Researched Argument

One of the biggest challenges facing our nation today is the implementation and practice of preventive health care. Preventive acts “are measures that are performed in an effort to prevent an illness or injury,” thus improving overall health (Jeffries). Having adequate health is a basic human right, and prevention can help it to become a more attainable, realistic goal. Though it is a well-recognized fact that action must be taken to remain healthy, there are many American citizens who do not put conscious thought or effort into the process of preventing disease through healthy practices. Prevention is the most advantageous way for one to be happier and healthier in their life, and it’s easily accomplished if planned and executed in advance. Prevention cannot be an afterthought, and shouldn’t be implemented after the fact; prevention is about stopping the illness or disease before it even occurs. Although treatment is a valid option once the malady has taken root, it is much easier, cheaper, and more rewarding to put prevention in place and avoid ever experiencing the illness. It is important for the public to understand that “most diseases are highly preventable by subscribing to preventive healthcare habits” that are simple to implement into everyday life. (Preventive Health Care Helps Everyone). Preventive health care is beneficial to the American public based on the actions of finding and treating disease early, lowering health costs, and contributing to overall better health.

Preventive health care should be in the forefront of one’s mind at the beginning of every day. It must be actively employed as a habit in order to prevent disease and remain healthy. It is easy for one to forget about implementing prevention into everyday life when they are well; therein lies one of the biggest problems with prevention- follow through. It’s indescribably important to take action to become healthier through prevention, and not just look for ways to treat the individual symptoms one may experience. Health is the most important aspect afforded to an individual, but it is something one must maintain and consciously work on every day. Having good health is worth putting forth effort to sustain feelings of wellbeing on a regular basis. If one is able to get themself into a habit of being healthy, it comes much more easily and naturally. Habits are automatic and if good ones are employed, disease can be fought without a second thought. There are so many simple actions that can be taken to prevent illness from creeping into one’s life. Generally, there’s no simple way to treat chronic disease once it has surfaced, but there are easy measures that can be taken to prevent them from occurring. The importance of prevention as an everyday aspect in each individual’s life cannot be overstated.

The individual behaviors that one chooses to take on an everyday basis are what help to define that person’s life. “Unfortunately, many modifiable risk factors for chronic diseases are not being addressed adequately” therefore quality of life is decreasing as time goes on and preventive measures are not taken (Marvasti and Randall). Though almost everyone comprehends that they may take small steps to becoming healthier and happier, most choose to ignore or bypass these choices in favor of something more fun or convenient. The problem with this attitude is that it catches up to everyone eventually. No one can escape illness without actively employing preventive measures in their lives. An incredible “60% of a person’s health is determined by lifestyle, behavior, and environmental and social factors” and 40% is determined by anything else, including what happens in a clinician’s office (O'Connor, Gutelias, Girard, Hastings, Longoria, and Kohn 69). This demonstrates how much more influential prevention is over treatment. Each individual has control over their health and wellbeing. More than half of our overall health is determined by the things that one chooses to do. The foods we eat, the physical activity we participate in, our attitudes, our genetics, our surroundings, and our friends are all choices that one can make for the most part and can greatly affect the way that person feels on an everyday basis. Many people don’t see their good health as a choice, but it absolutely is. The actions you take and the thoughts you think directly affect the way that you feel. Many people also think their doctor should only be visited when they are sick, but this is not the case. Annual doctor visits, at the very least, should be a regular habit “in order to stay healthy and catch any disease early” (Preventive Health Care Helps Everyone). A doctor is one of the best tools an individual may use to help prevent the introduction of disease into the body. It is better to go to the doctor when it is not needed than to take a trip to the emergency room when symptoms surface that could have been detected through preventive practices. If a disease is caught early it has a much higher chance of being treated and eradicated. If too much time goes by without a diagnosis, it could result in poor health or even death. Incredibly, “two-thirds of all cancers could be eliminated through changes to diet, physical activity, and tobacco use;” although we view it as the worst disease of the time and one of the biggest causes of death in the world today, it could be so easily prevented most of the time if only for a few changes (Shearer). It’s important for consumers to understand that their own personal choices account for their health; it is astonishingly easy to prevent what we view as the most plaguing disease of the age. Recognizing that one has control over their own health can actually help them maintain their health; once they realize how simple it is, they will question why they didn’t participate in preventive measures beforehand. The best feeling one can feel in life is being happy and healthy, free to enjoy all that life has to offer. There are many common examples of preventive care, including such things as “immunizations” in childhood, “yearly physicals,” along with “medications and counseling services” to help individuals eat better and exercise regularly (Jeffries). We encounter many forms of preventive care on an everyday basis, though we may not recognize them as such. Prevention is a big piece of our world, but needs to grow exponentially to truly be effective in the modern world.

