The New Health Care Part 2- The Crux of the matter

There has been much talk about how we are going to fund this new healthcare initiative. Everyone from politicians, to the insurance industry to the medical industry, and industry of the private sector speaks about its impact on our economy. However the latest international study published  demonstrates some distressing information for us, a country that is used to just  throwing money at every problem. When we look at how different countries ranked in healthcare around the globe we find some eye opening  data. Concerning money, The  United States spends almost twice  of what most countries spent on healthcare and almost 3 times as much as what most countries spend per citizen. What has this huge expenditure exactly bought us? The United States falls almost dead last in life expectancy surpassing only Mexico!  In The United States, surprisingly we find there is only 2.5 medical doctors per thousand people. This also falls below average in this worldwide survey. We need to interject here there are 141 reported medical schools in the U.S. In England there are 41 and in France there are reported to be 49. In Germany there are 37. So why do all these countries have more doctors per capita than we do?                ( maybe it's time to allow more of our own citizens into our medical schools, but that is for another blog.) However, The U.S. does have  11.1 nurses per thousand people which brings us to the top of the curve where we are surpassed only by Germany. However, this does not seem to correlate to a significant change a life expectancy as does the  number of doctors. When we look at patient's habits the one that common sense seems to tell us is a definite killer like smoking, surprisingly it seems  that the correlation with smoking and longevity  is not so strong either. Here, in The United States there are  14.8% of population are smokers and still with a life expectancy is 78.7 years. Whereas other countries on the list like  Spain has 23.9% smokers in their  population and still maintain a life expectancy on the average of 82.4 year surpassing the United States. Belgium as well has 20.5% of population of smokers and still an average life expectancy of 80.5 years against surpassing United States. The only definitive significant factor with the strongest statistical correlation to health is the percentage of obese people in the  population.  At last, The  United States can claim that they are number one. This report states that  36.5% of the population of The United States is obese. This is not just chubby, but medically, morbidly obese. This  is far greater than any other country in the survey.  Understand this, The U.S. obesity rate is  almost twice as high as any other country surveyed. After carefully analyzing the data  it appears to be the only indication in the survey that correlates to our low life expectancy when compared to the  other countries. Even countries as Japan and Canada who are the only two countries with less doctors per thousand than United States and both with population of smokers greater than United States have longer longevity for the population into the 80s, surpassing The U.S.  These countries have again, significantly less obese people in their populations. Japan smoking rate was 20% as opposed United States is 14.8 but the obesity rate is 4.1% as opposed United States 36.5% obesity rate. Canada had a 50.7% smoking rate as compared United States. Canada had a 25.4% obesity rate still lower than United States and had it longevity of 81 years of age compared to 74.1 years in the U.S.   

It behooves us as a country to reflect on this study and attack the true source of our poor health. The dots are not difficult to connect. The top causes fatality United States being heart disease, stroke, Diabetes and its complications, these are all related to health and longevity or lack thereof.

Can we blame the starchy foods, is the glycemic index our savior? Italy, the home to pasta, pizza, and cheese, by- passes the U.S. with a life expectancy of 82.7 years and their obesity rate is almost 4 times less than the US. Spain who relies on a heavy rice consumption has a life expectancy 82.4 years and an obesity rate of 20 points lower than the US. Maybe it's those rich sauces and creams.  No, France  famous for rich sauces, creams  and pastries by- passes the US at  82.2 years even though their smoking rate is 23.3% compared to the US at 14.8% and their obesity rate is almost 3 times less the US.

What is going on? The data doesn't make sense considering everything we have been told about health. There are a lot of people weighing in on the "answers". One of the main problems is that the real solution is one of habits or behavior. The problem facing The U.S. is you cannot make the big bucks dealing with behavior changes, and "eating less", money is made by eating more! According to Blair Golson in his book, America's Eating Disorder he states that, "At the end of the industrial food chain, you need an industrial eater." "We have a food system here that is all about quantity, rather than quality." It is very difficult for the government to present a program of reduced consumption when they are subsidizing certain crops on one hand, and the politicians  taking obscene amounts of money to allow other food items to enter the market. According to government records the "Food Growers Money" has been split almost evenly between Democratic and Republican politicians. The U.S. government is actually supporting companies that are altering our food supply either through chemical or genetic means. Most of these companies have had their products banned by many other countries due to their contamination. What does that have to do with obesity or health? 

When we are looking at over eating  and poor food quality  we must discuss one topic first . High fructose corn syrup. The current media debate about the benefits (or lack of harm) of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in our diet misses the obvious. The average American increased their consumption of HFCS (mostly from sugar sweetened drinks and processed food) from zero to over 60 pounds per person per year. Since the introduction of HFSC obesity rates have more than tripled and diabetes incidence has increased more than seven fold. Not perhaps the only cause, but a fact that cannot be ignored. Even when used in moderation it is a major cause of heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia, liver failure, tooth decay, and more.

Why does HFCS have such a deleterious effect? It's chemical compound is such that does not allow normal digestion. The rapidly absorbed glucose triggers big spikes in insulin–our body’s major fat storage hormone. This  leads to increased metabolic disturbances that drive increases in appetite, weight gain, diabetes,  and heart disease. Normally, our brain evaluates the sugar content in our blood and this quenches our hunger. HFCS although sweeter than regular sugar does not turn off our hunger switch it actually makes us hungrier, so we crave more food.

