It seems like there is no end to the rising costs of healthcare these days. Healthcare and prescription costs are rising faster than at any other time in history. The United States spends nearly $2 trillion on healthcare, a huge 15 percent of its gross domestic product, and we are currently spending over $200 billion on annual prescriptions.

We understand more about disease now than in any other time in history, and have more treatments available.  But, more money is being spent, and the rate of chronic and debilitating disease is rising! We are seeing more people in younger generations being afflicted with disease, in spite of the advances and new discoveries that are made daily in medicical science regarding new ways to treat disease more effectively with new surgical procedures and prescription medications.

The sad part is that there are even many Americans who no longer have healthcare insurance due to job downsizing or corporate backruptcies.  My family is one that was affected by this as a result of corporate backruptcy.  Several years ago, Visteon in Connersville, Indiana closed its doors putting many local people in my area out of work.  My husband was offered an early retirement, which he gladly took.  The retirement benefits weren't great, but at least he had decent healthcare coverage for himself and our family.  But that all changed in 2010, when Visteon, the company my husband had worked for, for over 20 years, filed backruptcy and discontinued the healthcare insurance for retirees.  So, like many other American families, we were faced with a situation.  We could pay a huge monthly premium of $1200 - $2000 and keep our insurance, or we could look elsewhere.  Now, I don't know if you have checked into the cost of insurance that is not a part of a group plan, but I will tell you, the rates are astronomical!  So, we had to settle for an insurance with a very high deductible and then pay a smaller monthly premium.  What does this mean?  It means that if we have a major hospital stay, we better have about $10,000 - $15,000 sitting around in the bank in case of emergency!  Now, I ask you, how many people in this economy, with rising food cost and gas costs can afford that?  Not many, would be my guess.  So how do you avoid this huge cost?  Stay healthy - it's much more cost effective! 

It's easier to maintain your health than regain it. ~ Dr. Ken Cooper

So what can we do to help ourselves? How can we achieve long-lasting health? According to Dr. Gordon Pederson (from the book "Addressing the 8 Causes of Disease"):

"One of the biggest problems with our traditional healthcare system is that it often seeks only to treat the symptoms of disease, not its cause or origin.  For instance, pain is one of the symptoms of arthritis  Some of the most commonly prescribed medications used to "treat" arthritis are pain-killers.  While they may take away the pain, they certainly don't take away the arthritis itself, and as soon as the effects of the drug wear off, the pain is still there.  It's a backward, short-sighted system.

Although the treatment of existing diseases certainly is important, those seeking true and lasting health and wellness must focus on preventing disease before it strikes.  This means looking at the top causes of disease, that is, a state or condition of abnomal health."

The 8 Causes:  A Closer Look

According to Dr. Pederson, several factors by be playing a part in developing abnormal health conditions.  For instance, when a person catches a cold, there is usually more to it than just being exposed to a virus; in order for the body to be susceptible to the virus, there are usually other factors involved such as, poor diet, environmental stress, lack of sleep, etc.  Dr. Perderson states that the research into the causes of disease point to eight things that may lead to abnormal health:

1. Deficiencies of Nutients
2. Immune Dysfunction
3. Injuries
4. Contagions
5. Genetics & Age
6. Toxins & Free Radicals
7. Abmormal Metabolism
8. Stress

He goes on to state, "It's important to remember that each cause promotes a specific health risk, and the more causes you suffer from, the higher your risk of disease.  In fact, your risk can increase exponentially in some cases.  On the other hand, your risk of serious disease significantly decreases as you address each individual cause.  And as you prevent multiple causes, your body's ability to prevent disease inproves dramatically."

Did You Know?

According to Dr. Pederson, the four leading disease causes of death can be prevented!

1. Heart Disease
2. Cancer
3. Stroke
4. Diabetes

"These account for about 83 percent of all deaths and are largely "lifestyle" diseases.  Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women.  Cancer kills one in four.  Strokes kill more that 150,000 annually in the United States.  And approximately 7 percent of the population now suffers with type two diabetes." ~ Dr. Gordon Pederson

Most of us understand that a big deficiency in even one vitamin or mineral can lead to disease, for instance, vitamin C deficiency can lead to scurvy and calcium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis.  What many people don't understand, according to Dr. Pederson, is that even some minor deficiencies could be deadly  in the long run, and chances are, that your probably suffer from at least one nutrient deficiency.

Did you know that there is a USDA report that states that approximately 92 percent of Americans don't get the proper amount of nutrients in their diets?  So what's the big deal?  The big deal is that there is increasing evidence that shows that the risk of many "lifestyle" diseases can be substantially reduced through proper diet and nutrition.

In "Addressing the Eight Causes of Disease", it states that, "poor diet and the associated nutritional deficiencies have been linked to the following short list of health conditions as well as dozens more not included here:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Irritable bowel disease
• Oseoporosis
• Cancer
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases
• Depression

Not convinced?  Consider this:  The American Cancer Society recently estimated that approximately one-third of cancer deaths annually in the United States can be linked to diet and nutrition.  A recent study linked a deficiency of folate, a B vitamin, to the developement of Parkinson's disease.  A deficiency was found to leave dopamine-producing brain cells vulnerable to damage and death.  And in a 2007 PBS series titled "Hidden Epidemic:  Heart Disease in America," nutrient deficiency was discussed as not only a factor in the development of heart disease, but also as the primary cause of cardiovascular disease."

Don't Be Deficient:  the Risks

On the left are some of today's most common nutrient deficiencies, and on the right are just some of the potential health conditions associated with those deficiencies, according to Dr. Pederson's book:

Folic Acid                    fatigue, anemia, neural tube defects
Vit. B12                      dysfunction of red blood cells, heart disease,
                                      anemia, fatigue
Vit. B6                        cardiovascular disease, carpal tunnel syndrome,
                                      premenstral syndrome, mood disorders
Calcium                      osteoporosis, muscle cramps, nerve dysfunction
Iron                            anemia, fatigue, impaired memory
Selenium                     increased cancer risk
Copper                       bone/teeth problems, aneurysms
Chromium                   diabetes, heart disease
Vit. C                         cardiovascular disease, impaied connective
                                     tissue growth, fatigue
Vit. E                        Alzheimer's disease, impaired immunity, nerve
                                    damage
Lycopene                 DNA damage, increased cancer risk
Vit. D                       osteoporosis, increased cancer risk
Magnesium              depression, insomnia, muscle cramping, irritability

Today we have looked at the eight know causes of disease, and specifically at nutrient deficiency.  For the next seven posts, I will be addressing the other seven causes of disease (immune dysfuction, injuries, contagions, genetics and age, toxins and free radicals, abnormal metabolism, and stress). 

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