Government Longevity plan

It is great to hear of the Governements plan to improve the health and longevity of the nation by putting the onus of health back on the individual.

He also recognises the absurdity of spending 10 x more money on treatment than prevention.

I firmly believe that people should be encouraged to take ownership of their health in terms of prevention. However, despite highlighting the importance of individual responsibility, the government goes on to say that...

“The plan also recommends that bosses should do more to keep staff healthy”

:doh Isn’t that passing the buck again? Making it some one else’s responsibility?

It is so typical of our leadership, they are constantly sending out mixed messages!

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Originally Posted by Ely

It is so typical of our leadership, they are constantly sending out mixed messages!

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I agree Ely, however, I do feel it is a step in the right direction. People need to be reminded that their health is their problem and not the problem of the state. We are all too expectant for the NHS to pick up the tab and mend us, but continue along an unhealthy lifestyle.

Education is lacking at every level, not helped by 'funded' and controlled research which seeks to further undermine the truth about health.

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Originally Posted by Louise

I agree Ely, however, I do feel it is a step in the right direction. People need to be reminded that their health is their problem and not the problem of the state. We are all too expectant for the NHS to pick up the tab and mend us, but continue along an unhealthy lifestyle.

Education is lacking at every level, not helped by 'funded' and controlled research which seeks to further undermine the truth about health.

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Some strong statements there!

Absolutely Antonio94 and stand behind every word I say. Research is always flawed in some way or another and the difficulty comes in the fact that undertaking any study that is worth its salt requires it to be sizeable and costly. Thats where big Pharma come in, along with a reductionist mindset to health and an intentional favourable outcome.

It certainly explains the conflicting information in the media, made worse by the knee jerk reaction to such studies. The Truth about health is simply that we do not understand the human body and its complexities and even when we have discovered one area with minute detail it is often under the lens of a microscope, without taking into account the whole of the body.

It is like looking at a single star or planet in the universe and expecting it to explain how the universe is constructed and functions. They only thing that is apparent is that any chemicals we put into our body from whatever source medical or non-medical does not serve the body well in the long term.

I know a lot of people are sick of the ‘flavour of the month’ health kick and this has led a lot of people to shy away from hearing what is healthy and what isn’t. Not helped by the fact that no one trusts the government!

Isn’t this all rhetoric! Haven’t they been saying this for some time now?

Our NHS system can not sustain the increasing demand put on it and the mentality that everything is someone else’s problem. People eat all the wrong things, and way too much, they get sick and expect the NHS, or to put it another way people’s taxes to pick up the bill to put the right again!

Do they really want longevity? Surely that just equates to more expense, they need people to die young.

Once people hit 65 they stop paying into the system and start taking out, they are not financially beneficial to society.

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Originally Posted by cherry

Do they really want longevity? Surely that just equates to more expense, they need people to die young.

Once people hit 65 they stop paying into the system and start taking out, they are not financially beneficial to society.

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:eek Of course people over 65 are financially beneficial to the system, they still buy things, travel, pay taxes through their purchases, in fact they probably have more money than anyone else.

The system is rigged up so everyone pays into it in some way!

Today’s 65 + are yesteryears 40+. They are still working, active and paying into the system. It is often in the media that these people are helping to fund the younger generation.

I think the Government should take some responsibility for our health. They allow companies to produce, over processed, sugar laden foods which contribute to the public health.

I think the answer is somewhere in the middle, people do have to start taking responsibility for their health, and the way we live. But the government needs to start taking some control on the companies that produce over processed food, and overly packaged foods too. The array of energy drinks is disgusting, why do they even exist? They should be banned. No one needs that much sugar or caffeine!

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Originally Posted by cherry

Do they really want longevity? Surely that just equates to more expense, they need people to die young.

Once people hit 65 they stop paying into the system and start taking out, they are not financially beneficial to society.

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That’s a ridiculous claim! Is it your opinion, or are you trying to point out that the government doesn’t want people to live a long life?

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Originally Posted by Fran90

That’s a ridiculous claim! Is it your opinion, or are you trying to point out that the government doesn’t want people to live a long life?

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It is my opinion that this is the view of the government. The utopia of government is to have more people paying in than taking out, we have a situation where children stay in full time education until their 18, this is an expectation that a majority will go into further education eventually joining the system at the age of 21-22, people retire at 65-67 if they live to 85-90 then their contribution has been limited for a long period of time. Surely this means there is less going in than coming out? Certainly in terms on the income tax that is generated.