Via Kite & Key Media — Many Americans believe they’re living in a uniquely unhealthy age, beset by chronic diseases our ancestors never faced. In reality, we’re way healthier than we used to be – and, counterintuitively, the chronic disease epidemic kind of proves it. Some context is important. In 1900, life expectancy in the U.S. was a little over 47 years. The three leading causes of death were pneumonia, tuberculosis, and diarrhea. Smallpox was still a danger and an astonishing 30% of all American deaths were children under the age of five. Since then, Americans’ life expectancy has increased by a staggering 30 years, largely thanks to revolutions in medicine and sanitation, as well as behavioral changes like giving up smoking. What does this have to do with today’s health concerns such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease? Well, now that we live longer, we’re more likely to develop conditions associated with old age: Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease. But even if our present worries pale in comparison to those of the past, that still leaves important work to do. And here, there’s more good news: We’re getting better at detecting and treating these diseases.
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