We're in the midst of National Public Health Week. After a year of constant jabbering about medical care, last month's heated debate and President Obama's signature just days ago, this event might seem anti-climatic. It's not. Rather, this week - with its emphasis on health literacy and preventive care - seems a perfect segue into a decade of progress in medicine.
"An educated public is essential to improving individual health and wellness" says Georges C. Benjamin, M.D., executive director of the American Public Health Association. "Today's technological era allows patients to be better informed."
The U.S. lags behind most industrialized nations in math and science education. The usual grumble on this - that we're losing our competitive edge in industry and technology - is a matter of business, a concern leading corporations like Westinghouse and Intel to sponsor science competitions and Congress to enact bills like the "America COMPETES Act" of 2007. But on the matter of health, whether that's private or public, there's little said about the boon of education mixed with enhanced, public access to medical information and technology.
As things stand, there's a huge disconnect between what doctors and other scientists know and what most patients grasp. To bridge this gap, physicians need do a better job talking to patients in plain language. Still, the practice of medicine becomes more efficient and effective, when people enter doctors' offices and hospitals with some basic math and science concepts in-hand.
Knowledge of biology - terms like cells, DNA and mutations - is tough to take on when you're first confronting leukemia or another serious diagnosis. (This point is well-articulated, from a family's perspective and in retrospect, by Rebecca Skloot in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.) On the math front, fractions and percentages matter; these are essential in understanding probabilities, whether you're trying to assess the risk of developing Alzheimer's or weighing potential risks and benefits of a diabetes treatment.
"Science education will improve patients' understanding of medical advice," says Dr. Francis Eberle, Executive Director of the National Science Teachers Association." He points to the NIH-sponsored Clear Communication initiative, which indicates "health literacy incorporates a range of abilities: reading, comprehending and analyzing information; decoding instructions, symbols, charts and diagrams; weighing risks and benefits; and ultimately, making decisions and taking action."
"A well-rounded science foundation will give people the tools to dialogue with health care professionals and not be intimidated by doctors," he says.
That's the key - when patients are educated, they're less vulnerable. They understand what's happening, ask better questions and can access additional information should they choose.
Last week, when President Obama signed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, he indelibly linked education and medical care in the U.S. This legal connection may be fortuitous - or reconciliatory, depending on your view. In practice the relationship is no accident. That's because education fosters better health. I think it a bargain, two-for-one, all around.
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P: what should I eat to stay healthy?
D1: follow the FDA pyramid
D2: Eat a vegetarian/vegan diet.
D3: eat a diet free of grains, dairy, sugars, and processed foods
P: I am tired, gain weight easily, and have dry skin. Is my thyroid functioning normally?
D1: yes, your TSH is an ideal 5
D2: yes, your total T4 is in midrange
D3: your TSH is suspiciously high, and your FT3 is at the low end of normal. We will try a regimen of natural thyroid hormone to see if it resolves your symptoms.
P: I do not have a family history of breast cancer, but I have fibrocystic breasts. What do you recommend?
D1: mammograms every year
D2: mammograms every six months
D3: we will test you for iodine deficiency and start you on high dose iodine supplements. Thermograms yearly.
P: I scored low on the DEXA test. What should I do.
D1: Fosamax
D2: Boniva
D3 revamp your diet to eliminate foods high in phytates and oxalates. Include magnesium and vitamin K2 supplements, along with animal fats.
P: my cholesterol is 230. What should I do?
D1: Lipitor
D2: Mevacor
D3: nothing. Your LDL and HDL levels are fine.
I agree with the author of the article. Better education leads to better health.
Roy Mankovitz, Director
http://www.MontecitoWellness.com
A dear friend's spouse just received a liver transplant. Spouse did not drink, and ate healthfully. The donated "fatty liver" , was successfully inserted and because of the recipients good habits it should return to a more healthy organ within a few months. The transplant has saved a truly wonderful person's life.
Many people who succumb to death in a hospital due to traumatic injuries, etc. do not donate their organs. Maybe if there was a mechanism, (that would be considered ethical and not a purchase of organs from donors) that essentially would pay for the hospital stays/surgeries, more individuals might be willing to designate themselves donors. This is just something hospitals and congress could consider.
Living wills cover the ground, more or less. But, talking to friends, find a reluctance to write up any sort of Will & Testament. Perhaps writing a will is seen as too morbid....
Did write up a will myself, a few years back, and did clearly state that I wished to be, um, dismantled for spare parts, post-mortem. Sadly, what sponsored my decision to make out a last will was going in for fairly radical surgery, with not-so-hot odds of survival. Pulled through OK, but, at this point, body parts rate as pretty hard used; not sure I'll be the best of donors, when my time comes!