Recent newspaper headlines discuss the proposed 27 % rate hike in Health Now Flex’s premiums. Among the reasons given is the lack of providers in the counties of Clinton and Essex and the high rate of claims. Health Now Flex types of insurance were designed as preventative health care. Hoping to see the medical community evolve such as dentistry has shifted over to a very effective preventative care program, thereby avoiding repair later. Current popular views of medical care are to cure the problem after it has occurred rather than preventing it in the first place. I do understand that some health problems are unavoidable but most could be prevented through a better understanding of health and fitness. This does not involve becoming a health nut but rather a balanced diet with moderate exercise, using common sense.

In our region there are so many eating practices that are considered normal, that I feel lead directly to diabetes. Yet when I explain why to someone who is diabetic the individual will start the denial process with such statements as,“ it runs in my family, I’m prone to it, I can’t live on a strict diet, etc., etc. ”. My response has to be that families tend to follow similar eating habits, mothers certainly influence daughters when it comes to eating habits. Have you noticed that with obesity it seems to get worse with each generation? The more obese a person becomes the more they want to lose weight, the more they diet the more weight they lose only to gain it back again with even more body fat gained. People who are losing weight will deny that they are feeling run down, perhaps even sick, they will ignore warning signs of low blood sugar. After a while it seems normal to eat little or nothing in a day. Many times bingeing is done at night, due to starvation during the day. Day after day the cycle repeats itself. When food is consumed it is either a non-food, junk-food type item or it is something considered healthy such as just a salad or a low-fat labeled something. Either way it is detrimental to our systems and is causing a deterioration of the body. The body needs fuel in the form of food and it must be balanced, not all salads, not all just complex carbs and not just protein either. Finally as things become worse we are put on medication, then more complications follow. Have you heard the lawyer ads “Did you take this medication? If so call the law offices of...”? I’m amazed at the prescription and over the counter medications that two years ago were thought to be safe and are now being sued. Oh yeah, the original ads did say may cause severe nausea and vomiting, headaches and even some thing more serious in others. But Americans ignore the little things like the warning labels and look for the easy cure.

Other medications can be helpful but in many, many cases just getting on some type of semi sensible eating program would make a lot more sense and actually be more effective. If we consume pure poison day in and day out eventually it will poison us. The body is a wonderful system that can recover and repair with just a little attention to light activity and eating real food. Our society looks for the fast cure, the pill, the slim fast shake, whatever is easiest and it is killing us.

Insurance costs are not going to get any better until every American becomes aware of the need to become responsible for our own well being.

Please e-mail any fitness related questions you would like to see discussed in my column. I will answer them if I’m able.