Millions of people in the United States are losing their insurance coverage. With all the confusion about insurance, the focus and concern for many Americans and people everywhere is, “Will I have insurance coverage in case I get sick or injured?” While the concern over coverage is important, this question ignores the basic fact that having coverage for sickness and being healthy are two completely different issues.
Do we want to have this “insurance” to cover us? Sure. But good coverage does not replace poor choices. The best insurance of all is to eat healthy quality food, keep yourself fit and at your ideal weight, reduce stress, have a positive attitude, and keep your structure, spine and nervous system healthy.
Just because you are “covered” doesn’t mean you are healthy. In fact, if you have “coverage” and make poor health choices, you are much more likely to wind up sick, injured and suffering unnecessarily.
Don’t misunderstand – good coverage is a very good thing. Unfortunately, too many people are living unhealthy lifestyles and are headed down the sickness path. It’s time to change paths.
We are the first generation in history that is getting the advance notice that whether we like it or not, want to or not, we will probably live longer than we ever thought. According to the British Medical Journal, 50percent of the babies born since the year 2000 are expected to live to 100. The important question is what will your quality of life be like along the way?
The US ranks 51st in life expectancy compared to other industrialized nations and 44th in infant mortality. 60percent of the population is overweight and over 30percent are obese. Medical errors cause over 100,000 people to die each year unnecessarily, and we are watching the numbers of people with preventable illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and autoimmune problems climb.
For a small number of those who suffer from a genetic problem, medical intervention can help save lives. Trauma from injuries and accidents may also be handled well by our current system, saving lives. But the vast majority of people that are seen by doctors have problems that can be directly correlated to unhealthy lifestyles; therefore, most likely preventable.
Too many people suffer through the last decades of their life because of poor choices along the way. Whether they have good coverage or not, every single one of those people who are suffering would choose being healthy and not needing the coverage over getting sick.
The 100 Year Lifestyle is about staying healthy throughout your entire lifetime. It’s about healthy choices including good nutrition and exercise, along with health care choices that are proactive including keeping your spine and nervous system well-adjusted with chiropractic Lifestyle Care.
Having insurance for the crisis care can be very valuable but not as valuable as the day to day choices you make to stay healthy.
Chiropractors are leading the way in communities around the world, teaching people how to live healthy and thrive rather than just survive. You owe it to yourself to discover your true value and potential and you hold the key to that potential in the decisions you make day to day. We will stand with you to help you on this journey.
Contributed by Dr. Dennis Buckley and Dr. Eric Plasker
