Chronic Illness IS Lifestyle Illness

As is clear from my last column, the cost of chronic illness is unsustainable at all levels in our society.  Since 1900, chronic illness rates have risen exponentially, as have prescription drug use and surgery.  Over this period of time, our genes have not undergone any significant change; so it can’t be genes.  What has changed significantly?  Lifestyle.  The increases in chronic illness have been mirrored by the changes in our lifestyle over the last 100 plus years.

The data regarding chronic illness rates has NOT been skewed by simply detecting more illness.  Over the last two decades, obesity and diabetes alone have increased exponentially.  The technology used to detect obesity and diabetes is NOT new.

Nor are we just developing more chronic illness due to living longer.  Between 1990 and 2010, the percentage of the population aged 65 or older did not increase; thus aging has nothing to do with the increases per capita chronic illness rates or costs.  Additionally, for our children and middle aged adults, chronic illness and drug prescription rates are rising the fastest.  Each year, our children have more diabetes, asthma, and attention/behavior issues, and half are overweight.  Our elderly and our children have much higher rates of chronic illness than their cohorts in non-industrial cultures.

So what do we as a society do about the pandemic of chronic illness?  Quite simply, the only solution to the pandemic of human suffering and financial burden caused by chronic illness is less sick people.

Chestnut, J.L. 2011.  The Wellness and Prevention Paradigm.  The Wellness Practice – Global Self Health Corp.  Victoria, BC., Canada.