Is the economy bad for our health?
I recently read that fast food, alcohol consumption, and pacemaker implants are all expected to grow tremendously in the next year. Is this a true sign of a bad economy or what!
As the economy takes its turns consumers are buying more fast food. The reason is that this is occurring is because it is a cheap way to provide lunch or dinner. In my opinion this is a real bad sign for the economy. The next huge increase will be Hospital stays from Diabetes, High Blood pressure and everything else that comes along with bad health.
Along with the bad economy is an increased stress level influencing the consumption of alcohol? As recently reported, more people are drinking alcohol on a daily basis to help cope with their stress. People are also consuming more alcohol because once again it is cheaper to drink at home than it is to go out for a cocktail.
Lastly is the increase in cardiac pacemaker implants. Although this probably has a direct correlation with the above, this is eye opening. Its one thing for the baby boomer population to be reaching the age of cardiac risks but for this to be expedited dramatically because of the economy is frightful.
Yes you see the stock market fall and retirements bottom. But you know it is a sign of an economy being bad when it effects our physical health.
So what can we do in the mean time to help alleviate the impact? There are a few easy fixes and a bunch that are too complicated to explain. One thing anyone can do is to budget your money in these hard times. Limit the amount of frivolous spending you do. However at the same time if you go out for fast food, try to order something healthy on the menu. Almost all fast food franchises have at least a small selection.
Another way is to limit the amount of spending you do. This includes gas and major purchases, Conserve driving time or carpool.
As for alcohol trends, one way to help decrease the amount of consumption is to drink in mederation and try to find other outlets. Try spending some time outside, try things that you normally would not have done in the past. This will help ease the stress and keep you healthy.
Will this get better? My opinion is yes it will eventually. All we can do is try to manage our own lifestyle to minimize the impact.