Eat for…Health?

Before I write more about food, health, training, and performance by relating personal stories of my own, and those of people close to me, let me say a few things that may, or may not, be pretty obvious to you.  I’m gonna say them regardless.  And I’m going to ask a question.   Forgive me if this seems terse and unrelated to training, racing and performance. I have a background in Political Science and Law (I’m also still an attorney), and I very much care about how all these issues are interconnected.  It baffles and frustrates me that most in the media, those in public policy, and political leaders do not publicly discuss these matters more frankly, or even see them in the first place.  I guess the “politically correct” cops and/or the bought and paid for corporate interests are still on the beat and calling the shots.  God forbid we offend (or offer an alternative way to eat and live) to someone who may be 20, or 200 lbs. overweight and suffering metabolic disease – unnecessarily.

As you most likely know, the US is in the middle of a health crisis.  The US is also running unsustainably high, long-term debt. (I’m not getting into all the reasons why re: the debt.)  One major part of the long-term debt is Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security – so-called “entitlements;” Benefits to which you have a statutory right, once you meet the legal requirements to qualify.  Medicare and Medicaid, it should be obvious, are directly related to health care costs.  They are very high ..ridiculously high.  Why? See: Time Magazine, Cover Story,  March 04, 2013. Please. Therefore, its pretty obvious that one way to begin to resolve the long-term fiscal problem is to dramatically cut health care costs.  Of course…

How?   Can we make high quality health care, hospitals, drugs, and insurance all much more affordable??  Don’t  hold your breath.  No. (Did anyone before Steven Brill even bother to ask publicly why health care costs are so high in the first place?)  In my opinion, that’s not the answer. It’s not even the right question.

How about this question:  Could we make the enormous, expensive, bloated, cumbersome, confusing and prickly health care system, by which I mean: hospitals, insurance run medical care, and doctors who specialize in metabolic syndrome diseases – i.e. diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia (high VLDL, LDL, and low HDL), angina, osteoporosis and others –  all of which are very often marked by obesity – could we make them all largely unnecessary and therefore rare??   WTF??  ..what the hell am I talking about?  I must have finally gone off the edge…

Come visit again..