At 06:27 AM 1/9/2008 -0600, Stephen Russell wrote: ><http://darkgate.net/comic/images/joyoftech/1199855462.gif> > >--
Interesting, and it sure sounds alarming at first. Not that I'm defending the medical industry (especially regarding insurance companies), but here are some things I'm wondering about from the article. Quote: "amenable mortality"—that is, deaths from certain causes before age 75 that are potentially preventable with timely and effective health care. Quote: ...amenable mortality was developed in the 1970s ... researchers used data ... on deaths from conditions ... such as treatable cancers, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The above made me wonder a bit. For one, determining if something is 'preventable' seems to perhaps be a judgement call. But maybe there are some standards that could be used. Also, here in the US, we have a LOT of people that have a very sedentary work and lifestyle. Not to mention our love-affair with our fast food shops. I'm wondering if the study tried to normalize those aspects across the nations they studied. As a quick example, I remember reading about the positive effects of red wine on the cardiovascular system (not in excess of course). And seeing several European countries in the better rankings, I wonder if the study tried to address that as well. I wonder if saki has similar effects. Lordy, if beer was a heart-helper I bet we'd be ranking up there <g>. Also, were there other data-impacting changes during those years. In other words, were there changes in the way the deaths were logged/categorized over the period of evaluation? So I'd hesitate to recommend sweeping changes based on the surface of what is mentioned on that web page. I imagine the full study and their data details would need to be reviewed to see if there are potential weaknesses in the conclusion. I don't know if that means I'm closing my eyes and mind or not... but right now it's lunch time, so I'm heading out to get my whopper, fries, and a milkshake. :P -Charlie PS. I read Steve Wolfe's post, and I have to agree. I have a friend whose wife is a pediatrician. What Steve said is spot-on with what I hear as well. _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[EMAIL PROTECTED] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
