From: jil@uts.uucp (Jamie Lubin)
Subject: Re: Freedom of "unhealthy choices"? [was Re: Cooking/Heating Protein...]
Organization: Bellcore, Piscataway, NJ
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 92 18:52:15 GMT

In article <1992Oct8.173138.15646@u.washington.edu> rbradbur@hardy.u.washington.edu (Robert Bradbury) writes:
>In article <1992Oct2.141107.27887@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> jil@uts.uucp (Jamie Lubin) writes:
>> 
>>Again, I'm not recommending that anyone else in the world supplement their
>>diet with protein, vitamins, minerals or any other food supplements.  From
>>what I've read & heard, I want to do so & will continue to do so until
>>either the FDA stops me or I die, which hopefully won't be from an overdose
>>of protein ;-)  I supplement my breakfast & lunch with protein because I don't
>>feel that I get much protein at those meals.  At dinnertime, I don't
>>supplement & usually get some pretty good protein from food.  I feel good
>>knowing that my body will have what it needs & if it has a little more than
>>it needs, that doesn't bother me either.  I am not going to cease my
>>supplemention no matter how scientifically sound your arguments appear to be.
>>I do hope, however, that your flames don't kill me :-)  As I said, there is a
>>freedom of choice, to some extent, in this country.
>>
>
>Yes, but the question is to what degree you have the "right" to exercise
>a "freedom" with long term negative health consequences which your employer
>(i.e. your fellow employees) or government (i.e. me as a taxpayer) will end
>up paying for?
>
>The general purpose of this group as I see it is to distribute up-to-date
>information based on scientific and medical sources (sci.med) with a
>nutritional focus to promote better health and prevent disease.  Ultimately
>this orientation is necessary to reduce our health care costs (which are
>rapidly approaching $1 Trillion/yr in the US).
>
>The evidence for excessive protein intake causing premature kidney failure
>is fairly strong.  If tests of nitrogen excretion were to reveal that your
>protein intake was excessive would you object to being charged a "premium"
>for your health care coverage due to the increased health risk you are
>choosing to take?  This is not a retorical question, national health care
>in any form which does not include a payment scale based on health risks
>is a system of wealth transfer from individuals who are conscious of and
>take care of their health to individuals who either care less or choose
>to ignore scientific evidence.  Any economist would tell you that a
>system where your benifits are not associated with their actual costs
>is a recipe for an inefficient system with higher costs.
>
>Robert Bradbury		uunet!sftwks!bradbury or rbradbur@u.washington.edu

Robert,

I hardly know where to begin on this one.  Some people in this newsgroup
seem to be "concerned" with how I spend my money or how my eating habits
affect the economy, health care costs or the GNP; maybe we should change the
name of the newsgroup to sci.med.nutrition.economy or 
sci.med.nutrition.investment counselling.  First I'll tell you why I have the
extra money to purchase food supplements.  You see I save on other purchases:
I've never smoked (anything), never used hard drugs, never consume alcohol,
never use prescription or over-the counter drugs, don't drink coffee or soda,
avoid white sugar, white flour, white rice & the "foods" containing them, etc.,
ad nausea.  In my present job, I have missed 0 (as in ZERO) days due to
sickness in > 12 years (they gave me an award after 2 years!!).  Do you think
that my employer is being cheated???  I have not been in a hospital, other
than to witness the birth of my 2 children, since I had my tonsils out at
the age of 5.  Do you think I'm raising our health care costs;  maybe you
think the costs would go down if I were a patient more often!?  What makes
you think that my protein intake is excessive.  You neither know me or what
my diet or lifestyle is about other than the sketchy things you've read in
this & a few other posts.  You & many others, if you want a cause, should
find someone who is unhealthy & try to improve their health.  Not question
why someone lives holistically, but is healthy, & try to tell them that they
"shouldn't" be healthy.  All the SMAC-23 tests I've taken have been in the
normal range.  If you want to pay for a test for my nitrogen excretion, I'd
be glad to accept your money.  I have better things to do with my money.
"Unhealthy choices?"--know who you're talking to!!!
Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition