Dr. Mercola May 22 2004 1,883 views
The long-standing view of America having the best health care in the world is now being challenged by a new study.
The study involved the review of the United States, along with Australia, Canada, England and New Zealand. It found that while the United States led the way in certain areas, it showed a definite lacking in others.
Some of the areas that the United States excelled were in breast cancer survival rates and having the highest rates of screenings for cervical cancer. On the other hand, the United States registered as having the highest death rate from asthma and the highest rate of infection from hepatitis B. Americans were also found to receive proper medical treatment only 60 percent of the time, which resulted in several cases of undue pain and suffering and sometimes even death.
Another report showed that the United States spent more on medical services than any other nation and that health insurance would continue to become too expensive for lower-income families to afford, which would force the hands of lawmakers to pass some form of universal health care coverage.
Based on the results from a study on 7,000 adults from 12 communities, it was discovered that the majority of them missed out on life-saving care, regardless of if they carried health insurance or not.
Research has shown that more spending on health coverage doesn’t always mean better health care.
Experts noted the problem with U.S. health care didn’t center on a shortage of medical solutions, but rather on the lack of effective treatments. Some of the major contributors to this problem included dated record keeping, duplication and a reimbursement system that favored intervention over prevention.
Other experts claimed one solution would be to prescribe fewer tests and unnecessary antibiotics.
Houston Chronicle May 4, 2004
The Washington Post May 5, 2004
What do we get for the most expensive health care in the world?
The absolute best system in the entire world for treating acute surgical emergencies.
Beyond that, the system is an unmitigated failure at treating chronic illness. Traditional medicine clearly kills more people than it saves. Prescribed drugs are the fourth leading cause of death and the first three, heart attacks, cancer and strokes, are facilitated by physician ignorance of foundational concepts of nutritional physiology.
This is not new news, as I posted an article in a past newsletter on the flawed traditional medical paradigm. We are not achieving the high levels of health that we could be. More and more people do not have the energy they need to get through the day, while millions of others are suffering with painful crippling diseases because they have violated basic health principles.
Many of their choices were made out of ignorance and it is my vision and passion to make a dent in this mess.
As I wrote in a past newsletter article, health care costs are continually rising. We are currently paying over $1.5 trillion for health care in the United States and that is expected to rise to $3 trillion by the end of the decade.
This is largely due to the costs of drugs and surgery and a reliance on a medical system that does not treat the cause of disease.
The system is crumbling before our eyes. Our country simply cannot afford this nightmare mess and gets nothing--except lining the pockets of pharmaceutical companies--in return. Paying all this money would be much easier to swallow if we received glowing health in return, but, as you know, that isn't the case.
In fact, the United States barely ranks among the top 20 healthiest nations.
This is why I am donating all of my profits from my new book to a new major health non-profit association. This national association will be dedicated to working with the general public, businesses and Washington, D.C. to change the entire health care paradigm in this nation (and beyond) to one focused on real prevention and cure.
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