Presidential Press Conference: National Health Plan

28Jul09

Last Monday, President Barack Obama held a press conference regarding Health Reform.

While the club does not endorse any political party, I feel it is important to stay informed about national health care policies. The current debate will affect the future of chiropractic greatly because at the center of the issue is the principle of prevention. Chiropractic has always been focused on prevention.

You may watch the video below.

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BYU to Dissolve College of Health & Human Performance

07Jul09

The Daily Universe published an article today detailing the University’s plans to disband the College of Health and Human Performance and redistribute it’s departments among other colleges across the institution.

The reasoning for this change “is to drop the GE wellness requirement and have an increased focus on wellness outside of coursework” according to Michael smart, a university spokesperson.

While it is laudable that “there will be no jobs lost in this alignment,” removing the focus on health and wellness in the General Education course work may not be a great idea.

Just this past weekend, I was thinking how wonderful it is that the athletic buildings remain open one day longer than any other building on campus during a holiday weekend. While most buildings across the university had posted signs that they would be closed on July 3rd and 4th for the national holiday, the Richard’s Building was open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on July 3rd. This allows students to conveniently access the basketball courts, weight rooms, swimming pool, tennis courts, and more on the day they are most likely to have free time. In fact, my roommate spent part of the afternoon shooting hoops.

This emphasis on personal health and wellness has been magnified by the requirement for all students to enroll in wellness courses, such as Fitness & Lifestyle Management (HEPE 129) OR Healthy Living (HEPE 105) plus two other courses from an approved list including dance, exercise science, or outdoor classes. Not only do these courses encourage healthy behavior, they also provide opportunities for discovering new interests and talents.

A personal experience is a great example of this. I took a ballroom dance class at the suggestion of a friend to help fulfill the wellness requirement a few years ago. I soon discovered that I had a talent for the style and have gone on to earn a spot on the Tour Team of the Ballroom Dance Company, the undefeated national formation team champions for 27 years running.

At a time when one of the country’s greatest crises is the health and wellness of the people, why would the University remove the Wellness requirement from the University Core?

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TIME Magazine: It’s All About Prevention

05Jul09

While browsing the BYU Bookstore the other day, I picked up the latest Health Issue of TIME Magazine (June 22, 2009).

What caught my attention was the callout on the cover:

This issue was focused on prevention and had a lot of great information, with a few questionable suggestions.

Prevention as a Cure
I was surprised and delighted to read the first feature article about the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. I’m not terribly involved in the medical field at this point, but until now I haven’t ever heard of a hospital that focuses on prevention over medicine and surgery. The clinic provides classes and workshops on stress management, cooking & nutrition, healing arts, and yoga.

Mental Health
A whole article was devoted to preventing psychological problems such as depression and anxiety.

Food as Pharma

A User’s Guide to Good Health at Every Age
Herein lie the few qualms that I had with some of the advice.

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