A Class to Prevent Disease?
I was listening to the Today Show this morning, as I do every morning, to keep up on current events. Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Cheif Medical Editor for NBC reported some interesting statistics about chronic illness and how some major companies are trying to deal with it. 60% of the reported bankruptcies in 2007 were derived from an illness that needed extensive medical care. 75% of medical costs today are from a chronic illness. These costs are from a patients lifestyle and are from four main factors: smoking, inactivity, stress, and/or food choices. 40% of premature deaths in the US are from poor lifestyle choices. 2.5 trillion dollars is the projected spending for health care in the US for 2009. These statistics are pretty astounding to me. It's truly hard for me to grasp at the fact that chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and even fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, are running so rampant in the United States that it is overwhelming the health care industry. It