Longer Life, Healthier Life?
- Thread starter OddTrader
- Start date
Baron
ET Founder
We are living longer but not healthier for one reason: because the medical system has figured out how to keep people from dying in the later years of life through advanced treatments. So in other words, people aren't really living a healthy life longer; they are just dying longer.
For example, my father-in-law is 78. About 12 years ago, he had open heart surgery to get a couple of bypasses done. And since that time he's had skin cancer removed many times, he's had his gallbladder removed, and he's scheduled to have cataract surgery this week.
My mother-in-law is 59 and has stage 4 cancer. In fact, she's had it for many years. It spread throughout her intestines and started to affect other organs as well. She's had multiple surgeries, and most recently she had a "chemo bath", which is a procedure where they basically powerwashed her intestinal tract with a chemotherapy cocktail instead of giving it to her through the bloodstream. It was an absolute nightmare for her to go through. She also had her gallbladder removed, and gets treated regularly for things like sciatica nerve pain, high blood pressure, insomnia, etc. And the list goes on and on of problems that are directly related to her obesity.
Through all of that drama, neither one of my in-laws have ever tried to overhaul their diets or God forbid, actually try to exercise. A sedentary lifestyle combined with fast food, pizza, cookies, burgers, fries, ice cream, and every other junk food in the book are all part of their weekly routine. Not a day goes by that they don't complain about some new ailment, pain, or upcoming medical procedure they have to go through, and it's been like that for 20 years. Doctor's appointments are on the books every week for something.
They both would be have been dead a long time ago had all these medical treatments not existed. But the reality of it all is that they don't live joyful or healthy lives. In fact, it's just the opposite. Their lives are like this excruciating, drawn-out death process plagued with time-consuming doctor visits, painful surgeries, expensive medications and non-stop side effects that creates a dismal merry-go-round that just won't end.
For example, my father-in-law is 78. About 12 years ago, he had open heart surgery to get a couple of bypasses done. And since that time he's had skin cancer removed many times, he's had his gallbladder removed, and he's scheduled to have cataract surgery this week.
My mother-in-law is 59 and has stage 4 cancer. In fact, she's had it for many years. It spread throughout her intestines and started to affect other organs as well. She's had multiple surgeries, and most recently she had a "chemo bath", which is a procedure where they basically powerwashed her intestinal tract with a chemotherapy cocktail instead of giving it to her through the bloodstream. It was an absolute nightmare for her to go through. She also had her gallbladder removed, and gets treated regularly for things like sciatica nerve pain, high blood pressure, insomnia, etc. And the list goes on and on of problems that are directly related to her obesity.
Through all of that drama, neither one of my in-laws have ever tried to overhaul their diets or God forbid, actually try to exercise. A sedentary lifestyle combined with fast food, pizza, cookies, burgers, fries, ice cream, and every other junk food in the book are all part of their weekly routine. Not a day goes by that they don't complain about some new ailment, pain, or upcoming medical procedure they have to go through, and it's been like that for 20 years. Doctor's appointments are on the books every week for something.
They both would be have been dead a long time ago had all these medical treatments not existed. But the reality of it all is that they don't live joyful or healthy lives. In fact, it's just the opposite. Their lives are like this excruciating, drawn-out death process plagued with time-consuming doctor visits, painful surgeries, expensive medications and non-stop side effects that creates a dismal merry-go-round that just won't end.
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I think this topic is a very complicate issue, a long term one.
In simple words, the existing conventional medical approach has been mainly a fire fighting convention. And most the medical professionals in various fields have been quite happy to keep it this way. Status quo!
People logically know a fire prevention approach is always better than a fire fighting approach. Saving a lot of money that can be used for many other areas, heath related or else.
Universities always offer limited numbers of training and qualified graduates each year in order to maintain their level of employment and income. Which is understandable!
Some universities and states/countries have now accepted legally the status of alternative and preventive medical professionals, that would usually require much much less investment in medical infrastructures, or recurrent operational costs.
Hopefully, this new development, plus some breakthroughs in development of medical science/research (a relatively/fairly new degree/discipline that has been only available for not too many years. Most graduates would become real Doctor/PhD in medical knowledge/practice, rather than merely a medical doctor - which is a practical application graduate degree, not a research degree, in medical issues. AFAIK - I may be wrong!), can be further advanced to a critical level that would help the overall heath quality for general citizens.
Just 20 cents!
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The thing is, even if people have to live in bad health, most still prefer to delay for as much as possible the moment of actual death. So for most, bad health is the preferred option to "passing to the other side".
Baron is right, it is the quality of life that counts, not the quantity. The medical establishment is interested in keeping you alive, no matter how. A distant relative was in the ICU for days when it was obvious he was a goner, but because the wife wasn't willing to let him go, he lasted like 5 more days. If you know hospital bills, you can guess how much is that for absolutely no return just more physical suffering for the patient and emotional for the relatives...
Remember: quality > quantity
Remember: quality > quantity