We’ve known for years that Americans tend to be overweight and sedentary. Our health care system, despite being the priciest in the world, consistently produces poor results. Health nerds who closely follow the news may even have known that we live shorter lives than people in other rich nations and that infants in the U.S. die from various causes at far higher rates.

However, a recent report tapped vast stores of data to compare the health of affluent nations and delivered a worrisome new message: Americans’ health is even worse than we thought, ranking below 16 other developed nations.

Poor Health Is Not Just For The Poor

This is not just the underdeveloped areas, even if you’re fairly well-to-do you this is just as much of a problem.  The results surprised even the researchers. To their alarm, they said, they found a “strikingly consistent and pervasive” pattern of poorer health at all stages of life, from infancy to childhood to adolescence to young adulthood to middle and old age.

Compared to people in other developed nations, Americans die far more often from injuries and homicides. We suffer more deaths from alcohol and other drugs and endure some of the worst rates of heart disease, lung disease, obesity, and diabetes. 

As individuals, the study found:

Americans are less likely to smoke and may drink less heavily than their counterparts in peer countries, but they consume the most calories per capita, abuse more prescription and illicit drugs, are less likely to fasten seatbelts, have more traffic accidents involving alcohol, and own more firearms.

The U.S. is Losing Ground on Health Care

Yet even fit, nonsmoking Americans have higher disease rates than those elsewhere, the report said.  Among the most striking of the report’s findings are that among the countries studied, the U.S. has:

• The highest rate of death by violence, by a stunning margin
• The highest rate of death by car accident, also dramatically so
• The highest chance that a child will die before age 5
• The second-highest rate of death by coronary heart disease
• The second-highest rate of death by lung disease
• The highest teen pregnancy rate
• The highest rate of women dying due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth

When I read this article, I was not surprised to hear the news that our nation’s health care is rapidly declining.  There is sufficient evidence that suggests our medical “sick care” system is one of the leading causes of death in America and in some cases cause more harm than good.

So many people put their health last because they are too busy, think they can’t afford it, think they are fine because they feel good and don’t make the time to live a healthy life.  Even worse than that is the fact that we are so quick to blame others for our health issues rather than take responsibility our own health.

How to Beat the U.S. Health Care System

There is a pathway to better health and a better life.  There is an answer, and you can control your health and your future! That is the 5 essentials of Max Living.

1. Getting adjusted and correcting your spine
2. Eating healthy natural foods
3. Exercising the right way
4. Ridding your body and environment of toxins
5. Having a clear plan and commitment to your health success.

If you are having any issues, I challenge you not to blame or make excuses, but look inside and ask, “which areas of the 5 Essentials am I not giving 100%?”

This is why everyone you know; everyone you care about should be under care living the 5 Essentials of Max Living.  We are here to help you, and we care about your success.  It is up to us to change these numbers and these stats for the greater good.