Monday, December 10, 2012

Why Healthcare and Wellness are NOT the same

Why Healthcare and Wellness are NOT the same

Why does the USA rank #1 in healthcare spending but #37 in the World Health Organization in overall quality (see lists below).  My opinion is that in the USA, we focus on sick care and not real health care or wellness care.  Due to advertising and propaganda, people have handed over the responsibility of their wellness to "healthcare system"- which is often subsidized by pharmaceutical corporations. According to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), at least half of all Americans take at least one prescription drug, with one in six taking three or more medications.  This is NOT an accident.  This is by design.  It's all about the dollar.  Common sense would tell us that if we spend more money on "healthcare" we would be healthier. Is this true?  No.   We are NOT getting healthier.  Look around. Do people look healthier?  Are people more active? More energetic? How many people are in chronic pain? How many people suffer from inflammation? How many children suffer from ADD and ADHD? 

 How many times have you seen a television advertisement for a condition you never heard of? Do you think this is an accident?  Is this simply a way to sell more drugs?  Keep in mind, Wall Street STRONGLY encourages the CEOs of companies to expand market share.  If you were a CEO making several millions of dollars per year, would you expand market share if that's what it took to keep your job? The answer is yes, you would...you would do whatever it took to expand market share!

 Because politicians are rewarded handsomely by big pharma via contributions  (http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=H04), any time healthcare reform is discussed or debated in Congress, the big pharma interest is always preserved.  At no point in time is the overall wellness of the US citizens considered.  Yes, politicians talk about taking care of the elderly and saving Medicare but they ALWAYS talk about keeping the cost of prescrpitions affordable. There is NEVER a discussion about prevention, nutrition, exercise, and supplementation.  In fact, Medicare states that "care that seeks to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong and enhance the quality of life, is not considered medically necessary."   Do you realize the power of this?  Drugs, which add to the bottom line of big pharma, are subsidized by the government but preventative measures will not be considered.  

 As the White House and Congress debate deficits and debt why is NOBODY considering the cost savings of prevention?  Why are we talking about SAVING Medicare and drug benefits without discussing prevention? Whatever happened to "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?"  Shouldn't we provide incentives to Americans to BE HEALTHY and NOT UTILIZE EXPENSIVE SICK CARE?????? If the number one expense to the federal government is Medicare/healthcare, then the number one target should be to reduce the cost by increasing effectiveness-- via prevention and TRUE WELLNESS.  We should focus on eating well, exercising, and supplementing intelligently. However, eating well, exercising and supplementing intelligently doesn't feed the dragon...


 People need to understand the following:
  • Our healthcare system is not based on wellness - if it was, Medicare would cover preventative measures
  • Our healthcare system IS based on profit
  • There is no incentive in our current system to HEAL patients- the incentive is to get as many people as possible on maintenance pharmaceuticals
  • The FDA has NEVER tested the long-term effects of taking multiple prescription drugs in combination.  Many of these combinations are toxic to the kidneys, liver, & other organs. What happens when symptoms arise from kidney or liver damage? More drugs???!!!!
  • Breast Cancer Awareness Month (pink ribbons) is sponsored by a pharmaceutical company. This explains why the focus is on profit driven treatment and prevention methods 
    • courtesy of preventcancer.com: "Since 1985, Zeneca Pharmaceuticals has been the sole funder of October's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). Zeneca's parent company, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), is one of the world's largest manufacturers of petrochemical and chlorinated organic products -- including the plastic ingredient, vinyl chloride -- which has been directly linked to breast cancer, and the pesticide Acetochlor.  In addition, Zeneca is the sole manufacturer of Tamoxifen, the world's top-selling cancer drug used for breast cancer. In return for funding the awareness campaign, ICI/Zeneca has control and veto power over every poster, pamphlet and commercial produced by NBCAM."
 
So where do we go from here?  First of all, I would strongly recommend that each person find a caring health professional who understands wellness.  Openly discuss natural options to drugs with your health professional.  If your health professional seems completely closed to alternatives, find a new health professional.  Become educated.  Follow the money trail.  Utilize the internet to gather information about pharmaceuticals and procedures. Ask about options. Realize that every business, including your family physician's office, is driven by revenue-- and ultimately profit. Think about this when you receive advice. 


