Mr. or Mrs.?
Posted on 05/16/2006 6:45:28 AM PDT by A. Pole
MEDICAL researchers recently set heads to shaking on both sides of the Atlantic with a study showing that white, middle-aged English people are much healthier than white, middle-aged Americans. The English have less cancer, less high blood pressure, less heart disease and stroke, and less diabetes. To make sure that the difference was not just the result of stiff-upper-lip Brits keeping quiet about what ails them, the researchers also examined biological data, which confirmed the disparity.
The results are so striking because there is no ready explanation for them. Yes, the English have a national health insurance system and we don't, but the gap is just as great between wealthy Englanders and their wealthy US counterparts, nearly all of whom have insurance coverage. In both countries, health relates directly to wealth, but the richest third of Americans have as much heart disease and diabetes as the poorest third of the English. The study focused on persons aged 55 to 64 and included only non-Hispanic whites, to keep health problems related to race or ethnicity from skewing the findings.
[...]
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, has prompted considerable speculation about the roots of American bad health. One theory is that it reflects the fact that Americans on average have fewer vacation days than the English, contributing to an unhealthy level of stress on this side of the Atlantic. The average American gets 12 days of vacation a year; the average British person gets 23.
[...]
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Feel free to believe that, understand you're quite wrong about the content of Hamburger meat in the USA. It's primarily ground round, but can be other cuts from the beef but it is always muscle meat, not any organ meat.
Also, to say "more cancer" can be deceptive. It ought to be broken down by type. I don't imagine Britons get skin cancer more often than Americans, but with other types the result may be different.
Because of all the media coverage of the 'waiting list' problem in the NHS, there's a widespread (judging by the posts on FR threads) but quite erroneous misapprehension about seeing a doctor in the UK - lots of Americans seem to believe that you have to wait for yonks to see any doctor. In fact at the primary care level (what we call over here the General Practitioner or GP service) the service standard is that you can get an appointment with a GP on the same day: and in my own experience I've never known this to fail. If you want an urgent appointment, it may be a duty doctor rather than your own GP: but you certainly get to see a doctor. As a result, far from illness being under-reported, it's over-reported: since GPs are constantly complaining that their surgeries are clogged up with people with trivial complaints (minor viral colds etc) who can easily self-medicate. It's only if and when a referral needs to be made to a specialilst consultant that the waiting list problem starts to arise.
. . .and fewer teeth.
Just kidding!
You did not answer my question: Remind me again why I should eat my heart out.
I am not sure why. This was the original title of the article and mods do not like titles to be changed.
Also the real Yanks (New England WASPs) live quite long.
Although I hate to do it... and never have before.. this thread would not be complete without:
BUSH"S FAULT!
I would say it is more Clinton's fault.
Mr. or Mrs.?
OUCH!
Maybe we Canadians will need to referee this family feud.. ;)
One word: obesity.
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