Problems with the medical industry shouldn't keep you from seeing a doctor, jtr. You could easily harbor a condition that even a healthy lifestyle can't avoid. An obvious example that should ring close to home is that
famous cyclist and his battle with testicular cancer. Also, not all doctors act as pill pushers & shills for big pharma.
Besides the problems I mentioned, simple lack of money prevents access to medical care if you're unisured like I am. My income is low enough to qualify for EIC. You do the math. I can neither afford medical insurace nor can I pay out of pocket. I don't qualify for any of the insurance programs for the poor, either, as I have more than the requisite $1800 in savings and IRAs. Point of fact, hospitals usually bill out-of-pocket patients several times what the insurance company reimburses them for the same procedure. The assumption is that if you're paying out-of-pocket, it means your wealthy. I couldn't even get quotes from most places for a general checkup. I don't know about you, but I never purchase something without knowing the price first. Some people I know who did pay out of pocket for a basic checkup and lab test were charged in excess of $3000. I obviously can't afford that.
Incidentally, I saw a special on Lance Armstrong last night. Amazing he recovered, let alone won 7 Tours. In my case, I'm not aware of anyone younger than their 60s getting cancer in my family. Of the 3 family members who did get cancer, my uncle (died of lymphoma at 69 ) and my maternal grandfather (died of pancreatic cancer at 78 ) were both heavy smokers. That obviously was the cause. My uncle also drove to work every day. Breathing toxic fumes from traffic undoubtably didn't help, either. My paternal grandmother got some sort of bone cancer in her mid 80s which required removal of her leg. However, the cancer didn't kill her. Basically, complications from obesity did at age 87. I'll also add that she was morbidly obese, sedentary, and ate a very poor diet. In the event I got cancer of any sort, either I would die for lack of being able to afford treatment, or my body would fight it on its own, so no point worrying about it. Anyway, I'm not aware of anyone among relatives or friends for whom cancer treatments helped much. Everyone who got cancer died within a few years despite treatments. I honestly can't see putting myself through all that given such dim hopes of actually curing the cancer once and for all. The best route for cancer is not to get it via lifestyle choices. I avoid going out when the air is most polluted, don't eat foods which are know carcinogens (barbeque, cured meats, for example), pretty much avoid traveling by car, and try to get in a decent amount of exercise (but I really should aim for 20 hours a week instead of the 5 or so I usually get). The main medical problem I have is pretty severe carpal tunnel which prevents me from doing productive work on a steady basis (hence my low income). Other than that, at this point I'm pretty aware of what to do to stay healthy. If I get cancer despite this through an unlucky roll of the dice, I'm probably dead anyway with or without treatment.
My disgust with the medical establishment has a lot to do with the care, or rather lack of it, that my parents got. In a way I'm glad I can't afford access to medical care. Given what I saw my mom go through all these years it appears the insurance companies postpone treatment until the last possible minute. My mom developed severe carpal tunnel syndrome in her mid-40s. By the time the insurance company finally sprang for the operation most of the nerves in her hands were dead. Besides that, it took something like 5 years to even get a proper diagnosis. Doctors kept saying it was arthritis, prescribing pain killers, gold salts, etc. As for my dad, as far as I'm concerned the insurance company helped kill him. Although he abused his body, no excuse not to give a 70+ year old obese patient with a prior heart attack (and one blocked plus one partially blocked coronary artery) an echocardiogram every six months. Had they done so, they probably would have caught the impending blockage which gave him his final, fatal heart attack (he lasted four days in the hospital on life support, but they couldn't do anything). All they did was prescribe Lipitor and give him an EKG once a year. Oh, and I'm sure the Lipitor helped kill him too. He had just about all the indicated side effects, including extreme lethargy, muscle weakness, and constipation. My dad was as strong as an ox. If doctors could have got after him early on to change his lifestyle instead of giving him pills, he would have lived at least into his 90s. His mother doubtless would have made it past 100 had she lived better.
