education. If at any point you feel like you're drowning in the sea of information, or if hopelessness settles in, know that nothing settles so deeply that you are beyond healing. You are not alone. You deserve love and health. Be whole and keep your eyes open dear friends.

Sources:

National Research Council (US); Institute of Medicine (US); Woolf SH, Aron L, editors. U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2013. Summary. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK154469/