FREE Subscription
The World’s Most Popular Natural Health Newsletter   
 
 
POSTED BY
Dr. Mercola
May 15 2008
26,728 Views
ARTICLE TOOLS
Email a Friend
Print Article
Save this Article
Bookmark & Share


BROWSE BY CATEGORY

Online Shopping Click Here!
Share your stories here!
Previous Article
Current Newsletter
Next Article
Why is Life Expectancy Falling in the United States?

health care, life expectancy, mortality, spending, finances, health care spending, health care costs, drugs, pharmaceuticalsLife expectancy has declined for many U.S. women, according to a joint study by the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Washington.

Nearly one in five women had decline of life expectancy hold steady, starting in the 1980s.

About half of the 2,000 county units studied were poor, rural areas, and the decline was blamed on chronic diseases related to smoking, overweight and obesity, and high blood pressure.

Those worst affected by the downturn live in the south, the Appalachians, southern parts of the Midwest and areas of Texas.

“The fact that this is happening to a large number of Americans should be a sign that the US health system needs serious rethinking," said the study‘s co-author Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

Dr. MercolaDr. Mercola's Comments:

Considering the fact that life expectancy in the United States as a whole has actually risen by more than six years for women, and seven years for men in the same period of time (from 1961 to 1999), this study highlights the problem of poverty combined with unhealthy lifestyles, lack of preventive care and the exorbitant cost for mediocre health care.

An Unsustainable “Health” Paradigm

"There is now evidence that there are large parts of the population in the United States whose health has been getting worse for about two decades," said Majid Ezzati, lead author of the study. Well, let’s take a look at some of the financial reasons for this discrepancy.

According to the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) -- which tracks health care spending -- the U.S. national health expenditure (NHE) grew 6.7 percent in 2006 to $2.1 trillion ($7,026 per person), and accounted for a whopping 16 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Private spending, i.e. people paying out of pocket, accounted for 54 percent of the total NHE, or $1.1 trillion. Prescription drug spending increased by 5.8 percent that same year.

If we look back, based on SMS’ historical data, the national health expenditure in 1980 was $253.4 billion, or $1,100 per person, accounting for 9.1 percent of the GDP at the time.

And, looking at the historical picture in its entirety, U.S. health care costs have leapfrogged: DOUBLING about every seven years ever since 1960.

The study’s findings suggest that beginning in the early 1980s and continuing through 1999 those who were already disadvantaged did not benefit from any of the life expectancy gains experienced by those who were better off financially. The authors state that their results are troubling because the stated aim of the US health system is to improve the health of “all people, and especially those at greater risk of health disparities.”

So, on the one hand, Americans have been spending more and more money on health care over the past decades, yet the life expectancy of certain groups is going down. Clearly, the system is not designed to care for anyone except those who can afford to pay an arm and a leg for what little it does offer (because as I’ll show you later, wealthy Americans are still worse off than many in less affluent countries).

The researchers explain the decline in life expectancy in these worst-off areas as being primarily caused by a rise in a number of diseases, such as lung cancer, chronic lung disease, and diabetes.

Need I mention the sadly ironic fact that these are also some of the diseases that are completely preventable?

Diabetes, for example, is both preventable and treatable through simple, inexpensive lifestyle changes. But no, instead these people are led to believe they need drugs – which they can’t afford – and so nothing is done and they die prematurely.

What Does Health Care Spending Have to do With Longevity?

Amazingly, other countries manage to achieve longer life expectancies than the United States while paying a mere fraction of the U.S. healthcare cost per capita.

U.S. life expectancy is just under 78 years – one of the lowest life expectancies among developed nations. Lower than Cuba’s, and just marginally higher than the super power of Slovenia, according to figures from the United Nations.

So what impact does the U.S. health care spending have on Americans' life expectancy?

Apparently, not much!

And, quite frankly, it is this way by design, not by some bizarre fluke or mere stupidity.

High Time to Identify the Driving Force Behind U.S. Abysmal Health Statistics

Please understand that the drug companies are THE primary force behind the terrible health statistics of the U.S. This is not an accident at all, or some terrible oversight. This is by design.

If you haven’t been reading this newsletter that statement may come as a surprise, but  from my perspective this is the unfortunate truth.

They have been able to control the U.S. Congress and manipulate it to pass just about any and every law they want. Once you understand how they control the government, you realize how they are diverting hundreds of billions of dollars for their hyperinflated drug prices. This goes into their own coffers; for their own good -- NOT for the good of the public. Not for the good of those in need.

