I’d like to follow-up on my post entitled Your Personal Health Care Reform.  I said it then and I’ll say it again…We need to now more than ever start looking towards prevention to save our lives.  I know, I know, we can’t run around like Negative Nancys, worrying constantly about random calamities.  Those we can never prevent.  What we can prevent is serious life threatening conditions like cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

In an article recently posted on the New York Times website, the writer  recommends acupuncture as a resource for your personal health care reform.  As a licensed acupuncturist I can agree that this popular form of Alternative medicine plays an active and successful roll in the art of prevention, but it doesn’t start there, and it does not need to be that costly.  Prevention starts with each individual.  It’s the choice between a burger or a salad, between a walk around the corner or an hour on the couch in front of the tube.  Did you know that 1 extra serving of fruits or vegetables each day (that’s 1/2 a cup!) can prevent your chances of heart disease by 4%?!  Think of the possibilities you have to save your life: that’s 1 apple, 10 baby carrots, 6 strawberries, half a sweet potato, 3 celery sticks, 1 banana…the list goes on and on and on.

Prevention is a commitment, it’s true, but not to your job or to your teacher or your government.  It’s a commitment to yourself and to those that love you, that you will try to make your life as healthy and happy as you can.  No more easier said than done people.  I will not admit that it is more convenient to clog your arteries than to snack on a carrot.  Or that being a couch potato will bring you more joy than a bike ride with your child.  Those statements are simply erronious.  I will admit that change can be a challenge and I invite you to accept the challenge.  You don’t have to run a marathon (unless you want to), and you don’t have to cut out every guilty pleasure that passes your lips (although the more, the better.)  It starts with a little each day.  You know what you have to do!

For those of you who are on the path, 2 kudos to you.  Now spread the word and share with others your success.  Help bail your brothers and sisters out of their personal health crisis through education and compassion.  We can beat the terror of heart disease and cancer, but it starts at home, and it doesn’t have to cost billions of dollars.   In fact, it can cost less than a value meal.

Read The NY Times article: An Economy in Need of Holistic Medicine…

The New England Journal of Medicine published a health policy report yesterday, discussing the benefits of higher taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages.  The authors of this proposal, all respected doctors and PhD’s, suggest that because “the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has been linked to risks for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease…a compelling case can be made for the need for reduced consumption of these beverages.”

They believe that, not only will a new tax reduce the consumption thereby positively effecting the health of our county, but it will also generate a revenue that can then be used to support health-related programs, an estimated $14.9 billion if a tax of a penny an ounce is applied.   This tax would be for soft drinks, energy drinks, sports beverages and many juices and iced teas,  excluding sugar-free diet drinks.

According to an article in The New York Times, this proposal is getting some attention in Washington. President Obama has said it is worth considering.    Read the full article….

What do you think?

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