The “change” starts with you. The change starts “now.”

Being a couch potato, not exercising, had that extra large fries, can’t keep your hands off that beer, and that puff says it all…

If you are among the people whose philosophy is to live carefree life, and to the fullest because we live only once, then the good news is that you are not alone. Millions of Americans and people around the world think that having fun is “their right” and taking care of their health is somebody “else’s responsibility” – parents, doctors, government, Pretty much, everybody else other than them. The bad news is that might have been true in the past, but the party is coming to an end soon, very soon. Here is it why?

People adopting sedentary lifestyle and not caring for their own health is becoming a very expensive proposition, not only for their own health, but also for the society, and the government at large. Lifestyle diseases, such as, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, etc. have reached epidemic proportions and is crippling our healthcare system. The high cost of healthcare for these diseases is putting too much pressure on our healthcare system, one that it can’t bear for long, without making any changes. We are almost coming to the end of the rope. As per Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), our healthcare spending has increased by a whopping 100 times from $27.4 billion in 1960 to $2,701 billion or $8,680 per person. During this time the US population has just grown 1.6 times (1960: 186 million; 2011: 311 million) (1).

Without changes to our health, the future doesn’t seem to be very bright either. The national US healthcare spending is projected to reach $4,781 billion by 2021(1). As per a report published by The Milken Institute, an independent non-profit think tank, “good health is an investment in economic growth. The United States faces an increasingly competitive global economy, and our national economic performance is closely tied to our ability to maintain the best-educated, most highly trained, and healthiest work force.”(2)

But, there is hope. If we as a society make a change in our attitude towards our health, stop passing the buck, and take control of our own health, we can change the trajectory. We can still hope to see a happy, healthier, and prosperous America. The Milken report concludes, “reducing the avoidable costs associated with these conditions is central to meeting the twin challenges of promoting affordable health care and fostering continued economic growth. We have a choice: continue on the current path or alter it by changing our behaviors and focusing on prevention and early intervention.”(2)

The “change” starts with you. The change starts “now.” I urge you to change not just yourself, but be a change agent, to your family, to your neighbors, to your society, and to this great nation – United States of America.

Your partner in change and taking control of our own health.

iControlMyHealth Editorial Team

1. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis; and U.S. Bureau of the Census.

2. DeVol R. and Bedroussian A, An Unhealthy America: The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease Charting a New Course to Save Lives and Increase Productivity and Economic Growth, Executive Summary and Research Findings, Milken Institute, pub. October 2007, http://www.chronicdiseaseimpact.com.