It is this diversion of funding that is the primary reason why American health is so poor. If these funds were spent wisely and not stolen, there is no doubt in my mind the United States would lead the world in health stats.

This year the US will spend $2.5 trillion dollars on health care, but by 2017, health care spending is projected to exceed $4 TRILLION. This is largely due to the costs of drugs and surgery and a reliance on a medical system that treats only symptoms and never the cause of disease.

How To Survive in a Diseased Health Paradigm

So what can you do?

Simple.

Take Control of Your Health. You don't have to stand for this nonsense anymore, ever. Learn what you need to stop being deceived by drug company lies and deceptions. Tell your family, friends and neighbors, and be a beacon of light.

I am confident that with tools like the Internet, the days are numbered for the drug companies, and collectively we will defeat them. It is a massive David vs. Goliath battle, but there is no doubt in my mind that the victory will be ours.

There are a number of basic strategies you can use to avoid getting sucked into the current disease-care paradigm. Following these guidelines will be a powerful way to avoid premature aging, and improve your health in your old age so you can far exceed the U.S. national average life expectancy.

  1. Eat a healthy diet that’s right for your nutritional type (paying very careful attention to keeping your insulin levels down)
  2. Drink plenty of clean water
  3. Manage your stress
  4. Exercise
  5. Sunlight
  6. Limit toxin exposure
  7. Consume healthy fat
  8. Eat plenty of raw food
  9. Optimize insulin and leptin levels
  10. Get plenty of sleep
  11. Maintain a Healthy Weight - If you are having problems with sticking to your diet then use the hypnosis program I recommend.
Previous Article
Current Newsletter
Next Article
Did you find this article interesting?  Interesting Not Useful
Community Comments ( 41 )
 Comment on this Article
  
  
bryanpwalsh
 [ Joined on 06/06 ] [ Posted on May 15, 2008 ]
20 Points        
   
 
Novice User

Life expectancy is not even worth talking about.  Here's why:

1. Firstly, the media portrays life expectancy to be synonymous with “life span”, indicating we are now living longer, which we are not.  Life span, or how long we are capable of living, has remained relatively constant for centuries.

2. Life expectancy statistics are grossly misleading and the calculation for life expectancy is obsolete.  The original calculation was used in 1850 and is no longer useful today.  It is based on hypothetical populations.  We are living 3 years longer than we were in 1850 using “at 80 statistics” versus “at birth statistics” (www.infoplease.com/.../A0005140.html).  

3. Infant mortality, maternal mortality and infectious disease have all been largely eradicated since the early 1900’s, which significantly skew life expectancy statistics.  Out of 1000 births, 100 babies died in 1900 compared to 7.2 in 1999; maternal mortality dropped even more. (www.cdc.gov/.../mm4838a2.htm) When you eradicate infant and maternal mortality, you significantly improve life expectancy statistics.

4. Quality of life is not addressed at all in life expectancy statistics.  Living longer does not mean living healthier.  Cause of death statistics need to be considered in such a calculation, especially if it is to be used as a measurement of a population's health.

5. To put it in VERY simplistic terms, if one hundred people are born in California and half live to 100 but half die at birth, the life expectancy is 50.  In New York, if they eradicate infant mortality and, out of one hundred people, half live to 100 and half live to 50, the life expectancy is 75.  Therefore life expectancy is not a marker of health.

Today we need a "life span" and a "health span", because they are two very different things.

Dr. Bryan P. Walsh

www.fatisnotyourfault.com

 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Lynn46
 		[ Joined on 12/06 ]  [ Posted on May 15, 2008]
       
   
Savvy User
  Mercola

Dr. Walsh,

I have just downloaded and read your 21-page report, "The Top 10 Reasons Why You Aren't Losing Weight." Because I have been doing a lot of reading, much of the content of your summarized "10 Reasons" is not new to me. However, I think you did an excellent job in providing summaries of these reasons, easily understandable to most people.

I have just visited a new doctor (an MD who really espouses complementary/alternative medicine). I have not been able to lose much weight and have had significant digestion problems for many years. My new doctor's first approach is to evaluate whether I have food sensitivities, other than the wheat gluten problem that I identified in myself about 7 months ago, when I stopped eating all foods containing wheat. I experienced a very good decrease in my digestion discomfort. Once I can identify whether I do indeed have other food sensitivities/food allergies, then I can work on what I suspect to be low thyroid function and/or adrenal fatigue problems.

