The VALUE of HEALTH

in People by Profile — September 29, 2009 at 12:18 pm | 0 comments

Value is defined as ‘the adequate or satisfactory return or recompense for something.’ When it comes to your health, do you feel you are getting the full value of the money you’re spending per month on health insurance, doctors, prescription and over-the-counter medications?

The old saying ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ may hold more truth when we add the spiraling cost of healthcare to the quote. In 2007 alone, national health expenditures totaled $2.3 trillion, or about $7,600 per person. That figure equaled 16 percent of our Gross Domestic Products (GDP).

With 47 million Americans uninsured and costs continuing to skyrocket, do you feel trapped by the rules of health insurers?

On an individual basis, we can help prevent diseases that are caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices. By doing this, we can eliminate the need for costly prescriptions, frequent doctors visits, and thus can lower the cost of our health insurance premiums. This can be achieved by lifestyle factors such as balanced diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, not smoking or using alcohol excessively, controlling stress and a daily multi-vitamin supplement.

Certain conditions merit the use of a daily multi-vitamin mineral supplement including:
• Not eating the recommended five servings daily of fruits and vegetables. (Only 20 percent of the population does this.)
• Not eating meat.
• Trouble absorbing certain vitamins or minerals due to a medical condition.
• Not consuming dairy products.
• Being postmenopausal, which facilitates the need for more calcium and Vitamin D.
• Being pregnant, or trying to become pregnant.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations, a dietary supplement can’t claim to cure a specific condition, but it can claim to reduce the risk of a health-related condition. Before starting a supplement program, consult your physician.

In order to get the most ‘bang for your buck’ from a supplement, remember to look for one that is USP certified. That means it’s processed with the same scrutiny as a pharmaceutical company. Because the FDA doesn’t regulate supplements, this certification guarantees that what you see is what you get; thus, it will be more of a value, even if it’s a little more expensive that other off brand products.

Good resources for checking out various supplements and to answer any questions include: www.ods.od.nih.gov, www.medlineplus.gov.

Let’s put the ‘value’ back in our health by trying to prevent disease so we can keep our money in our own pockets to enjoy instead of lining the insurance and pharmaceutical companies’ pockets! This is one answer to our health care crisis, and also the answer to a better quality of life. Here’s to your health!

Tags: FDA Health regular exercise vitamins