The Fructose in high fructose corn syrup goes right to the liver and triggers lipogenesis (the production of fats like triglycerides and cholesterol) this is why it is the major cause of liver damage in this country and causes a condition called “fatty liver” which affects 70 million people. The FDA performed a study that showed that HFCS often contains toxic levels of mercury because of chlor-alkali products used in its manufacturing. Poisoned sugar is certainly not “natural”. When HFCS is run through a chemical analyzer or a chromatograph, strange chemical peaks show up that are not glucose or fructose. What are they? Who knows? This certainly calls into question the purity of this processed form of super sugar. The exact nature, effects, and toxicity of these funny compounds have not been fully explained, but shouldn’t we be protected from the presence of untested chemical compounds in our food supply, especially when the contaminated food product comprises up to 15-20 percent of the average American’s daily calorie intake?  Where is the FDA? They must be all out on that junket to Las Vegas paid for by Archer Daniels  Midland.

The last reason to avoid products that contain HFCS is that they are a marker for poor-quality, non-nutritional highly processed industrial food full of empty calories and artificial ingredients. If you find “high fructose corn syrup” on the label you can be sure it is not a whole, real, fresh food full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. As if that is not enough most HFCS is made with genetically altered corn. We will discuss that problem next.

Why the love affair with HFCS? It's cheap. So you can double the volume of your soda charge more for much less. Why is it so cheap? federal subsidies, corporate welfare!  According to The CATO Institute, "Despite claims of reform, many of the top subsidy recipients are the same operations we've seen before... The vast majority of farm subsidies go to raw material for our industrialized food system, not the foods we actually eat. Even less money goes to support the production of the fruits and vegetables that are the foundation of a healthy diet. "From 1995-2009 the largest and wealthiest top 10 percent of farm program recipients received 74 percent of all farm subsidies with an average total payment over 15 years of $445,127 per recipient – hardly a safety net for small struggling farmers. The bottom 80 percent of farmers received an average total payment of just $8,682 per recipient,"

How insidious is the use of HFCS?  Dr. Sears, a well renowned pediatrician states that infant formula lists "corn syrup" as the second ingredient. HFCS can make children fat. He shares the opinion of many nutritionists and other doctors that the number one cause of the childhood obesity epidemic is the overconsumption of HFCS, mainly in the form of beverages. In fact, a study reported in the April 2004 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that people who drank beverages containing HFCS gained more weight than people who ate the same number of calories that day but did not consume as much high fructose corn syrup. Part of the problem is biochemical. When your baby ingests normal sugars (such as those in breastmilk, fruits, vegetables, or milk-based infant formulas), these sugars stimulate the brain with signals saying, "You've eaten enough. Stop already!" Fructose, however, does not trigger the satiety signals like glucose does, so it's easier to overeat foods and beverages containing HFCS. Because HFCS undermines appetite control, you can see that overconsumption is a real risk. The United States is the world's highest consumer of high fructose corn syrup and we rank at the top in obesity, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

The second problem is the presence of genetically modified products (GMO). Sadly, in America, our infant formulas as well as our other foods are packed with crappy additives and bottom-of-the-barrel ingredients. Corn syrup and palm-olein are among the many things that are not so great for your kids. Not only does corn syrup spike the blood sugar unlike regular sugar, but most of it is coming from GMO corn, which, as we know, makes rats grow tumors and causes horrendous birth defects in experiment animals. We know nothing of the long term effects of these GMO’s on humans. The corn is genetically modified to be less nutrient dense than regular corn, so not only are your cells being deprived of basic nutrition, you’re exposing them to diseases! No wonder everyone has cancer, ADHD, etc. We put horrible things in our food and wonder why everyone is sick and dying.

Dealing with GMO is as well already affecting the health of individuals. The pesticides and herbicides used to treat genetically-modified organisms (GMO) are showing up in significant amounts in rainwater, water wells, and even mothers' breast milk, according to new research out of Brazil. Particularly among residents living near massive GMO monoculture operations, research reveals that  100 percent of women tested positive for at least one agrochemical in their breast milk, and cumulatively have demonstrated levels of  agrochemical levels much higher than what is even permitted in cow's milk. Can we see the irony? If one ops to breast feed to avoid the problems of contaminated  baby formula, still these GMO and the effects of HFCS are entering  breast milk.  I'm sure that these food corporations are very pleased that  all the attention concerning Autism and ADHD is coming to bear on vaccinations, and not on their  food products,  where perhaps we should be looking.

So to vouchsafe the American diet and health President  Obama nominates  the ex-head of Monsanto as FDA chief. Michael R. Taylor, acted as the Vice President for Public Policy at Monsanto Corp. from 1998 until 2001. Taylor exemplifies the revolving door between the food industry and the government agencies that regulate it. He is reviled for shaping and implementing the government’s favorable agricultural biotechnology policies during the Clinton administration. MONSANTO is clearly the most hated company in the world right now.

Look at the data, forget about what is considered to be common knowledge, forget about media speak, forget about the Madison avenue hard sell on our food industry. Oh, you didn't know that milk is not the best source of calcium. Or that oranges were not the best source of vitamin C? You can thank Madison Avenue for creating those tidbits of common sense. So, before Madison avenue or Pennsylvania avenue begins to ask everyone to dig deep into their pockets and come up with more money to fix our health care system, let's make sure we are fixing it, and not creating another money pit. Can it be done? I don't know. It means taking on the really big players in Washington. But if we really want to make worthwhile changes in our health care system it will need to be done sooner, or later.