Dr Erin: What about personal responsibility?
Whose job is it to fix your health problems? Is it yours? Your employer’s? Is it your doctor’s? The answer to this question is difficult for patients to answer because it forces us to take personal responsibility for the state our bodies are in.
The majority of chronic illnesses in the United States are preventable. Diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity are all preventable. They are caused too much refined junk food and not enough physical activity. Yes, you might have bad genes from your family, but all of the research shows that if you make wise lifestyle choices, you can still prevent these costly illnesses.
I’m not a fan of taxing pop and fast food. It’s not the junk food that is at fault for our problems. It’s how we choose to consume junk food that is the problem. The same goes for video games, computers and the couch. It isn’t the couches fault that we sit there for hours at a time.
Making small changes to improve our diet and activity levels make a big difference as get older. Taking that walk tonight or skipping the drive thru might save you thousands of dollars later on. Do your part for true health care reform — take personal responsibility for the body you have been given.
[...] they “did not have time.” It’s difficult to accept that as an excuse. As Dr. Ducat said a few weeks ago, personal responsibility is up to the individual. The immediate question is “do you want to [...]