I believe any reasonable person would agree that prevention is a good thing. I believe that any reasonable person would agree that prevention leads to better health. And, I believe that any reasonable person would agree that better health leads to a higher quality life and also to reduced medical intervention and expenses. Why is it then that our current healthcare system provides no support whatsoever for prevention?

It is true that economic gains from preventive care are difficult to assess and there is a concern by government that a program providing preventive care will push our system over the top; however, my view is a little different. I believe major strides in prevention can be made simply by rolling out, and sustaining, a major program to educate the individual about the effects of lifestyle on health. Such a program would cost the government very little, but result in a significant net benefit to the individual and overall reduced costs for everyone.

First, let's define prevention because there are quite different perspectives on what prevention really is. A former Minister of Health advised me that he was addressing prevention by expanding the vaccination program; many in the medical profession view prevention as the application of powerful drugs, such as statins, to prevent heart attacks. My definition of prevention is carrying out a lifestyle that sustains a balance of all systems of the body: mental, physical and spiritual (ie. homoeostasis). This will most often include good nutrition, exercise, enjoyable work, close relationships and some form of spirituality or religion.

You might say, "Well I know that already, so what?!" Many individuals know that lifestyle affects health, but they only pay lip service. Many do not really know the extent of the effect, or what to do about it. Most people rely on advice from their medical doctor regarding lifestyle. However, our medical system, including training of medical doctors, is focused on dealing with patients who are ILL.

The brochure explaining the province's initiative on the Conversation on Health makes no mention of prevention, yet prevention by way of education is likely the most effective change in our approach to health. We are cellular beings consisting of perhaps 50 to 60 trillion cells. We require nutrients to maintain and replace our cells. However, due to farming practices, in 1968 it took 500 bushels of wheat to yield the same nutrients as 50 bushels in 1920-a decline of ten times. Between 1984 and 2004, nutrients declined on average by another 50 percent (eg. Iron, the most common mineral deficiency worldwide, is down 70 percent and magnesium is down 30 percent).

The China Study, by Colin Campbell, PhD, is perhaps the most important study ever done linking lifestyle and nutrition to health. Perhaps the main reason for illness was best stated in 1931 by Nobel Laureate Otto Warburg who discovered that cancer is caused by weakened cell respiration due to lack of oxygen at the cellular level. Simply put, major disease thrives in an acidic environment.

Animal protein is highly acidic and difficult to digest. A diet high in caffeine, sugar, and processed foods is also acid-forming. Disease cannot survive in an alkaline environment; so…why doesn't everybody know what their pH is? Everyone should walk around with pH strips in their pockets! I suggest that every home have a copy of, The pH Miracle by Robert Young. This is just one example of the type of information we need to be educated about.

We must question why serious chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and others continue to escalate no matter how much money is expended. I believe our current path in healthcare will only produce the same results and is clearly not sustainable. The Ministry of Health estimates that within 10 years 70 percent of the total provincial budget will be spent on healthcare, and the Board of Trade reports that health costs will escalate two times faster than all other costs by 2020.

To be effective and make a significant change in the way we approach our health as individuals and as government, we need a massive educational program (administered by independent organizations such as HANS) using a multiple approach to affect change in lifestyles. We need to have a preventive health program as a mandatory part of all school curriculums at all levels (primary to university); we need to have a daily health program provincewide dealing with preventive education and success stories. People need to have access to research, newsletters, health professionals and health librarians skilled with nutritional knowledge. Some costs can be reasonably born (in part or total) by the individual, such as personal research requests and diagnostic procedures.

I do not believe we can make the necessary commitment to ourselves as individuals as long as we depend solely on others (eg. practitioners) to "advise" us. We must become self-informed  and accountable. Currently, individuals simply do not have appropriate information to make informed decisions or to be accountable for their own health; prevention in the form of education is a very small cost indeed!

Bayne E. Boyes is the President & CEO of the Health Action Network Society. He is extermely passionate about all health and environmental issues, particularly climate change. Bayne has a background in management accounting and was president of BC and subsequently chairman of the Certified Management Accountants of Canada. Bayne was awarded fellowship by the CMAs in 1988 also granted the Life Member award in 2004 for BC CMAs-the highest award granted by the BC Society.

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