Chapter 15 introduced the term “wellness”, which was popularized by social scientists. There are a lot of wellness issues that physicians should not be obligated to address, especially for financial reasons. American healthcare has become so focused on treating everyone with medication. The American debt continues to rise, part due to healthcare expenditures. We spend a much larger percent of our GDP on healthcare than any other country. I personally believe this is partially due to the lack of promoting health behaviors and preventive medicine. There are numerous poor health behaviors that we know lead to serious health conditions, yet we still engage in them. Additionally, funding towards preventative medicine is minimal, even though it could be saving millions of dollars of healthcare spending in the future.
This book also summarizes the findings from the Terman subjects and mentions that embracing the lessons we’ve learned from subjects will help us lead a socially richer, more productive, and hopefully longer life. The authors mention other research studies that are being conducted, suggesting that the findings from the Terman subjects are still relevant today.
I enjoyed reading this book, as thought the material was interesting and very relevant to what we are learning in class. One of the key points I took away from this book was that sometimes stereotypical behaviors that are thought to lead to a long life, such as optimism, might not always be true. The authors countered many assumptions people have had about longevity, and supported their arguments with data from the Terman subjects.
I agree with your point about the healthcare system in America having many faults. I think our country needs to do more preventative health promotions. I think that promoting health and teaching our society to change these habits will potentially be very helpful for our healthcare system. I think our society today is stacked against us in terms of being healthy; we have technology, delicious yet fattening foods, and more.
I also agree with you when you said that the stereotypical behaviors were sometimes not the best thing for one’s longevity. I think this book has opened my eyes to be more cautious of accepting health beliefs and to be more vigilant in the way I engage in health behaviors.