Preventive services are “grossly underused” and we have a definite need for change in our country (Jeffries). Preventive health care is incredibly significant because it saves lives. Simple preventive measures such as implementing a healthy diet, exercising, and getting enough sleep on an everyday basis may add many quality years to their life. While people do tend to “live much longer than they used to,” many are not enjoying the “quality of life” that one would hope for (Preventive Health Care Helps Everyone). One of the most important things to look at as a health care consumer is not only the length of life, but the quality of life; extra years of life have no meaning if they are not enjoyable and happy. It’s also important to omit the things that have been proven to be harmful to our health, such as avoiding “tobacco, alcohol, and excessive amounts of sugar and salt” (Preventive Health Care Helps Everyone). Although most everyone knows that these substances are harmful to health, many still partake in their bad habits. It may be a question of addiction, especially when speaking on tobacco or alcohol, making it much more than just a difficult choice. Addiction is one of the biggest obstructions to proper health in our world today. Most everyone also knows that excessive amounts of sugar, salt, and other unhealthy substances in a diet deteriorate health. Many times it’s very difficult to eradicate something that has become a habit, but it is likely the question between proper health habits and poor lifestyle choices; it is a question of good or bad health. “Lifestyle behaviors and choices” play a huge role in determining our health, “yet have historically received little attention” when it comes to preventing them in the first place (Shearer). Even though it is widely recognized that lifestyle choices play one of the largest roles in determining the state of one’s health care, little to no effort is taken when it comes to changing these behaviors and thereby preventing disease. “Though change is painful,” it is sometimes incredibly necessary, as in the last “successful transformation of medicine at the turn of the last century” with this being one of the biggest examples in the world today; it’s incredibly alarming to me that we have not had a notable transformation of our health care system since then (Marvasti and Randall). Never before have we had a greater need for change in this country. Never before have we experienced higher numbers of disease and lower numbers of preventive health. “Unsustainable costs, poor outcomes, frequent medical errors, poor patient satisfaction, and worsening health disparities” are the main evidence that we need a “transformative change” in the modern world of medicine (Marvasti and Randall). There are so many problems in our health care system today that it may seem impossible to know where to begin, but every daunting project needs a starting point. It would take many steps, but this is one of the biggest problems facing our nation today and we need action now.

The question of cost always comes into play when discussing modern health care. There are two ways to address cost: the cost we spend as a nation, and the cost individuals pay for their health care. “Despite spending more on health care than every other industrialized country, the U.S. ranks 37th in health outcomes,” demonstrating just how poorly we spend our money and care for our citizens (O'Connor, Gutelias, Girard, Hastings, Longoria, and Kohn 69). Unbelievably, the United States spend more per capita than any other nation, yet ranks highest in infant mortality rates, and lowest in both hospital beds and life expectancy  (see table below).  It is almost incomprehensible that we cannot as a nation, find a way to spend money more effectively to better help citizens be healthier and live longer lives of quality, not just quantity.

