What is Health?

There is a lot of talk about “health” care and “health” insurance. There will be quite a bit more with all of the talk of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, but I think that we are missing something in all of this talk about covering our “health”. It is that that is not what we are doing, we are covering our sickness.

One definition of health is “soundness of body or mind, freedom from disease or ailment” also, “the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor”. I like “freedom from disease or ailment”. Is that what our current system offers? I think not, our current system, at best, offers improvement, once you have a disease, but rarely cure. There is not much emphasis on staying healthy. The pharmaceutical industry is built on improvement, not cure. If you are cured of whatever ails you, you would not need to take medicines for your high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. Cured is free of disease. If you are having to take medicine, you are not free of disease, your disease is “controlled”.

What system do we have?

Our current system is Sick Care or Disease Care. I think Affordable Care Act is a good name, not necessarily because it is affordable, but because it takes health out of the name. It’s just “Care”. I think that the marketing folks would have a problem if insurance was called sick or disease insurance just like life insurance as opposed to death insurance. Automobile insurance insures your car in case of accident. It doesn’t insure it for routine care. Property insurance insures your property in case of extreme events, not routine maintenance. Just so you know, the one that is really insured is your mortgage holder in the case of property and whoever you financed your car with. These folks lobbied hard to make insurance mandatory so that THEY would be protected from loss.

What does this mean to me?

You can see that your health insurance is not about you being healthy, it is about helping you pay for things if you get sick or have a disease. Sure, your insurance probably covers come of your “preventative” care like vaccinations, flu shots, etc, maybe even your contraception. But even with this we still cannot get away from the pharmaceutical industry. If our insurance really was about keeping us healthy, maybe it would contribute something to your gym membership, yoga classes, and other non medicine related care that our bodies need.  Our current system is about YOU working and paying to remain free of disease or ailment. My training and the majority of doctor training is about taking care of you AFTER you get sick, AFTER you have a disease or problem. We may be able to cure you and get you back to a disease free state, but not usually. Usually it about management, not returning to health.

What do I  do?

It’s easy…stay healthy. It’s easy to say, not always easy to do, but I would wager that it is likely easier and cheaper to STAY healthy than it is to work to get back to health.

How do I do it?  I think we all need to learn to listen to our bodies better. It’s our house, it tells us what it needs. I think that most of the time we have lost touch with it and do not listen or cannot interpret what is being said. For example, when I have not had enough water, I sometimes mistake that feeling for hunger, so I eat. Guess what, it helps for a while. But over time, I end up eating too much and gaining weight. When I am conscious of my water intake and realize that I am not drinking enough, I can give my body what it needs, and avoid the unnecessary calories. I have many people tell me that they do not get thirsty. I believe the reason is that they have lost touch with what thirsty feels like. I ask them to force the water for a week or so. After that they begin to feel thirsty, they recognize that sensation for what it is.

I hate to tell you this, you already know it, exercise. I think we need a new word for it, exercise for me, sounds painful and not fun. I want fun and I want to be healthy. My daughter go me a hula hoop for Christmas. That is fun. I’m not good at it, but I try and I laugh and smile as I try. I also get my heart rate up and breathe a little heavier. I think that makes it qualify as exercise. What do you LIKE to do that can qualify as exercise? Do it! Don’t call it exercise if that word conjures up bad feelings for you, but do it!. If you are laughing and having a good time, while increasing your heart rate, you are going a long way to staying or getting back to health. Remember to participate in your activity for at least 3 hours a week. Try it. You’ll be surprised at how good you feel.

Remember, health insurance does not insure that you are free from disease or ailment. It is to help you to manage your disease.  Only you can get free of the disease.  Ask for help.  It really is up to you.

Your health is your responsibility.