The benefits and increased life span have come mostly from public health advances. Not so much from traditional medicine.
Consider that smoking which was always a problem is slowly but surely being legislated out of existence. These changes take time. Agreed, it could go faster. On the question of tobacco. It was not so many years ago that tobacco was available in pharmacies. A coalition of anti-smoking pharmacists got together to ban the practice and within a short space of time got the probince to legislate in their favour. No more cigarettes available in drug stores. arthur -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Brad McCormick, Ed.D. Sent: Sunday, June 12, 2005 12:10 PM To: Christoph Reuss Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Futurework] RE: End of a dream? ~ Start of [yet] a[nother]nightmare: "Meth mouth" Christoph Reuss wrote: >Ed Weick wrote: > > >>But for ever so many others, the large majority, the lines will lengthen. >> >> > >The basic approach of mainstream medicine is wrong. Add to this the >greed of the food, drugs and pharmaceutical industries and you end up >with a thoroughly ill population. The young are already more ill than >the old.\ > > We know that healthy lifestyle: exercise, lots of healthful foods like broccoli, garlic, olive oil, whole grains..., stress reduction, less automobile use (incl. don't drive if you drink...),clean air and safe dringking water, etc. helps keep persons healthy, so that they don't need so much expensive medical attention. Why can't we declare a *WAR AGAINST UNHEALTHFUL LIFE STYLE*, like the war against terror, drugs, etc.? The persons looking for drugs and terrorists could also look for unhealthy lifestyle elements.... The NYT yesterday raised the bar, with an article on something new dentists are encountering: "Meth mouth" -- apparently persons who use methamphetimine(sp?) wreck their teeth down to the roots thru some combination of dry mouth encouraging infection, irresponsible attitude resulting from drug use causing them to not do their dental hygiene (Who cares?), caustic substances in the drug itself, etc. This stuff makes mouth look like the person got caught in an IED event or something -- there's a picture in the article. I have long thought that something else should be done: medical research funding should be primarily channeled toward the most socially constructive and pressing issues, rather than to solving "gee whiz" but epidemiologically peripheral problems. Or are we doing this and I just don't know it? \brad mccormick >--- > >Arthur Cordell wrote: > > >>I think that some of the problem started when the current PM was Finance >>Minister in the 90's and he succeeded in balancing the budget at the >>expense of cutting the health care budget. >> >>Medicare should not be subject to the whims of politicians. >> >> > >Isn't the downsizing of healthcare, and the introduction of two-tier >healthcare, __part and parcel__ of neoliberal "reforms" aka globalization? >Can't be pinned at single politicians. > > > > >>As to the present mess it really does look like the end of a dream. >> >> > >Yes, globalization is the end of a dream in all sectors, not only in >healthcare. > >Chris > > > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >SpamWall: Mail to this addy is deleted unread unless it contains the keyword >"igve". > > >_______________________________________________ >Futurework mailing list >[email protected] >http://fes.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > -- Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works.... (Matt 5:16) Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thes 5:21) <![%THINK;[SGML+APL]]> Brad McCormick, Ed.D. / [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----------------------------------------------------------------- Visit my website ==> http://www.users.cloud9.net/~bradmcc/ _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] http://fes.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] http://fes.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
