As the United States struggles toward a system of universal health care, many have looked at the Canadian health care system as a model. Only a few have looked toward France. That’s a mistake for at least 2 reasons.

First, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), France has the best health care system in the world . It has been widely reported that the WHO found the French system to be number 1 while the Canadian system is number 30 and the U.S. number 37.

It should be noted here that the WHO rankings actually contain multiple rankings and the numbers generally quoted are the ranking based on the measure that the WHO calls the OP ranking. OP is said to measure “overall performance” adjusted to reflect a country’s performance based on how well it theoretically could have performed. When reporting the rankings of 1 for France, 30 for Canada and 37 for the United States, it is the OP ranking being used.

Why did the French system do so well in the WHO rankings? The French system excels in 4 areas:

It provides universal coverage It has responsive health care providers Patients have freedom of choice The health and longevity of the population

Second, we should be looking more closely at the French system because it has more similarities with the U.S. system than either the Canadian or British system. Many Americans assume that the French system is like the system in Britain. Nothing could be further from the truth or more insulting to the French.

Exactly like the United States, the French system relies on both private insurance and government insurance. Also, just like in America, people generally get their insurance through their employer. What is different is that everyone in France has health insurance. Every legal resident of France has access to health care under the law of universal coverage called la Couverture maladie universelle.

Under the French system, health insurance is a branch of Social Security or the S

What does it mean to live a health fitness lifestyle? Generally it means you eat healthily, you engage in a moderate exercise program, you don’t smoke, you limit alcohol consumption, and you maintain a normal weight. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Not really? For most people, trying to balance an active lifestyle with a healthful lifestyle may seem impossible due to time constraints, job and family commitments or just simply lack of motivation. Maintaining your health does not mean living miserably.

Eating right does not have to be a chore. Simple changes you can make while on your next visit to the grocery store can get you on the right path to eating better. Small substitutions like eating more fruit and veggies and eating less refined and processed foods over time saves calories and adds nutrients to your diet.

Don’t force yourself to shelve your entire diet and start with something restrictive. Feeling deprived leads to failure. Go slow and enjoy each new item you add to your diet.

Exercise does not have to be a dirty word. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, start slow and increase your activity level as you reach small goals you set for yourself.

It may be just using the stairs at work instead of using the elevator. Over time, you might decide to walk for part of your lunch break. Eventually you may want to join a fitness center to increase your progress. Go at a pace you are comfortable with and enjoy.

If you smoke, consider a smoking cessation program. There are medications in pill, patch and gum form that can assist you in stopping. Talking to a counselor or adopting a quit-smoking buddy has been shown to help smokers quit smoking at higher rate than trying to go it alone. Side effects of smoking include rapid heartbeat, decreased circulation, and shortness of breath and more serious problems like cancer, emphysema and heart disease can eventually develop.

Drinking alcohol in moderation has actually been shown to benefit the cardiovascular system. However, consuming more than a glass or two a day can cause liver damage. The liver acts as a giant filter system of the body.

When the filter is clogged, the body does not function properly. Jaundice, gallstones, blood clotting difficulties, organ failure and death can result when the liver is Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the most important step toward losing weight?

No, it’s not what you eat, although that’s important, and pigging out on pizza and chips a couple times a day will scuttle your plans to drop some pound.

No, it’s not exercising, although that’s a critical component of your plan.

No, it’s not the system you buy, although a good system can be tremendously helpful.

The most important step is deciding to lose weight. Most people never do that. They wish they could lose weight, or they long to lose weight, or they’re angry about being fat, or they get mad about not being able to lose weight. But they never make a firm commitment to achieving a reasonable target weight.

Any major life achievement begins with a decision (if it happens by accident, did you really achieve anything?) You have to decide to be thin. You know you’ve really decided when you don’t quit. If you quit, you never really committed in the first place. That might be hard to hear, but it’s the truth.

Suppose your most cherished person in the world was trapped in a burning building. Nobody else is around. You save this person, or this person burns to death, and you’ll hear the screaming. Are you going in to save that person? You bet, and you’ll come out with that person or die trying.

That, my friend, is commitment. If you’re not deathly committed to your weight loss goals, you won’t achieve them.

You don’t have to be super-human, but there’s no escaping the fact that losing weight, like anything else worth doing, takes some commitment and discipline. But the effort will pay you back for the rest of your life.

Copyright by Roy Miller