The CHRONIC DISEASES – AN AMERICAN EPIDEMIC – PROFILES AND GROUP CHARACTERISTICS.
By definition CHRONIC DISEASES are long time and most likely life – time afflictions plaguing modern societies as a major threat for all ages.
During the elections campaign of 2024 the presidential candidate and future Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr. has opened the most acute discussion about the present health crisis in America by proclaiming that …..
Chronic diseases are a national American pandemic and the future of the HEALTH in this country will depend on how seriously we will handle this most crucial challenge of our time.
The total neglect of this national health crisis is self evident when some statistical values are analyzed :
At 4,5 Trillion dollars spent in 2022 alone for chronic diseases care , over 91% have been spent for treatments and ONLY 3.5% therefrom for preventive procedures.
The largest epidemically afflicted group of patients within the population of the United States can be categorized and summarily described together as the CD patients. Due to its extremely large spectrum of afflictions , this CD group continues to grow in numbers, reaching in 2017 to over 120 million Americans.
By the middle of 2024 the pandemic has reached over 50 % of our population with a distinct trend of onset limit continuing to drop to an alarming , never before imaginable young age.
The qualitative statistics of CD in the American population remains unchanged over the last decades in respect to incidence, demographics and morbidity The quantitative values in each subcategory however continue to rise in an escalating tempo more than ever before.
Cardiovascular disease is the main American category with over 78 Mill. cases reported in the 2020th and counting for over 800 K fatalities annually.
Diabetes in both stages will follow with strong connection to Obesity ( presently at over 74% of the entire population) even in the youngest generations……with one out of two Americans afflicted….. in comparison to 1960s values of only 1% presence in American society.
Atherosclerosis , Alzheimer disease, MS , and Pulmonary/ respiratory afflictions are following closely into the next class of incidences,
Rheumatic diseases and skeletal afflictions are the next major component of our CD statistics.
Gastrointestinal and metabolic syndrome subcategories are percentage – wise followed by neurological and kidney diseases , Lupus and other immune disorders.
The qualitative characteristics of the CD in the US may appear similar to other industrial societies but the numerical values – the sheer numbers of afflicted patients are of gigantic proportions.
The uniqueness and quite American specific combination of :
Chronic diseases
Metabolic dysfunctions
Food toxicity
Chronic stress and
Polluted environment….are manifested in , and responsible for the acceleration of the HEALTH CRISIS in America today.
Especially alarming are the facts reflected by the Pentagon studies of 2022 , showing that over 77% of young Americans are too sick to serve in the military.
In addition to the above ” regular ” CD patients. The very high profile and statistically overwhelmingly relevant patients category is doubtless the drug – opioid – addictions group .
Immensely growing in importance – politically ,economically , morally and for all other humanitarian reasons , this large group of addictions presents an enormous burden to the American society at large and a huge part of the Health national expense,
Presently, quite rudimentary designed and poorly managed detoxifications programs in America are reflected by an enormous increase in fatalities in this category across our nation with Fentanyl as the main cause of this unprecedented loss of lives.
With only 4% of the global population, America exhibits over 27% of global addictions amounting to over 300 deaths per week and more than 700 Billions of dollars annual loss to our economy.
The patient’s profile of this category is different in age, physical condition and receptivity than the general CD patients group but the mental factor , the drug pressure and the stimulated dependency will require a more drastic and decisive approach especially when superseded by other chronic disorders and manifestations,
The new national revival of HEALTH AWARENESS , initiated first and promoted further by our future Secretary of Health Mr. Robert Kennedy Jr . will certainly transform the way we think and perceive the idea of HEALTH in AMERICA and with the scientific help of BALNEOLOGY the proposed goal by Mr. Kennedy will be achieved.
Our ABMI charitable organization represents our efforts and our conviction to make the BALNEOLOGY and BALNEO-MEDICINE enormous healing possibilities available to our American veterans and their families as well as to all Americans by offering a true scientific medical program capable to heal, alleviate suffering, restore health and ultimately save lives .
Dr. F. Braich DDS, PhD.
CEO – ABMI . copyright, all rights reserved.
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THE CHRONIC DISEASE DILEMMA
A SHORT MEMO
by
Prof. Dr. Karl – Ludwig Resch
Infections were the most life-threatening health issue of mankind well into the 20th century, when medicine discovered therapeutic strategies to cure. Meanwhile, non-communicable diseases known as chronic conditions/diseases/disorders (CD) have taken over and account for up to 90% of all deaths in developed countries.
Unlike infections, there is no cure, “treatments” do not affect the cause but only symptoms and are typically not more than a kind of “shiftless disease management” accompanying patients for the rest of their lives. While the cure of infections requires a precise and specific short term intervention, CD management is causing permanent and lifelong expenditures without any hope or perspective of a fundamental change. It is predictable that with the current steady increase in prevalence financial resources for “best possible treatment” will become increasingly scarce.
There is therefore an urgent need for two fundamental strategies: Firstly a massive increase of funds for preventive measures, and secondly identification and implementation of new treatment strategies for CD with a much better cost-benefit ratio. Strategies that are readily accepted and easy to perform and adhere, and strategies with a major, perceivable positive effect on subjective well-being are inherently way more cost-efficient than those that have an impact on surrogate physiologic variables in the first place.
Prof. Dr. Karl – Ludwig Resch
Director – D I G – German Institute for Health Research.
Copyright, all rights reserved.