Recent studies have shown that “Preventative Medicine” neither prevents disease, nor reduce health care costs. As my colleague James Chestnut, DC describes it: If your house is on fire, you call the fire department and they show up with ladders and firehoses to put the fire out. Would it make any sense to call the fire department to come spray your house daily if it weren’t on fire to try and prevent a fire? It would increase the costs involved because it would cause rotting and deterioration of the wood of your house.
Attempting to avoid disease by taking medications and having unnecessary tests does nothing to improve your health and only adds to the cost.
“Early detection” does save some lives. “Early detection” also dramatically increases costs! Imagine someone with a “risk factor” for heart disease such as high cholesterol (which isn’t actually a risk factor for heart disease, but for this example, we’ll say it is), begins a statin regimen at age 62. Now, because of a “family history” of heart disease, his son, age 34, is screened and it is discovered that his cholesterol levels are “borderline” and he is started on a statin regimen as well. Guess what? HIS son, age 8, is screened and is also found to be “borderline” high and can be treated with statins!
The only way to reduce health care costs in this country is to create fewer sick people!
Ladders and Firehoses will NEVER prevent house fires!
Change your LIFESTYLE and you’ll change your LIFE!
