As we enter the twenty-first century, physicians and medical researchers are taking note of the status of health care in the United States. In 1900, people died primarily of infectious diseases, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, diphtheria, influenza, and so forth. Thanks to great advances in the development of antibiotics during the last half of the century, however, deaths caused by infectious diseases have declined dramatically. As the year 2000 draws closer the leading causes of death and disability are related to degenerative diseases, such as coronary artery disease, strokes, cancer, Alzheimer's dementia, arthritis, cataracts, macular degeneration, and so forth. Biomedical research has made great advances in the past decade in getting to the root cause of degenerative disease, which is oxidative stress. This book will explore these scientific advances and show how you can apply these principles to protect your own health.
More than 60 million Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease (disease of the heart and blood vessels); 13,670,000 have coronary artery disease. Although there has been a significant decrease in the number of cardiovascular deaths in the past 25 years, it still remains the number one cause of death in the United States. There are 1,500,000 heart attacks each year and about one-third are fatal. The sad statistic is 250,000 of these deaths occur within the first hour of a heart attack and long before the individual can even make to the hospital. Forty-five percent of all these heart attacks occur in individuals under the age of 65. The first sign of heart disease in more than 30 percent of cases is sudden death. This does not give a person much time for lifestyle changes.
In spite of the tremendous amount of money spent on cancer research and treatment, cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States. There were 537,000 cancer deaths in 1995 and 1.3 million new cases projected to be diagnosed in 1996. Unlike heart disease, there has been a steady increase in the number of deaths caused by cancer over the past 30 years. We have spent over 22 billion dollars in cancer research over the past 25 years, only to see absolutely no decrease in the relative number of people dying from cancer. The greatest advancements in cancer treatment have developed because of earlier diagnoses of certain cancers. Everyone agrees we need to look at primary prevention of the development of cancer, since treatment is usually not very effective.
In 1950, the United States ranked seventh among the top 21 industrialized nations in the world when it came to life expectancy. Since that time, we have spent far more money on health care than any other country in the world. Last year we spent over 1 trillion dollars on health care, which was 13.6 percent of our gross national product (GNP). That is well over twice as much as the next closest nation. We have our MRI and CT scanners, angioplasty, bypass surgery, total hip and knee replacement, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, antibiotics, advanced surgical techniques, advanced drugs, intensive care units-the list goes on and on.
In 1990, we ranked eighteenth in life-expectancy compared to those same 21 industrialized nations. The healthcare system we claim is the best in the world is actually near the worst when we look at how long Americans live. We aren't getting our money's worth, especially when you consider how much we are suffering from the effects of degenerative diseases. Look at the near-epidermic increase of Alzheimer's dementia, diabetes mellitus, arhritis, chronic obstructive lung disease (emphysema], and macular degeneration.
It is not the years of life with which most of us are concerned but the quality of life in those years. Who would want to live to a ripe old age if you cannot recognize your closest family member because of Alzheimer's dementia? Or if you were unable to move without significant pain because of rheumatoid arthritis? So many of my patients lose their eyesight because of age-related macular degeneration. No one seems to die of old age any more. We are suffering and dying from degenerative diseases.
We need to look again at our approach to health care in America. The overwheiming majority of our health care dollars are spent after we become sick. Little is spent on prevention. Our philosophy in medicine is to "attack" disease. Perhaps this came with the advent of antibiotics. With the vast array of medications to choose from one would think we could cure everything. We have not met with much success, however, with degenerative diseases. At best we may be able to slow the process down but usually we are simply making patients more comfortable. Treatments for strokes, cancer, macular degeneration, Alzheimer's dementia, and Parkinson's disease are not very effective.
Life itself is totally dependent upon oxygen but there is a "dark side" of oxygen. There are now more than 50 degenerative diseases medical research scientists have shown to be caused by oxidative stress. We are more or less "rusting" inside. This is the same process that causes iron to rust and a cut apple to turn brown. By understanding what causes oxidative stress and how we are best able to prevent its devastating effects on our bodies, we can learn how to decrease the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer's dementia, macular degeneration, arthritis, emphysema, and a host of other degenerative diseases.
Prevention of disease and protection of health is the key. It is much easier to maintain health and try to prevent disease than it is to regain health after it has been lost. Practitioners must learn to appreciate the body and its magnificent ability to protect and heal itself. We need to learn to build the body's defense system against degenerative disease. Only then will the cost of medicine decline and the quality of life improve. Medications will not be needed as often and will be far more effective and have fewer side effects when they are used.
