While the country argues/celebrates over Obama’s healthcare legislation, people die. After it’s finally passed, people will continue to die. They will be white, black and in between, young, old, men and women, boys and girls. We may think that we are finally covered, but not really, and not for the reasons you might think.Simply put, the current debate is an argument over how much we extend bad coverage. It is medical coverage that does not help us to live longer, or healthier lives. We have bastardized the words prevention and wellness from what they really mean to that which is no more than early detection. True prevention makes no one rich, except the public. It elects no politicians or enriches no doctors or drug makers. Detection, on the other hand, is very enriching. The catch, however, is that you must first contract an illness before it can be detected and cured.
This is what our health system is really all about, pre or post Obama health bill. It is you catching bad things, and the system fixing them, for profit. Diabetes, hypertension, cancer, you name it. If you do your part and get yourself really good and sick, our health system will do it’s best to fix it. This is healthcare in America – and it’s killing us in every sense.
The chart above highlights the best example of my debate. Vitamin D3 is essential to preventing human illness across the board, and medical science knows this. However, if you don’t get sick there is no need for a whole industry bulked-up to fix you. So they dribble out the information about the preventative benefits of Vitamin D. They let our blood serum D levels languish low enough (here) for disease to take root and grow to the point where their profitable cures get to try to save the day. Of course, many suffer and die in this process, needlessly, but someone has to pay. Right?
How to make a healthcare system that moves the ‘Black’ and ‘White’ vertical bars of the chart to the right, out in front of the diseases – now that’s something to debate. When we do this, trillions of dollars of costs will immediately fall out of our healthcare system and back into our pockets. We won’t have to listen to ignorant politicians and compromised medical professionals debate expensive stop gaps. We will just feel better and live longer. This is my debate.
Check out the Vitamin D Council (here).
H/T: Mangans
James C. Collier
READ MOST RECENT POSTS AT ACTING WHITE...
Technorati Tags: My Healthcare Debate, Vitamin D, Cancer, Wellness, Acting Black, Acting White
Wow. Thank you, Mr. Collier. I've left your post and the Council site open in windows for my wife to read in the AM.
ReplyDeleteThis is serious stuff.
Again my thanks.
This is, as Bennett said, "serious stuff" and I appreciate you bringing it more attention.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm puzzled by your comment that "They let our blood serum D levels languish low enough . . ."
Who are "They?" The government? Your doctor? Take some responsibility for your own health! Drink some milk, go outside, and maybe even take a vitamin or something.
Gerald B: Yes, the government, via the FDA. None of your suggestions, except for taking vitamin D, solve the problem. The FDA 400IU RDA is for rickets and is malpractice otherwise. I went against the advice of my doctor and the AMA years ago and raised my D by 10x. My taxes should buy me a modicum of decent advice, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that Jack Lalanne is too old to have a role in national health care.
ReplyDeleteThat is meant as a half joke, but only half. If you have the time, watch some of his clips on youtube. You will want to start lifting something heavy and eating vegetables!
@Sean, Jack was always there when I was growing up in the bay area and he had a show on public television. My mother embarrassed us boys to no end with the facial exercises. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHe is probably the highest standard one could pick for life long fitness.
@James - I picked up a bottle of 1000 (iu?) vitamin A today. Thanks again for the heads up.
Bennett: I hope you meant to say you picked up vitamin D3. W/O knowing your pigmentation or latitude, 2,000IU's/day gets you into the 'game', but you will need to get your serum level checked after three months. A calcium supplement is also good, as deficiency in D almost surely means you need Calcium as well. Good move.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's D3. I went a checked the recommended dosage at the Vit-D Council and know that we'll burn through the 180 capsules PDQ at 5k a day each. Also picked up some chewable 500IU tabs for the lad (4yo).
ReplyDeleteFrom reading it seems that I should get some magnesium as well. I've had foot cramps at inopportune moments and it seems that D3 binds and uses up whatever Mg you have in your system already. Best to be proactive with it.
Cheers man, have a great weekend.
Bennett
I started taking 5k/IU four times a week and 10k 3 times a week about 4 years ago (at the advice of a doctor in Japan). I have not been sick since. No cold. No sniffles. No flu. Nothing. Nadda. I was always suffering from colds (8-10 times a year) prior. Now, nothing.
ReplyDeleteAnd my hair got much thicker and I lost weight.
Go figure.
Blacks have shockingly low levels of VitD. It really is a problem.
Svend: except for the hair and weight part, I resemble your results, on 10K/day. Shockingly low is right.
ReplyDeleteJames,
ReplyDeleteIt has been over a month since I started taking 5k of D3 a day and all is good. One thing stands out. My right knee suddenly swelled out, bursa rupture of some sort, back in Sept of last year. 6 months after showing it to my GP I went back to see him and he scheduled a visit to an orthopedic surgeon.
The appointment was April 15th, and I had to tell the OS "but I'm telling you, 3 weeks ago it was swelled out to here!", because the swelling had gone away!
I can't say it was the D3 with any certainty, but that was the only change of note in my lifestyle.
Thanks, yet again.
Bennett: Check out this article on the link between D deficiency and inflamation. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090408140208.htm
ReplyDeleteGlad you are feeling better!!!