america's health goals!

[abifae]

yes. i didn't want this getting political. i just found it interesting that only medical advances changed, otherwise health is worse because most people don't want to change.

 

[me&thegals]

Sorry, abifae--I will be glad to delete my previous post if it causes problems.

I remember back in the day when the health community was setting goals for 2000 and 2010. It's so sad to have so much energy and will to make positive changes and then actually see things slide backwards.

It's so true about people not wanting to change. Most of the docs at the clinic I work at will advocate actual change--like quitting smoking, cutting back on drinking, eating whole foods, cutting out soda and junk food, getting exercise. But, they usually end up medicating because people will not change. Must be frustrating.

 

[abifae]

i didn't think you'd posted anything that needed deleting just making sure the discussion didn't turn political lol. but since no one is arguing about what govvie should or shouldn't do, we're fine

i still want to know why they don't release the information to the public about actual health and nutrition if they are so interested in seeing change LOL.

but mostly i find it interesting how few people go digging for information or really WANT to feel well. :/

 

[me&thegals]

but mostly i find it interesting how few people go digging for information or really WANT to feel well. :/

I have family I married into that I would absolutely love to help be healthier. I used to be so befuddled that they wouldn't take care of themselves better. But, I think if you never have felt great, or it has been so long ago that it is a distant memory, there is no motivation to change. How can a person imagine what they could feel like?

Also, these same people have also developed enough health problems that it is uncomfortable to move and exercise, it hurts to be active, and there's not enough motivation for them to do it anyway. I don't understand it, but it seems to be a bit of apathy. It's just too haaaarrrrrdddd...

 

[bibliophile birds]

C-sections I see as more of a cultural thing. I'm just going on my own very limited experience, but I often hear about C-sections based on convenience for the mother and doctor, not medically necessary.

there is a lot of that. women have been taught for centuries that they aren't up to the challenge of childbirth or that their bodies don't know what to do. it's insane. how could we be alive as a species if we didn't know what to do?

the medicalization of childbirth has created TONS of problems. some of the main causes of emergency c-sections are actually epidurals and pitocin! your body actually needs the pain in order to create the right conditions for productive labor and laying on your back (which you have to do once you have pitocin or an epidural) is one of the absolute worst things for healthy labor progression. pitocin stops the stimulation of your natural hormones which leads to more interventions. it's a terrible cycle.

when my sister had her baby in September, she went in for a regular check and they decided to keep her. right after i got to the hospital the nurse came in to give her pitocin. i asked why she needed it and she just said it was "standard procedure" since her labor wasn't very active. so i asked the dr when he came in why he kept her if she wasn't in active labor (this was 3 weeks before her due date). he said "well, she was in labor and would probably have had to come in later tonight anyway, so it was just easier to keep her." so it was "easier" to keep her and give her drugs than to let her go home and take a nap and come back to the hospital when her body was actually ready for it? i was furious. my sister is a total badass until it comes to questioning doctors and then she is a wimp, and they totally took advantage of that.

the guy who did her epidural (which i tried to convince her not to have) was a complete ass. she said they could go ahead and place it, but she wanted to wait to start it until she felt she needed it. well, he told her that was dumb. he was going into surgery and couldn't start it until he got back out and that could be a few hours. she said that was a risk she was willing to take. he placed the epidural and then started it and said "believe me, i know what i'm talking about." needless to say, i chewed him out. and guess what? her epidural wore off after 6 hours of labor and she pushed for the last 30 mins with no pain management (she refused to go to a birthing class where she would have learned to manage the pain).

i've attended births in remote African villages where the women are calm and supported by other women and have no benefit of technology. i can honestly tell you, i would rather give birth surrounded by those women than any of the medical professionals that attended my sister.

 

[abifae]

i just got through reading about a country that has only recently started using meds with childbirth and in just a decade they started having FAR more issues with childbirth. somewhere western europe too.

and i honestly think that people get a lot invested into being ill. i see it a lot with other autistics. if you are well, you suddenly are self responsible and that's scary. you see it most in the psych community but i don't see why it is any different for physical health.

so what happens if you have energy? you are required to do things and you lose your excuse for not wanting to.

i get furious on autism boards when autistics say they can't because they're autistic and it's just because they're scared of change. *scowls*

 

[Nifty]

If you guys can keep this thread clear of political comments we're happy to leave it open.

Politics just tends to be something that people get pulled into and end up being a net cost to the community instead of a net gain.

Cheers!

 

[FarmerChick]

*

 

[me&thegals]

I agree, FC, that there are huge disease loads because of lack of healthcare for many people.

But, there are so many changes that so many of us could make without doctors, but we don't.

And, we're part of a health system that is based on treatment instead of prevention. I'm always startled by how quickly doctors are willing to throw medication at things rather than work hard with the patient to figure out how to heal the problem and prevent it recurring.

Could this partly be America's love of productivity and money more than most things? Are we happier working insane hours and earning more $ than slowing down enough to have the time for friends and family, good food, exercise? Or do we simply not have the choice? I imagine it's a different answer for everyone.

 

[FarmerChick]

*.