The health & wellness of Americans is in jeopardy. A report by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine shows the US is in dead last among 17 countries including Australia, Canada, Japan and Western Europe.
Experts in the health industry attribute the dismal health rank due to poor and under-insured. However, the report concluded the US health rank also involves poor health in people of affluence.
There are no socioeconomic boundaries. From infancy to adolescence, young adulthood and old age, people in America die far more than the other studied countries from addiction, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and obesity.
Alarmingly, the study concluded Americans consume more calories per capita and abuse prescription (as well as illicit) drugs than other countries.
As Director of Pharmacy Operations at an adult psychiatric hospital, with over 28 years of consultative clinical experience, I believe America requires an immediate re-evaluation involving how we assess and treat chronic disease.
Comprehensive assessments ruling out underlying nutritional, environmental, and physiological risk factors prior to premature drug therapy should be mandated for all conditions.
America’s youth consumes three times the psychiatric and stimulant medications than the rest of world’s children combined as discussed in The American Epidemic: Solutions for Over-medicating Our Youth.
We lead the world in suicide massacres?. Our food chain is toxified with GMO, pesticides, preservatives, food coloring additives and cancer causing chemicals?..
Heck, even the Subway food chain recently got nailed for using azodicarbonamide, a plastics foaming agent, for their bread production. This chemical is an effective bleaching agent and helps produce more bread in less time.
Sorry to be a messenger of bad news. However, there is an upside to this report. Americans are passionate, giving people, and we help others in need ? if we have the right information.
For many decades, Americans were fed wrong information involving our health and wellness. The US is home to the best doctors, healthcare practitioners, teachers and business leaders worldwide.
So how do we digest this bad report card of America’s health and wellness, and help people understand the direction needed to move our country back into the top tier of health in the world? Education and information.
This monthly health & wellness series, The Thrive Protocol, will provide information, helping you and your family become proactive in the development of positive interventions, increasing physical as well as mental health to prevent disease. For example, how can we help reduce the incidence of heart disease, the number one killer in America?
Excessive craving consumption of sugar, caffeine and fats combined with a lack of exercise increases the risk of heart disease. There are nutritional supplements to help people stop cravings for these deadly food sources while enhancing energy.
For more information visit the Coalition Against Over Medicating Our Youth, www.CAOOY.org and click the ‘Ask the pharmacist? tab or email your questions to me, FrankGranett@CAOOY.org, or message me on Facebook. Next month I will discuss how to determine the underlying causes of ADHD.