Our “health” care system doesn’t work
I have a patient, let’s call him Bill, who is 61 years old and came to me a few months ago with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, borderline pre-diabetes, and wanting to lose some weight. Now, about two thirds of the way through his six month health optimization plan with Rise, his blood pressure has dropped by 15 points, bad cholesterol has dropped by 39%, fasting insulin level has dropped by 73%, and he has lost 1/2 inch off of his waist. And Bill is just getting started! He says that the lifestyle changes he has made feel great and are sustainable for the rest of his life.
Why don’t most patients in the US get these kind of results? We have great doctors and amazing technology available. Why are so many Americans not as healthy as they could be?
In 2022, the US spent $12,914 per capita on “health” care, yet life expectancy in the US was ranked 59th among countries around the globe. Many of our patients struggle with weight problems, insulin resistance, diabetes, chronic inflammation, and heart disease. Because of these problems, they don’t feel very well right now, and later in life they often develop strokes or dementia. Sadly, a large percentage of Americans spend the last decade of their lives with limited mobility, cognitive problems, and a low quality of life.
A functioning “health” care system should keep you healthy, shouldn’t it? It should screen you for future risks and reduce them. It should evaluate your current symptoms and fix them. But that is not what our system does at all. Our medical system is great at treating you with surgery or medication AFTER you develop a problem that fits nicely into a diagnostic category, such as a heart attack, broken hip, stroke, cancer, or type 2 diabetes.
But what about actually preventing illnesses? Or improving how you feel and function every day? Or reversing illnesses so that you can go off of costly medicines? Not so much.
What we have is a sick care system, not a healthcare system.
The system may be broken, but it is the only one you’ve got. So, what can you do? My simple advice is to do everything in your power RIGHT NOW to prevent yourself from getting sick in the future. You may be thinking, “Wait! Whether I get sick or not isn’t under my control!”
You could not be more wrong.
Could something random happen that requires you to get medical care, like getting appendicitis, an infection, or breaking your leg? Of course! But the vast majority of healthcare spending is on CHRONIC diseases, not acute illnesses like these. Chronic diseases develop slowly over time, and it is imperative that people understand one fact: many of the most common and expensive to treat chronic diseases, like heart disease, type two diabetes, and dementia, are likely totally preventable in most people.
The technology needed to prevent these and many other diseases is widely available. All you need is two things: information and determination. You can start by finding out what your genetic predispositions are for developing serious medical problems and by getting advanced lab testing done. Then, discuss that information with a knowledgeable doctor and use their guidance to adjust your diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices to reduce or eliminate the risk. It is as simple as that.
That is how you feel better now, while maximizing your chances of avoiding the frustration, financial hardship, and disappointing results of using our broken healthcare system. The whole process costs less than one visit to an emergency department!
