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The average life expectancy in the United States has fallen in the last two years. You’re probably thinking cancer and heart disease must be rearing their cruel, ugly heads, right? Wrong. Drug overdoses and general substance abuse are to blame.
Think about that!
The table below, originally published by The Economist, illustrates our country’s life expectancy trends compared with other countries with similar economies: (copyright The Economist)
The good news is….
We are experiencing a decrease in overall mortality from heart disease and cancer. Advances in cancer treatment, along with improving cardiovascular factors like diet and exercise, are to thank for this.
The bad news is…..
The steepest increase in mortality was from drug overdoses, most notably in adults between 25 and 34 years of age. The CDC cites both opioid and non-opioid drugs, as well as alcohol abuse to blame.
I see this as a call to action. Decades ago, we saw the alarming rise in heart disease as a mandate to begin teaching preventive measures—the importance of aerobic exercise, the difference between healthy fats and trans fats and triglycerides, and lowering the acceptable blood pressure level, among other things.
These measures took cooperation between large government agencies (like the FDA), local government (school systems, healthy lunches, etc.), as well as physicians and hospitals.
So, now with our alarming rates of opioid and substance abuse, our government needs to work with our healthcare system to put in place new measures for the next generation.
We are supposed to have government safety nets to help those in need of addiction. Most importantly, we are supposed to have adequate health care, which doesn’t throw opioids at every patient with a backache.
We are already on our way, with the present administration already dedicating millions of dollars to the disease of addiction. Another positive sign is that addiction is being talked about on every level of healthcare. The discussion and focus is good, but it clearly isn’t enough.
Doctors need to take into account each patient’s history and genetics when crafting a plan to treat both acute and chronic pain. Understanding the genetics of addiction helps prevent a repeat in each generation.
The focus for so many health issues needs to turn away from “taking a pill for that” and towards alternative therapies to work together. Acupuncture, physical therapy, exercise and meditation are all a part of drug detox and rehab programs. These modalities need to be part of our prevention.
Addiction is a very complex disease, so there will likely be no one “fix.” We need to take a good look at why our country is falling so far behind others when it comes to substance abuse issues.
There is no excuse for accepting the fact that our life expectancy rates continue to decline below that of other wealthy countries like France and Japan. Americans should be outraged at the statistics reflected in these trends.
At the end of 2018, we should know if this trend continues for a third year in a row. The last time the US saw a decline in life expectancy for three straight years? It was over 100 years ago, due to the Spanish flu pandemic.
Think about that!