 
Healthcare spending by country:

 Rank           Country                                                        $ Per Capita  % of GDP
1  United States 7,164 15.2
2  Monaco 5,996 3.6
3  Luxembourg 5,750 6.8
4  Norway 5,207 8.5
5  Switzerland 4,815 10.7
6  Netherlands 4,283 9.9
7  Austria 4,150 10.2
8  Belgium 4,096 11.1
9  Germany 3,922 10.5
10  Canada 3,867 9.8
11  France 3,851 11.2
12  Denmark 3,814 9.9
13  Ireland 3,797 8.7
14  San Marino 3,690 7.1
15  Sweden 3,622 9.4
16  Iceland 3,583 9.2
17  Australia 3,365 8.5
18  Finland 3,299 8.8
19  United Kingdom 3,222 8.7
20  Andorra 3,128 7.5
21  Greece 3,010 10.1
22  Spain 2,941 9.0
23  Italy 2,836 8.7
24  Japan 2,817 8.3
25  New Zealand 2,655 9.7
26  Portugal 2,578 10.6
27  Slovenia 2,420 8.3
28  Niue 2,360 13.5
29  Israel 2,093 8.0
30  Taiwan (Republic of China)[3] 2,080 6.5
31  Slovakia 1,849 8.0
32  Cyprus 1,838 6.0
33  Singapore 1,833 3.3
34  Czech Republic 1,830 7.1
35  Korea, South 1,806 6.5
36  Bahamas, The 1,737 7.2
37  Qatar 1,691 2.0
38  Malta 1,664 7.3
39  Croatia 1,553 7.8
40  Hungary 1,506 7.2
41  Barbados 1,498 6.7
42  Estonia 1,325 6.1
43  Lithuania 1,318 6.6
44  Bahrain 1,282 3.7
45  Poland 1,271 7.0
46  Trinidad and Tobago 1,237 4.7
47  Latvia 1,206 6.6
48  Montenegro 1,162 8.4
49  Brunei 1,131 2.3
50  Chile 1,088 7.5
51  Argentina 1,062 7.4
52  Costa Rica 1,059 9.4
53  Botswana 1,053 7.6
54  Lebanon 1,009 8.8
55  Palau 991 10.8
56  Russia 985 4.8
57  Uruguay 982 7.8
58  Bulgaria 974 7.1
59  Antigua and Barbuda 958 4.7
60  Bosnia and Herzegovina 937 10.3
61  Kuwait 932 2.0
62  Panama 924 7.2
63  Seychelles 911 4.2
64  United Arab Emirates 888 2.5
65  Brazil 875 8.4
66  Serbia 867 10.0
67  Turkey 845 6.1
68  South Africa 843 8.2
69  Romania 840 5.4
70  Mexico 837 5.9
71  Saudi Arabia 831 3.6
72  Maldives 769 13.7
73  Macedonia, Republic of 738 6.8
74  Saint Kitts and Nevis 698 5.8
75  Saint Lucia 698 7.0
76  Belarus 688 5.6
77  Venezuela 683 5.4
78  Mauritius 681 5.5
79  Equatorial Guinea 658 1.9
80  Malaysia 621 4.3
81  Iran 613 5.5
82  Oman 600 2.1
83  Grenada 593 6.7
84  Dominica 584 6.0
85  Albania 569 6.8
86  Suriname 532 7.2
87  Colombia 517 5.9
88  Libya 502 3.0
89  Ukraine 502 6.8
90  Tunisia 500 6.4
91  Jordan 496 9.4
92  Cuba 495 12.0
93  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 486 5.2
94  Ecuador 466 5.7
95  Dominican Republic 465 5.6
96  Kazakhstan 444 3.9
97  Namibia 440 6.9
98  Nauru 440 14.0
99  Algeria 437 5.4
100  Georgia 433 8.7
101  El Salvador 410 6.0
102  Federated States of Micronesia 408 13.3
103  Azerbaijan 395 4.3
104  Gabon 384 2.6
105  Peru 381 4.5
106  Jamaica 364 4.8
107  Cook Islands 361 4.3
108  Thailand 328 4.1
109  Belize 323 4.5
110  Moldova 320 10.7
111  Guatemala 308 6.5
112  Kiribati 304 12.5
113  Swaziland 287 5.8
114  Paraguay 281 6.0
115  Tuvalu 266 9.7
116  China 265 4.3
117  Samoa 264 5.9
118  Bhutan 263 5.5
119  Egypt 261 4.8
120  Marshall Islands 251 14.0
121  Nicaragua 251 9.4
122  Honduras 248 6.3
123  Guyana 247 8.1
124  Morocco 231 5.3
125  Armenia 224 3.8
126  Vietnam 201 7.2
127  Bolivia 194 4.5
128  Tonga 194 5.0
129  Sri Lanka 187 4.1
130  Angola 183 3.3
131  Cape Verde 176 4.4
132  Vanuatu 170 3.9
133  Fiji 168 3.5
134  Djibouti 153 6.9
135  São Tomé and Príncipe 153 8.7
136  Sudan 147 6.9
137  Solomon Islands 139 5.3
138  Uzbekistan 134 4.9
139  Yemen 133 4.8
140  Mongolia 131 3.8
141  Philippines 129 3.7
142  Turkmenistan 124 1.9
143  Kyrgyzstan 123 5.7
144  Syria 123 3.1
145  India 122 4.2
146  Lesotho 119 7.6
147  Cambodia 118 5.7
148  Cameroon 117 5.3
149  Ghana 114 7.8
150  Nigeria 113 5.2
151  Timor-Leste 112 13.9
152  Uganda 112 7.8
153  Congo, Republic of the 108 2.7
154  Iraq 107 3.3
155  Sierra Leone 104 13.3
156  Rwanda 102 9.4
157  Senegal 102 5.7
158  Tajikistan 95 5.0
159  Indonesia 91 2.3
160  Côte d'Ivoire 88 5.4
161  Chad 86 6.4
162  Laos 84 4.0
163  Burkina Faso 82 5.9
164  Zambia 80 5.9
165  Gambia, The 75 5.5
166  Papua New Guinea 70 3.2
167  Togo 70 6.2
168  Haiti 69 6.1
169  Kenya 66 4.2
170  Nepal 66 6.0
171  Mali 65 5.6
172  Pakistan 62 2.6
173  Benin 61 4.1
174  Guinea 58 5.5
175  Afghanistan 57 7.4
176  Tanzania 57 4.5
177  Mauritania 54 2.6
178  Burundi 50 13.0
179  Malawi 49 9.1
180  Guinea-Bissau 48 8.6
181  Liberia 46 11.9
182  Madagascar 46 4.4
183  Bangladesh 44 3.3
184  Niger 40 5.9
186  Comoros 39 3.5
185  Mozambique 39 4.7
187  Ethiopia 37 4.3
188  Central African Republic 32 4.3
189  Burma 27 2.2
190  Congo, Democratic Republic of the 23 7.3
191  Eritrea 18 3.1