I am looking forward to the publication of your new book, "Fat Is Not Your Fault." I find the title to be catchy, if not a little misleading. I believe that being fat is very much one's fault, IF an obese/overweight person does nothing to really dig deep and find the information that you and other CAM doctors are now making public. If an obese person believes that that he/she is at fault because he/she is not perfectly following a "conventional wisdom" diet (such as the USDA pyramid) and not exercising enough and believes the mainstream medical and weight-loss industries' lies and half-truths, then, yes, perhaps that person is not at fault due to lacking knowledge of truthful information.

I'm also looking forward to your very concrete recommendations on how to resolve the physiological (and psychological) conditions that prevent fat loss.
  
  
Islander
 [ Joined on 03/07 ] [ Posted on April 24, 2008 ]
18 Points        
   
 
Moderator User
1. Where's our editor? This intro is error-ridden!

2. I have one word for you: DIET.
OK, three words: Standard American Diet (SAD). That may not say it all; sedentary lifestyle and environmental pollution play a role. But I still maintain that the biggie is our sorry Western cr@p diet.
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
bmc
 		[ Joined on 02/07 ]  [ Posted on April 25, 2008]
14 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
I very much agree Islander. Diet is the main culprit here, but to ad insult to injury, when someone gets sick from their completely misguided diet they turn to their doctor who then loads them down with a bunch of drugs. When you bring in the other factors you mentioned like pollution and such, It's a wonder to me how people manage to live as ling as they do.
Mercola
  
Aaltrude
 		[ Joined on 04/07 ]  [ Posted on April 25, 2008]
7 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
Pollution definitely plays a role. I have maintained a healthy diet and weight, exercised regularly, made sure I get plenty of sleep and generally opted for healthy lifestyle choices yet one factor that I could not control has f****d up my health in a big way. I am now battling ongoing health problems as a result of pollution in my ex workplace. I try not to think of this too much because I get very angry that they could muck up my life so much and get away virtually scott free while I am left to suffer the consequences and of course anger is a negative emotion that will not help my health either.
Mercola
  
jayp
 		[ Joined on 12/07 ]  [ Posted on May 15, 2008]
5 Points        
   
Novice User
  Mercola

"this study highlights the problem of poverty combined with unhealthy lifestyles" Poverty may be the reason for unhealthy lifestyle... they have dollar menus at fast food places so u get a "meal" for a couple bucks... in the stores too i know people who like live off cup a noodel bc its like 60 cents so while your working all the time for pennies and dont have time to eat right and if you do you  cant afford it so of course the life expectancey has decreased just look at the qualtiy of that lifestyle... its sad but true... emotions play a big role ... who would be happy living like this..?? not me and so with depression and other negative emotions you are more prone to disease and illness..

  
  
Aaltrude
 [ Joined on 04/07 ] [ Posted on April 24, 2008 ]
11 Points        
   
 
Savvy User
I agree that the health system needs rethinking but I don't think that this is the cause of this decline. It is more likely to be the modern environment, including factors such as pollution, poor diet and lack of exercise.
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
DDS
 		[ Joined on 01/08 ]  [ Posted on April 26, 2008]
4 Points        
   
Novice User
  Mercola
Aaltrude, I agree.  Just think of the wonderful style of life we have. Remember the old slogan "Progress is our most important product"?  Well, it's probably going to kill us.  What are we doing to our bodies, and our earth?  Some people might blame poverty for their bad health and subsequent early death, but if they ate less and took the money they saved from eating out and spent less at the grocery store they would have enough money to buy good WHOLE food, not the processed stuff that's laden with MSG that breeds obesity.  Yes, MSG does that.  Did you know scientists feed MSG to rats when they need to do a study on fat ones.  And the huge problem is that MSG is hidden in about 40 additives and that leads me to another problem - "truthinlabeling"......well that's for another time.....
Mercola
  
Aaltrude
 		[ Joined on 04/07 ]  [ Posted on April 27, 2008]
3 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
Yes DDS, I am aware that MSG breeds obesity as does the other excitotoxin that is present in more than 6,000 processed foods on the market - aspartame.
  
  
curious7
 [ Joined on 03/07 ] [ Posted on May 15, 2008 ]
6 Points        
   
 
Apprentice User

Let me see we have nutritionally challenged food, we have food imported from God knows where, we have killer cell phones, killer power towers, we have food additives which came form this dangerous chemical, and that, we have polluted water, and air, and a boob tube lying to us about what we need to do to stay healthy.  We have a million and one chemical compounds that we have been told is healthy for us and no one questions his or her Doctor to see if he or she is really competant.

