Healthcare and Wellness and Prevention! Oh My! - The Other Side of Reform

About a week after I blogged about the healthcare reform debate and the omission of prevention as a way to manage and improve healthcare costs, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that a portion of the American Recovery and Reinstatement Act would focus on just that: PREVENTION.  For a quick second I thought, “Hmm… while surfing the web, did Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius come across my article and think “wow, this Allegra is right, we need to do something about this!”   Yes, I’m quite sure that’s how it went down. In any event, it was music to my ears, or rather my eyes since I was reading. But the release announcement from the HHS specifically said that $373 million of the allotted $650 million for the American Recovery and Reinstatement Act would be put towards the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative geared towards prevention and getting Americans healthy. The goal? According to Sebelius, it is “to make disease prevention and health promotion a priority”

As the saying goes “talk is cheap”.   I’ve often commented that if something is important to an institution or organization, you’ll know for certain when you see how much is budgeted for that initiative. Well,  judging by the amount designated to prevention and wellness, I would say that this administration does indeed care. And it seems as if its leaders are trying to set, or rather, live the example. President Barack Obama’s push is on Healthcare Reform, while his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama appears to be the staunch advocate for wellness and prevention. We’re seeing media clips regularly of the First Lady planting gardens and shopping at Farmer’s Markets. Recent interviews in Women’s Health and Children’s Health Magazines reveal Mrs. Obama’s philosophy on healthy living and the importance of setting the example. She was very forthcoming about the struggles that she faced as a career Mom who was juggling the responsibilities of a high-powered career, mother and wife. She says at one point in the interview, that because of the schedules that she, Barack and the girls had, fast food meals and sugary drinks and snacks became the convenient option. It wasn’t until the family pediatrician who had been noticing trends in obesity in the youth in their community, flagged that the BMI, (body mass index) of one of the Obama girls was high and suggested that the Obama’s may want to keep an eye out. With that warning, Mrs. Obama made the decision to make “minor” changes as she called it. Since the girls already had active lifestyles, the logical change was to modify what they were eating. Sugary drinks and snacks were replaced with fruits and vegetables, and the family sat down for dinners together more often. These changes made such a significant impact that the same doctor during the next visit wanted to know what Mrs. Obama had done to achieve such results.

 The Obama’s are also very active and committed to their fitness routines. No, this isn’t the first time that we’ve had a President who was committed to a healthy lifestyle, but this is the first time that we’ve heard and gotten insight into the First Lady’s activities. The fact of the matter is this, as stated in my article “An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: What’s Missing in the Debate Over US Healthcare” what we do plays a significant role in our health. I am very excited to see the moves that this administration is making on emphasizing wellness and prevention. Just today, only 2 weeks after the initial budget announcement, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the first $120 million would be made available for States and Territories to begin program implementation and will have 2 years to complete their work. The unfortunate thing is that the mainstream media does not seem interested in publicizing these efforts. Rather than helping to promote wellness, they seem more inclined to promote drama. So this leaves it to people like me, Fitness/Wellness and Health Professionals to monitor this activity and GET INVOLVED! This is where we come in and help to make these changes. I’m committed to a better America and doing my part to make it so. So trust that this is a space that The Body Beautiful by Allegra will continue to watch closely. Stay Tuned…

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: What's missing in the debate over US Healthcare

A very interesting article appeared yesterday in the Chicago Daily Herald. It was titled “What's the cause of the health-care crisis? Look in the mirror” It’s written by Dr. Patrick Massey, Medical Director for Complementary and Alternative Medicine for the Alexian Brothers Hospital Network in Illinois. It details the imbalances in the current American healthcare system which has a large spend on “disease maintenance” and less focus on cure and prevention. Attached is the link:  http://dailyherald.com/story/?id=318792 

But why is this article so important? Because as Americans continue to spend billions of dollars on prescription medication, chronic disease is still on the rise. Many of these chronic diseases are those that are directly related to weight and can be prevented. According to the National Coalition on Healthcare, national health spending is expected to reach $2.5 trillion in 2009, accounting for a little more than 17 %of the gross domestic product (GDP). And studies from the National Institute of Health (NIH) show that Obesity costs the American healthcare system close to $100 million annually with Diabetes costs at $150 billion and heart disease costing $300 billion annually.

Regardless of which side of the fence we sit, most Americans recognize that healthcare in this country does require some sort of a reform; the differences lie in how it should be executed. But amidst all of the clamor and chaos, one glaring piece of information is not really being discussed: PREVENTION. Last month, based on a recent study published in the mid-August issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, it was revealed that lifestyle choices play a very large role in the prevention of chronic diseases. The study followed 23,153 Germans from ages 35 – 65 over an 8 year time period. What it found was that those who adopted a healthier lifestyle reduced their chances of developing these diseases significantly, 80% overall. By maintaining 4 main healthy factors: no smoking, maintaining a healthy weight (BMI less than 30%), exercising 3.5 hours/week or more, and adhering to healthy dietary principles such as eating a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grain and red meats sparingly, participants lowered their risks of developing the following chronic diseases:

• Cancers - 36%
• Stroke – 50%
• Cardiovascular Disease – 81% and
• Diabetes – 93%.

Bottom line… it’s all in what you do. Yes, there are some key factors that play a percentage in the development of chronic diseases: genetics, environment, and some medications, but the largest percentage is WHAT YOU DO. I've served as a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Assoc.’s Project Power program and recently spoke to audiences at the Chicago Diabetes Expo about the various forms of diabetes and what role activity and diet play in the controlling or prevention of the disease. I told participants, as I often tell audiences when I speak, “what you do today sets you up for every tomorrow”   This is true. When we live in a society that screams for us to keep up with the Joneses, we place our importance on material things, expensive cars, beautiful homes, a Sex And the City style wardrobe with accessories to match, but less focus is placed on ourselves, our physical selves. I frequently use car analogies with clients and audiences. One in particular is this: You have one car, it’s the only car you have and you plan to keep it around for as long as you can because you can’t afford to buy another one. Since that car needs to last for an indefinite period of time, you keep up with the maintenance schedule, regular oil changes, tire rotations, tune-ups etc. You make certain that you’re putting in the right gasoline for your car (whichever one that will be), and because you really like your car, you keep it clean with regular car washes and wax jobs. Why? Because it’s all about performance and making certain that you do what you can to PREVENT that car from breaking down. Now imagine your body as the car. You only get one body, so why would you treat your body any differently? The same care that we give to our cars, homes and wardrobe, we should give to ourselves. Aim to prevent chronic diseases in your life. You have the power to change your future by simply deciding to live a healthier lifestyle today.