Dr. Dodge: Passion for Health

The United States Congress is engaged in an intense effort to pass health care legislation. It is a difficult issue to resolve and the national debate about it has been impassioned. Against this backdrop, a letter I received recently from 76-year old “Uncle Joe” says a lot about health and health care in America today. (“Uncle Joe” is a fictitious name, but his medical situation is real.) 

Uncle Joe writes: “I have had one total knee replacement, two open-heart surgeries, and two other major surgeries, plus cataract surgery, diabetes since 1974, and several other medical problems. I must use a cane to walk. I don’t read much health advice for seniors because it is so unrealistic.” 

Uncle Joe has had major medical and surgical treatment from some of America’s finest physicians. He is on multiple medications for his chronic ailments, and he follows his doctors’ recommendations faithfully. He is overweight, but is considered a good patient overall. He doesn’t put much stock in advice that asks him to do anything about his lifestyle because it is “unrealistic.” He has faith in his doctors, but little faith in his own power to influence his health.

Uncle Joe is a delightful person who has enjoyed many enriching experiences in his lifetime. His lifestyle is not terrible, but a few changes earlier in his life would have served him well. Eating more healthfully and exercising more regularly over the last thirty years would have helped him prevent major health problems that are largely due to his rich Western diet and sedentary habits. 

His medical history is instructive about America’s health care. His doctors have taken excellent care of him, but such high-tech care is hugely expensive. If you multiply his history by millions of others in similar situations, it is easy to understand why our national health care is so costly. 

Unfortunately, the children and grandchildren of Uncle Joe’s generation are already starting down a path of unsound health. Even if health care reform succeeds in cutting most of the waste out of the system, health care costs will continue to escalate over the next few decades because ever more people with health problems keep entering a technologically expanding health care pipeline. 

America is not a healthy country. It ranks lower in health indices than many other nations. Our major killer diseases today continue to be heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lung disease, and diabetes. Our national obesity epidemic aggravates many other diseases and afflicts people of all ages. How can we help people avoid so much illness? Most doctors want to help people be healthy, but practically speaking, most of their work involves diagnosing and treating disease.

The fact is that doctors cannot dispense good health. They can advise preventive measures, help control chronic diseases, and do their best to rescue patients from the ravages of disability, but responsibility for our health rests mainly within each one of us. Wholesome living is the best way to attain long-term good health. This is not something that our doctors can do for us. It is up to us. 

Does lifestyle really have that much impact on health?  Think about this: Disease prevention aimed at improving lifestyle behaviors has the largest influence on reducing the future burden of disease! We have more power to shape our own health than most of us realize!

Why don’t Americans adopt healthier lifestyles? Millions of “Uncle Joes” who suffer middling health in spite of being “good patients” do not realize how much they could improve their own health simply by making a few lifestyle changes. The favorable impact such changes can have on our national health picture is even less well understood by the average person.

How can a change in habits help prevent chronic diseases like stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer? Most people don’t believe it can have such great effects. Yet, study after study over the past few years has made it clear that a sound lifestyle is the most effective health force on earth.

Changing long-standing behavior is a challenge. It’s not hard to decide to make changes in one’s life, but following through with lasting change is another story. It’s not easy to change habitual behavior, but it can be done! If enough people do this, we can build a healthier nation. Some may dismiss this as an “unrealistic” or utopian idea, but I believe America has the capacity to change.

We can build a healthier America, one person at a time. This is a vision that young people and seniors alike can embrace. Most of us can learn to adopt and enjoy healthier lifestyles. It may not happen overnight, but if we make the commitment to do this, we can become healthier – and build a much healthier nation at the same time. Let’s all help build a healthy America!