Next we as people do not read enough to know how to maintain our own health, we do not exercise, we do not sleep as we should, we do not get enough sunshine, we eat poorly, we carry grudges, and refuse to be forgiving, we are for the most part dehydrated most of the time.  Then there is the biggie, we for the most part as people of this or any nation, have a very poor spiritual posture.

I think that just about says it all, we have seen our enemy, and our enemy is us.  You see if we would keep ourselves informed about what really matters, we would be healthier.  Were we proactive about our health, we would not be in this position we now find ourselves, where some one else makes our helath choices for us.  We allowed all this to be the norm, and even those of us who frequent this site, try, but sadly not hard enough.  We need to lift our voices loud and clear, until Washington hears us.    

 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Lynn46
 		[ Joined on 12/06 ]  [ Posted on May 15, 2008]
       
   
Savvy User
  Mercola

curious7, Right on, sister (?) or brother (?).

Although, I would argue that many, if not most of us, who visit mercola.com are working quite hard to change the status quo for themselves personally and for their fellow citizens by proactively pursuing those activities that help enlighten their family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and members of legislative organizations. We just have to keep plugging away at these activities, and eventually we will achieve "critical mass." Positive thought, positive action wins the valiant battles.
Mercola
  
healthlover
 		[ Joined on 06/06 ]  [ Posted on May 18, 2008]
       
   
Novice User
  Mercola

this just about sums it all up.  I could not even add to this.
  
  
GUNNYSCAM
 [ Joined on 08/06 ] [ Posted on May 15, 2008 ]
6 Points        
   
 
Novice User

Did anyone actually READ this column? Do you LISTEN to the drug ads pumped out to us by BIG PHARMA?  Europeans laugh at us because we allow our doctors to prescribe drugs that cost $BILLIONS to synthesize by using alien molecules that our bodies do not recognize, because we actually believe that there is a disease called Restless Leg Syndrome due to an ad on TV!  Doctors in Europe would tell their patients to eat some dark chocolate before bed, or actually PRESCRIBE the magnesium for that person's deficiency (because docs over there can prescribe vitamins/minerals etc).  It appears that cholesterol meds MIGHT help prevent one heart attack for every 250 people taking the statin (Google NNF statin if you doubt me), yet 250 people at $1000+ per year (including co-pays that cause higher insurance premiums) means $250,000 in revenues for these monstrous pharma co's that have the FDA in their pockets (and vice versa).  If you are seeing a doctor who is not trained in integrative/naturopathic alternatives, consider yourself among those whose life expectancy is declining.  

 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
USMom68
 		[ Joined on 04/08 ]  [ Posted on May 15, 2008]
4 Points        
   
Novice User
  Mercola

I did and I agree.  I worked with a gal from China who was ever sick.  I asked her what her "secret" was.  Yea, some secret - green tea every day.  They do not vaccinate in their country and do not understand why we do.

Do other countries laugh at the way we conduct "healthy living and disease prevention" - absolutely.  I would laugh too if I weren't in the middle of the damn mess myself.
  
  
Prosanatithemi
 [ Joined on 05/08 ] [ Posted on May 15, 2008 ]
5 Points        
   
 
Novice User

I became an Orthodox Christian 12 yrs ago they fast 60 % of the year by fasting I mean no dairy , meat , or eggs .  It is the practice to fast on Wednesday and Friday throughout the year . Many cradle Orthodox have gotten away from this as well as going to confession . It is not enough to eat well , diet ,  exercise ,  avoid stress  , and the medical community . The whole person body and spirit must be taken into account . One of the contributing factors to disease is unconfessed sin , while I realize that this is not P.C. because we live in an age where anything goes and no one is accountable , do what you want just don't get caught , has had devastating consequences on humanity . There is a universal code of honor written into the soul of every man , woman , and child . The violation of this code is the begining of all disease spiritually  , mentally , and physically . If we are to be truly healthy we must be totally integrated not stepping outside of what we know in our hearts to be the right thing to do . Without the practice of virtue we can not have a civilized society , nor can we have respect for our fellow man . Without belief , dare I say , in a higher power , we have no guidelines , no one more powerful than we to help us solve our insurmountable problems . The stress we live under because of our lack of faith causes us unnecessary grief and disease . Our attitude to our circumstances good or bad must be held in check . Every thought  , feeling , and action must be brought into alignment with confidence in a God who knows our struggle and is there to help and sustain us . I promise you that a life of devotion to God leads to peace of mind and health . People who confess their sins have no n