US Health Care Continues to Rank Last

October 2010 - U.S. Life Expectancy Continues to Lag Behind Other Nations

Another non-surprise! Flaws in the nation's health-care system are the main culprit. 

"For example, 15-year survival rates for men and women ages 45 and 65 in the U.S. have fallen relative to the other 12 countries over the past 30 years. Forty-five-year-old U.S. white women fared worst. By 2005 their 15-year survival rates were lower than that of all the other countries."

and the article continues -  "Dr. David J. Ores, a general practitioner on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, said that the American health-care system is designed around profit, and aims to make a few people extremely wealthy.

"The system works flawlessly," he told AOL Health. "The same is true for our centralized national food supply system with fats and meats heavily taxed as well as ubiquitous toxic, high volume fatty foods. That's why we see chips, soda, cakes and toxic fast foods every 10 feet. Even schools have candy vending machines. All the focus is on profit, bottom line, how much money can we make? None of the focus is on wellness, healthy balanced diets or what is best for the health and wellness of the population.

"All that toxic, fatty food with little or no access to doctors adds up to a lot of tragic sickness, suffering and death," he continued. "All because the 'mission statement' of the American Corporate Machine is profit, profit, profit over all else in every sector. The system works exactly as designed. Too bad for us." Read complete article

June 2010 - This is no surprise to me as this trend has been continuing for years.  We have moved from a common sense approach to health to one ruled by pharmaceuticals and insurance.  Your health care provider really has little say in your care, and you have even less.

Also consider that while the pharma cartel keeps trying to take over all your supplements, and the ignorati in government tell you that vitamins are worthless, it is proven again and again - vitamins and minerals help your health.  You can't get enough from food. 

D. Mail 22.6.10 "EASE ASTHMA WITH A SIMPLE SUPPLEMENT"
Magnesium supplements may help reduce asthma symptoms. Trial results show patients given oral supplements daily for six & a half months needed fewer asthma medications. Although previous studies found a link between low magnesium levels & more frequent & worse asthma attacks, there has been little research into taking supplements. In the US study men & women with mild to moderate asthma were given 340mg of magnesium citrate daily or a placebo. Those on magnesium had improved lung function & improved quality of life. It's thought that low magnesium increases histamine levels which is released by the body's immune system
& is responsible for asthma symptoms.-

D. Mail 22.6.10 "HOW VITAMIN PILLS COULD SAVE YOU FROM A HEART ATTACK" By Jerome Burne.
Researchers recently found that bad cholesterol has a twin called lipoprotein (a) which can raise heart attack risks. Lead research by Dr. Robert Clarke of Clinical Trial Service Unit at Oxford Uni. The good news is that that LP(a) responds to vitamins such as the B vitamin niacin. "Niacin is a fantastic all-round treatment for protecting hearts" says Dr. Sarah Jarvis of Royal College of GPs. "It brings down both LDL & Lp(a) & pushes up HLD." 2 grams of niacin a day are given, more than could be received from food. Some clinicians say Lp(a) also responds to other supplements such as vitamin C.

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U.S. ranks last in study on healthcare

• United States ranked last and had a healthcare per capita cost of $7,290 
• For any category, the highest the United States ranked was fourth.

NEW YORK, June 24 (UPI) -- Despite paying almost double for healthcare compared to any other country, the United States ranked last in a study of seven developed nations, a survey says. 

The non-profit group, the Commonwealth Fund, used data from the 2007 International Health Policy Survey, conducted by telephone in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States; the 2008 International Health Policy Survey of Sicker Adults and the Commonwealth Fund 2009 International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians. 

The United States ranked last for access to healthcare -- 54 percent of U.S. adults with chronic conditions reported not getting a recommended test, treatment or follow-up care because of cost. 

U.S. patients are most likely to report being given the wrong medication or the wrong dose of their medication -- a preventable medical error, the study found. 

In measuring efficiency, the U.S ranked last due to high administrative costs, lack of use of information technology, re-hospitalization rates of patients and duplicative medical testing. U.S. patients were three times as likely as those in Germany or the Netherlands to visit an emergency department for something a regular doctor could have treated. 

For any category, the highest the United States ranked was fourth. 

The Netherlands ranked first and has a per capita cost of healthcare of $3,837, the United States ranked last and had a healthcare per capita cost of $7,290.  © 2010 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Related article : No Public Option, High Cost and Poor Results Continue in US Healthcare

and http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65M0SU20100623