What’s most surprising is that the “increasing spending is largely attributable to preventable conditions. More than 85 cents of every dollar spent on health in the U.S. are spent on the treatment and management of chronic diseases” which are mostly caused by preventable diseases (O'Connor, Gutelias, Girard, Hastings, Longoria, and Kohn 69). As a nation, there is not nearly enough attention or money paid to preventive health care. More attention must be drawn to this issue for anything to ever occur in health care, especially concerning prevention. Though many understand the need for prevention, it is well understood that treatment puts more money into the caretaker’s pocket and out of the consumer’s. “The United States lags far behind other countries” in helping citizens to both attain and maintain adequate health care “yet we manage to spend far more per capita each year on health care than other countries, $7,680 per person, for a national total of $2.3 trillion in 2008” (Shearer).  The nation is able to spend so much more per person with far less results in health care. It’s difficult to understand this phenomenon, until one looks at how much treatment costs when compared to prevention. Many other nations put less money into preventive care that keeps their citizens well, and save money on providing treatment for disease. The United States chooses to do the opposite and pays the price for it. “Preventive services have the potential to help people live longer, avoid disease and disability, and be healthier and more productive” all very obviously good effects on healthcare; however the problem remains that “these improvements may have complex effects on costs,” mainly meaning that healthcare providers won’t allow for these changes to occur because it would take money away from them (Cassidy). This trend is very disturbing; the most effective health care methods should be afforded to everyone, regardless of who makes money off of it. Our society is so geared towards “cost effectiveness” and remaining wealthy, that many are inclined to favor their own gain rather than practically applying preventive measures into their own patient’s lives. This is a matter of pure selfishness; health is a basic human right that should be provided to all, no matter what the profit or cost may be. As previously mentioned, “male life expectancy in 2006” was only 75” low compared to the average rates of “77 in Austria” and “79 in Japan” once again demonstrating that we aren’t using our health care potential to the fullest in this nation (Shearer). The main differences between our nation and the others in the study is that prevention is largely employed in other nations, but not nearly as often in the United States. It was also found that “infant mortality in the United States was seven per 1,000 live births in 2009” and thirty six of the one hundred and ninety three countries had “lower infant mortality rates” (Shearer). When looking at this statistics it becomes easier to glean why exactly we need better preventive health care in this nation. Pregnant women, individuals with obesity or tobacco problems need help now. Prevention can help save newborn babies, reduce obesity rates, diminish cases heart disease and various cancers, and help individuals to live longer and happier lives. When compared to other developed countries throughout the world, the United States ranks last in quality care, safe care, efficiency, cost, long, healthy, and productive lives, and health expenditures per capita; as well as ranking last in overall care (see table below.) These statistics are staggering to our world today; many Americans value this country as the best in the world, but the questions remains as to whether or not we can live up to such a high standard with incredibly low statistics. The citizens of this nation deserve much better than the meager results the United States has produced concerning prevention options. The nation’s priorities are obviously askew when you look at the amount of money spent on health care in our nation. An overwhelming seventy five percent of our nation’s health care expenditure is spent treating disease, while only three percent going towards prevention.

This is what needs to change more than anything else. The one thing that could help our nation more than anything else would be a reversal of these numbers. Though it will probably never occur this way, it would at least be beneficial for the percentage of money spent on prevention to increase. It should be at least twenty to thirty percent of the expenditure in the nation. It is unrealistic to list it as higher than this at this point, though it would incredibly beneficial for it to increase exponentially as time goes on.

Of course, for every piece of controversy, there is an opposing view to undermine it. Many people think that treatment is a valid enough option, or that prevention is overstated; these people don’t look at health care on an individual basis, or over the long-run. “The cost per person, per year, can look low. But when those costs are summed over all the people who receive the preventive intervention, and all the years they receive it, the total cost usually exceeds the treatment savings,” according to one source in an online article (Russell). Though he makes a valid point, it is much more important to remain healthy then save a few dollars. It actually is more cost-effective to those who would get sick otherwise to seek prevention before they need treatment. Also, he fails to look at minor illnesses that could be prevented such as colds and flus that cost one precious time away from their family, and income from missing work. Though it can be difficult to separate the individual from the whole picture, it’s important to look at both aspects in the debate. Russell states that “prevention addresses risks of disease, not disease itself” but the possibility of not contracting a disease that may or may not have occurred is more intelligent in the long run than risking the disease and treating it later. It’s a better idea for an individual to implement preventive practices into their life, such as eating healthy and exercising, to avoid a disease that may never happen than to act on unhealthy impulses and run the risk of contracting debilitating diseases. Even the man conducting the counterargument agrees that “prevention is often worth doing because it brings better health,” although he concedes that “with prevention, as with treatment, better health comes at a higher price most of the time,” even though he doesn’t address whether it may or may not be worth it in the long run (Russell).

            The treatment model of disease simply stated is not good enough to encompass all of health care in its entirety. Prevention and treatment need to both go hand in hand when it comes to the health care system; prevention must be the first step and if it should fail, treatment should be put into play. Hopefully only the first step would be necessary, but treatment is a valid option once disease is already present. Unfortunately, “our very culture devalues disease prevention,” opting for treatment as an alternative rather than a partner (Marvasti and Randall). As previously stated, we need the both of them to truly maintain the health of our nation. There is no proper way to care for an individual without the use of both prevention and treatment throughout the lifespan. It seems like sheer common sense that to be truly healthy, one should prevent all they can, and treat what they can’t prevent. Regrettably, “our health care system is geared to treating illness after the fact,” leaving little room for preventive health care in its wake (Preventive Health Care Helps Everyone). Many people are unaware of the preventive measures they can take to reduce their risk of disease throughout their life.  It is simply not well advertised enough and “our medical system does not emphasize it” enough for it to be a truly effective service in the medical field (Preventive Health Care Helps Everyone).  They are both effective measures for stopping disease, it just makes much more sense to prevent the disease from occurring, and avoid the pain and debilitating symptoms associated with it, rather than waiting until the suffering has already begun to attempt to treat the illness-which may or may not when it comes right down to it. Health care costs are rising and instead of more preventive healthcare to keep them lower, there is even less occurring because our society cares more about the treatment of disease.

It’s difficult to say whether or not prevention in our country will increase as it needs to. Just because there is a need for something does not necessarily mean that it will occur. Preventive health care needs to be advertised ten times as much as treatment is. Seventy percent of all deaths in our nation can be related back to preventable diseases. Though everyone has to die at some point, it shouldn’t occur as early as it does for people who are sick. Imagine all the people who could have their lives extended if only they were better educated and employed the basic tenants involved with preventive health care. Even though treatment was the focus of the past, prevention is the goal of the future. We must take action in the present to bring to fruition the practice of prevention. Education is the most important goal; implantation of healthy habits in one’s daily life is the next. Everyone deserves to live their life to the fullest. Having good health is the main way to remain happy throughout the life span. Poor health is debilitating and depressing, and restrains one from being able to do all the things they wish to do. Preventive health care is the only true way to keep oneself from becoming ill in the first place. If we were to all practice prevention, the world could be a much healthier place. Educate yourself, and then educate those around you so we can all more fully understand how to keep ourselves healthy. Prevention is our ticket to happiness, if we all just choose to use it to the fullest extent that we can.

Works Cited

Cassidy, Amanda. "Preventive Services Without Cost Sharing." Health Policy Briefs. Health Affairs, 28 Dec 2010. Web. 25 Oct 2013.

International Health Comparisons. 2004. Chart. OECD Health DataWeb. 25 Oct 2013. <http://federallyreserved.com/mr-schiff-you-are-wrong-on-health-care-in-the-us.html>.

Jeffries, Melissa. "Types of Preventive Care." Preventive Care Overview. Discovery Fit & Health. Web. 25 Oct 2013. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/preventive-care/preventative-care1.htm >.

Marvasti, Farshad, and Randall Stafford. "From Sick Care to Health Care." The New England Journal of Medicine. N.p., 06 Sept 2012. Web. 25 Oct 2013.

O'Connor, Jean, Bruce Gutelias, Karen Girard, Danna Hastings, Luci Longoria, and Melvin Kohn. "Paying for Prevention: A Critical Opportunity for Public Health." Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics. (2013): 69. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.

Overall Ranking. 2010. Photograph. UrbanomicsWeb. 25 Oct 2013. <http://gulzar05.blogspot.com/2010/07/comparing-health-care-systems-across.html>.

"Preventive Health Care Helps Everyone." World Research Foundation. WRF. Web. 25 Oct 2013. <http://www.wrf.org/preventive-healthcare/preventive-healthcare.php>. 

Russell, Louise. "Prevention Will Reduce Medical Costs: A Persistent Myth." Health Care Cost Monitor. The Hastings Center. Web. 25 Oct 2013.

Shearer, Gail. "Prevention Provisions in the Affordable Care Act." American Public Health Association. APHA, 01 OCT 2010. Web. 25 Oct 2013.

Self-Reflective Essay

            Before taking this class I had always envisioned an argument as two people yelling at each other. I couldn’t picture it as a calm and informative academic discussion, but that’s exactly what an informed argument is. One gives a commentary on an issue to be read by an audience who finds it valid and relevant to them. I’ve learned about so many various tools to use in my writing-from analyzing a piece of evidence I may use to using appeals to emotion and logic. Everything we worked on and discussed in class helped build to create my own informed argument. We were thrown into an academic conversation to sink or swim as we may. Research was done over a multitude of weeks to culminate the evidence for our individual arguments. The whole experience helped produce an argument I can be proud of because I know what I’m talking about and have wrapped previous arguments and ideas into my own. Throughout this essay, I will be discussing not only what I’ve learned about informed arguments and how it’s helped me, but also the idea of an informed argument on zombies.

            Who first imagined zombies? Is there any real evidence that they could exist? The most important first step in any argument is to have an interest in a particular subject and a desire to learn more about it. Asking questions is one of the most important things you can do, even before doing any actual research. Could zombies ever exist in the future? What would have to happen for them to emerge? Observation to how things are now is important, as well as examining alternatives to how things could be. For all we know, zombies could arise in an apocalyptic sense at any moment. I think the process of inquiry of the world around you is the most important step to formulating an informed argument. If you don’t question the world around you and look for what needs to or could change, there would be no need to write an informed argument. Questioning the world around us is the only way we find information or see what needs to change in the future.

            The next important step in creating an informed argument is research and analysis of various sources. It’s always important to check the validity and reliability of the author of an article or book. Even though someone may appear to be an “expert” on the subject, it isn’t always the case. For example, there are many apocalyptic extremists who will tell you the zombies are coming and they will take over the world. Though we can’t say at this moment if this has any truth to it, they rarely offer any evidence to back up their claims. Their credibility is questionable at best; these people are generally found to be an unreliable source when you come right down to it. One should always do research first before formulating their thesis and opinion on a particular subject. One must be open and receptive to ideas that vary from their own; one should always be respectful of other’s viewpoints and be flexible in their thinking. Annotation should be done on any research, including defining terms, responding to questions, asking questions, and formulating your own points based on the work. Once the research is collected, annotated, and the selections have been made, analysis is the next step. One should identify the writer’s reasoning for writing on the subject, their purpose in writing about it, their various claims, and the audience they are targeting their argument towards.

Zombies would be an easy idea to analyze, but not such an easy topic to research. Though there are many fictional pieces of work depicting zombies in their various forms, there is very scanty evidence to show their existence or traits as actual beings. One would be hard pressed to find reliable sources giving information on zombies as real entities because it’s impossible to experiment upon something that doesn’t exist in our world today.

            The next part of the process involves writing the actual argument and putting all the work into one paper. One should formulate a thesis to focus their paper on a specific topic and develop their argument throughout the argument to back up the thesis. One should generally formulate the introduction and conclusion first so the beginning and ending of the argument strongly support the topics in each paragraph. There should always be details and evidence to back up each and every one of your claims so your audience knows that it isn’t just an opinion. The opposing point of view should be included, as it will strengthen the argument if you are able to disprove or undermine it with your own view. If I had to write an entire informed argument on the progression of zombies I would include any logical facts as logos, any emotions as pathos, and my own credibility as ethos. I would have to do my research on what was known about zombies in a non-fictional sense, ask how one would feel if one of their loved ones turned into a zombie, and speak about my own place in the academic conversation.

Though it may seem a little silly to contemplate zombies coming to be, it is a logical example to show how an informed argument can arise. I’ve learned a lot from the experience of writing my own informed argument and it has definitely bettered me as a student and a writer. I used to just find a piece of evidence and trust what it said, regardless of whether or not it was an opinion rather than a fact. I’m now able to analyze various pieces of evidence in their entirety, and determine whether or not it’s a reliable source. I put work into my paper each week by using each assignment given to contribute into the argument. It made writing my argument so much more simple to build off the work I had already done. If I were to form an informed argument on zombies, I would start with asking questions without judgment. If I knew absolutely nothing about them, I would start from the bottom and build my way up. Even though I had some ideas about preventive care before I entered my own argument into the conversation, I decided early on not to make a judgment until I had seen all sides of the argument. This is one of the most important things you can do when formulating an informed argument. The key word is informed, not prematurely judgmental or biased on a topic; it involves becoming entirely informed about a topic and joining the argument from there. Though it took a lot of work, I was glad to be able to write such a long and informative paper that could maybe help someone in their own informed argument; maybe my research can contribute to someone else’s new ideas and opinions.