Physicians Participating in Lifestyle Rationing
In October 1993, a press conference at the House of Lords in United Kingdom announced that some medical procedures were now “subject to a doctor’s opinion of the patient’s lifestyle.” In other words, doctors can choose whether or not someone should receive medical care. This practice is called lifestyle rationing. In Britain, 95 percent of the population receive health care through the National Health Service (NHS). In order to provide care to everyone, the government says it must place limits on the care it provides. It must ration.Which is similar to what is happening in the U.S. right now. Physicians should participate in lifestyle rationing!
There are many factors related to one’s health, however patients that live a healthy lifestyle and have no intention of creating their disease, should be put first before patients who once had a preventable disease but increased their chances of getting it through lifestyle risk factors. Lifestyle risk factors are behaviors that increases one’s possibility of disease or injury. According to the National Stroke Association, tobacco use, smoking, alcohol use, and obesity are lifestyle risk factors that can be changed and would all prevent chronic illnesses.“Smoking damages blood vessel walls, speeds up the clogging of arteries, and makes the heart work faster. Smoking also doubles the risk of stroke.” Obesity and extra weight makes people more likely to have high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. On the other hand, some uncontrollable conditions such as an individual’s genetic make-up, age, and gender can lead to diseases and conditions that the patient had no intention of creating. There are two patients in need for a lung transplant, a heavy smoker and a boy named tommy who inherited cystic fibrosis, an inherited disease that causes thick, sticky mucus to form in the lungs, pancreas and other organs.It obviously makes more sense to give the lung transplant to little tommy who didn’t ask for his lung
There are many factors related to one’s health, however patients that live a healthy lifestyle and have no intention of creating their disease, should be put first before patients who once had a preventable disease but increased their chances of getting it through lifestyle risk factors. Lifestyle risk factors are behaviors that increases one’s possibility of disease or injury. According to the National Stroke Association, tobacco use, smoking, alcohol use, and obesity are lifestyle risk factors that can be changed and would all prevent chronic illnesses.“Smoking damages blood vessel walls, speeds up the clogging of arteries, and makes the heart work faster. Smoking also doubles the risk of stroke.” Obesity and extra weight makes people more likely to have high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. On the other hand, some uncontrollable conditions such as an individual’s genetic make-up, age, and gender can lead to diseases and conditions that the patient had no intention of creating. There are two patients in need for a lung transplant, a heavy smoker and a boy named tommy who inherited cystic fibrosis, an inherited disease that causes thick, sticky mucus to form in the lungs, pancreas and other organs.It obviously makes more sense to give the lung transplant to little tommy who didn’t ask for his lung