 The World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems.
Source: WHO World Health Report 

The World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems was last produced in 2000, and the WHO no longer produces such a ranking table, because of the complexity of the task. 


    Rank       Country
 
1         France
2         Italy
3         San Marino
4         Andorra
5         Malta
6         Singapore
7         Spain
8         Oman
9         Austria
10        Japan
11        Norway
12        Portugal
13        Monaco
14        Greece
15        Iceland
16        Luxembourg
17        Netherlands
18        United  Kingdom
19        Ireland
20        Switzerland
21        Belgium
22        Colombia
23        Sweden
24        Cyprus
25        Germany
26        Saudi Arabia
27        United  Arab  Emirates
28        Israel
29        Morocco
30        Canada
31        Finland
32        Australia
33        Chile
34        Denmark
35        Dominica
36        Costa Rica
37        United States of America 
38        Slovenia
39        Cuba
40        Brunei
41        New Zealand
42        Bahrain
43        Croatia
44        Qatar
45        Kuwait
46        Barbados
47        Thailand
48        Czech Republic
49        Malaysia
50        Poland
51        Dominican Republic
52        Tunisia
53        Jamaica
54        Venezuela
55        Albania
56        Seychelles
57        Paraguay
58        South     Korea
59        Senegal
60        Philippines
61        Mexico
62        Slovakia
63        Egypt
64        Kazakhstan
65        Uruguay
66        Hungary
67        Trinidad and Tobago
68        Saint     Lucia
69        Belize
70        Turkey
71        Nicaragua
72        Belarus
73        Lithuania
74        Saint Vincent  and the   Grenadines
75        Argentina
76        Sri  Lanka
77        Estonia
78        Guatemala
79        Ukraine
80        Solomon   Islands
81        Algeria
82        Palau
83        Jordan
84        Mauritius
85        Grenada
86        Antigua   and Barbuda
87        Libya
88        Bangladesh
89        Macedonia
90        Bosnia-Herzegovina
91        Lebanon
92        Indonesia
93        Iran
94        Bahamas
95        Panama
96        Fiji
97        Benin
98        Nauru
99        Romania
100       Saint Kitts and Nevis
101       Moldova
102       Bulgaria
103       Iraq
104       Armenia
105       Latvia
106       Yugoslavia
107       Cook Islands
108       Syria
109       Azerbaijan
110       Suriname
111       Ecuador
112       India
113       Cape Verde
114       Georgia
115       El   Salvador
116       Tonga
117       Uzbekistan
118       Comoros
119       Samoa
120       Yemen
121       Niue
122       Pakistan
123       Micronesia
124       Bhutan
125       Brazil
126       Bolivia
127       Vanuatu
128       Guyana
129       Peru
130       Russia
131       Honduras
132       Burkina   Faso
133       Sao Tome and Principe
134       Sudan
135       Ghana
136       Tuvalu
137       Ivory Coast
138       Haiti
139       Gabon
140       Kenya
141       Marshall Islands
142       Kiribati
143       Burundi
144       China
145       Mongolia
146       Gambia
147       Maldives
148       Papua New Guinea
149       Uganda
150       Nepal
151       Kyrgystan
152       Togo
153       Turkmenistan
154       Tajikistan
155       Zimbabwe
156       Tanzania
157       Djibouti
158       Eritrea
159       Madagascar
160       Vietnam
161       Guinea
162       Mauritania
163       Mali
164       Cameroon
165       Laos
166       Congo
167       North Korea
168       Namibia
169       Botswana
170       Niger
171       Equatorial Guinea
172       Rwanda
173       Afghanistan
174       Cambodia
175       South     Africa
176       Guinea-Bissau
177       Swaziland
178       Chad
179       Somalia
180       Ethiopia
181       Angola
182       Zambia
183       Lesotho
184       Mozambique
185       Malawi
186       Liberia
187       Nigeria
188       Democratic Republic of   the Congo
189       Central   African   Republic
190       Myanmar
     
     

 The following is a list of the 20 largest pharmaceutical and biotech companies ranked by healthcare revenue. Some companies (e.g., Bayer, Johnson and Johnson and Procter & Gamble) have additional revenue not included here. The phrase Big Pharma is often used to refer to companies with revenue in excess of $3 billion, and/or R&D expenditure in excess of $500 million.

Revenue Rank 2008[48] Company Country Total Revenues (USD millions) Healthcare R&D 2006 (USD millions) Net income/ (loss) 2006 (USD millions) Employees 2006
1 Pfizer USA 67,809 7,599 19,337 122,200
2 Novartis Switzerland 53,324 7,125 11,053 138,000
3 Merck & Co. USA 45,987 4,783 4,434 74,372
4 Bayer Germany 44,200 1,791 6,450 106,200
5 GlaxoSmithKline United Kingdom 42,813 6,373 10,135 106,000
6 Johnson and Johnson USA 37,020 5,349 7,202 102,695
7 Sanofi France 35,645 5,565 5,033 100,735
8 Hoffmann–La Roche Switzerland 33,547 5,258 7,318 100,289
9 AstraZeneca United Kingdom 26,475 3,902 6,063 50,000+
10 Abbott Laboratories USA 22,476 2,255 1,717 66,800
11 Bristol-Myers Squibb USA 17,914 3,067 1,585 60,000
12 Eli Lilly and Company USA 15,691 3,129 2,663 50,060
13 Amgen USA 14,268 3,366 2,950 48,000
14 Boehringer Ingelheim Germany 13,284 1,977 2,163 43,000
15 Schering-Plough USA 10,594 2,188 1,057 41,500
16 Baxter International USA 10,378 614 1,397 38,428
17 Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Japan 10,284 1,620 2,870 15,000
18 Genentech USA 9,284 1,773 2,113 33,500
19 Procter & Gamble USA 8,964 n/a 10,340 29,258

SUM
497,519 70,843 110,077 1,342,700

AVERAGE
24876 3542 5504 67135

Market leaders in terms of sales

The top 15 pharmaceutical companies by 2008 sales are:

Rank Company Sales ($M) Based/Headquartered in
1 Pfizer 43,363 United States
2 GlaxoSmithKline 36,506 United Kingdom
3 Novartis 36,506 Switzerland
4 Sanofi-Aventis 35,642 France
5 AstraZeneca 32,516 United Kingdom
6 Hoffmann–La Roche 30,336 Switzerland
7 Johnson & Johnson 29,425 United States
8 Merck & Co. 26,191 United States
9 Abbott 19,466 United States
10 Eli Lilly and Company 19,140 United States
11 Amgen 15,794 United States
12 Wyeth 15,682 United States
13 Bayer 15,660 Germany
14 Teva 15,274 Israel
15Takeda13,819Japan

This blog was written by Phillip Black, VP of Orlampa Enterprises, Inc. 
Orlampa Enterprises, Inc. specializes in helping individuals, groups, & companies lose sickness and find wellness through the implementation of science based wellness programs.

Orlampa Enterprises also helps health care professionals implement holistic wellness programs into their existing practices with the goal to educate both the health care providers, their staffs, and the patients. The programs, which provide the health care professional with a substantial additional income stream in this ever changing medical marketplace, allow the patient to achieve true wellness instead of receiving a traditional treatment for symptoms.

Orlampa Enterprises is an internet based product broker specializing in personalized health and wellness related services. Orlampa Enterprises is primed to continue its growth by duplicating its successful business model of educating, training, and developing entrepreneurial leaders as business partners. As an Unfranchise™ business owner, Orlampa Enterprises, proudly utilizes highly researched products including nutraMetrix® nutritional supplements. 

 Orlampa Enterprises' motto is "Eat well, exercise, and supplement intelligently."

Contact Phillip at pb@orlampa.com to obtain more information about nutraMetrix® partnership opportunities available.

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