1) Do MultiVitamins Really Work?

It seems counterintuitive that an agency that was created for the betterment of societies health may be a detriment to it. The FDA for example is in existence to make sure that the foods and supplements we ingest regularly are not harmful to the population. It would seem they are not doing that job too well since separate studies in 2009 and 2011 indicate that their recommended amounts of vitamins are not only futile but can cause health complications.

Unless a person has a deficiency for other reasons, it is believed that we generally get all the nutrients we need from the foods we eat. Therefore supplements would be an excess and waste of money. To elaborate, water soluble vitamins such as B & C are absorbed through the intestines; an excess would be excreted by the kidneys. With that said, in the literal sense, you are pissing away money. An excess of fat soluble vitamins such as A & D remain in the liver and can build up to cause health complications.

Studies also show that nearly a third of adults take multivitamins. That is clearly billions of dollars being spent on these supplements every year. This is even more shocking because since we get all we need from foods, vitamin deficiency has been rare especially in America. So with all these people taking an excess of vitamins, one can only imagine how the future of human health will look.

2) Childhood Euthanasia

It seems counterintuitive that institutions that were created to improve people’s lives are now cutting them short. Most people would not view this as murder because there is a bit of a legitimate reason and the government is doing it. The term they give it is euthanasia. By definition euthanasia is the act of painlessly putting someone to death or allowing them to die.

This has been legal in the country of Belgium for patients 18 & older since 2002. It was not until recently the country lifted all age restrictions on the practice. This came about in a senate vote that resulted in 50-17. There is no doubt that this decision has other countries population wondering when their nations will allow the health care systems to take their children lives when they feel it is necessary.

One also has to wonder what the boundaries of the severity of these diseases are and who decides who is too sick to be alive. Perhaps this is the future of our world where we simply get rid of who we think is of no use.

3) End of Life Care

It seems counterintuitive that a person would pay more attention to health in their final days than throughout their lifetime. According to healthcare reporter Charles Ornstein, about a quarter of all medicare payments are paid in the final year of a patients life. With that said, medical companies know people will pay just about anything to keep their loved ones alive. Knowing this, they send patients and families through multiple doctors and clinics that often times produce no results.

Perhaps the most devastating factor is that these are not oversights or mistakes. The many “hoops” people must hop through to keep their loved ones clinging to life are tactics set in place by large medical companies. Tactics to keep families emotional and throwing dollars their way. End of life care needs to become early/entire life care for people to avoid these tragedies, at least the ones that can be avoided.