Our country outspends other countries by a large margin on medical care; however, death rates have spiraled down and life expectancy in the U.S. is at a 30 year low. With a current average of 76.4 years, the United States has now been eclipsed by nearly every other developed nation. This is despite the many billions of dollars being spent.
The poll I looked at cited heart disease as the leading cause of death for Americans, and stroke, obesity and diabetes are cases which are expected to double by 2050 as the main diseases impacting people’s health around the world.
Air pollution, smoking, and alcohol consumption — are at levels reminiscent of the Civil War era — were found to be the top risk factors hindering rising life expectancies. “We may be one of the richest countries in the world, and we certainly outspend every country on health care, but Americans are sicker and die earlier than people in dozens of countries,”
“Even Americans with healthy behaviors, for example, those who are not obese or do not smoke, appear to have higher disease rates than their peers in other countries,” this according to research, published in the American Journal of Public Health. I was not surprised to learn the study found major differences between the states. Life expectancy was generally highest throughout the Northeast and West where exercise is a perfected pastime , and lowest is in South Central and Midwestern states where exercise consists primarily in lifting beer mugs and eating pretzels.
The Bible is clear in that we should treat our bodies as temples. Many seem to be temples of doom. We are smoking, eating, and drinking our way through life choosing unhealthy lifestyles over healthy ones. One must ask themselves why these destructive lifestyles are chosen over healthy alternatives. It is a destructive choice chosen over a healthy one.
Lord willing, I will reach 77 years old this month. Early in life I made terrible choices concerning my health. The good news is that it was not that difficult to turn around. For many years now I have exercised, I consume no alcohol, and for the most part maintain a healthy diet. Living on a farm doesn’t hurt in that regard either, because there is plenty of vigorous work to be done daily.
In his letter the apostle Paul encourages us to remember that our bodies do not belong to us but to God. The Bible tells us our bodies are temples. What does ‘Your Body Is a Temple’ Really Mean?
This means that our bodies are not our own but of God. It was bought with a great price, the blood of Christ.
1 Cor. 6:19
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies