The Economics of Health

In 1952 Dr. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine to prevent Polio. Later with the help of Dr Albert Saban they developed a version that could be taken orally. With that discovery and whole industry that supported Polio victims disappeared.

This was an important economic lesson. Find a prevention for a disease and the industry that supports that disease goes away.

The American Cancer Society has been raising money for research of cancer since the early 70’s and still has not found an economical enriching way to prevent cancer. All or at least most of their research is directed to the cure of cancer after the fact. Recently there has been discovered a vaccine for Cervical cancer but would there even be a need for the vaccine if there was a study of the relationship of good health and cancer. Even if there was an easy and inexpensive prevention what would be the economic reason for making it available.

Jerry Lewis has been raising money for Multiple Sclerosis for ever and still there is no cure. What is the motivation to find a cheap and easy solution for any disease? What if the cure was in the prevention.

What if there was a relationship between body chemistry and good health. You see there is no money in prevention for drug companies. The FDA only allows drug companies to say that their products cure something because of all the testing the drug companies do. In reality we know that most drugs only treat the symptoms. Drug companies want you to be on their drugs for ever and make more money. There is no money in preventions and most preventions are not patentable. I take drops for my eyes. There 120 drops per bottle and each bottle cost $35. What kind of profit is in those drops?

If I had maintained good health it is very likely I would not have ever had to take those drops.

So we have a health system that is out of control that could eventually bankrupt the country. Why not work on the prevention? It is really simple. Keep the internal fluids of your body above 7 and you maintain a healthy body.

As long as we can make phenomenal amounts money in the health industry there will be no reason to change the status quo. The FDA will continue to be in bed with the drug companies, there will never be a cure for cancer or MS and the health industry will continue to bankrupt the country.