Showing posts with label Important. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Important. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Health = Potential x Attainment: Two Important, Often Distinct, Opportunities for Entrepreneurs

In simplest terms, health can be thought of as the product of our “Potential Health” (the best health available to us if we saw the best doctors and received optimal therapy) multiplied by our “Attained Health” (how close we get to achieving this ideal). 

That is: Health = (Potential Health) x (Attained Health).

The recent Supreme Court decision upholding key provisions of the ACA is likely to mark a key inflection point in a vital national discussion about how we think about these two important, and often distinct, health parameters.

For at least the last fifty years, most of our efforts have focused on maximizing our Potential Health.  To this end, there was considerable interest in medical research exploring the molecular basis for diseases that make people sick, based on the assumption that this would lead to improved treatments for these patients. 

For example, pancreatic cancer is a uniformly terrible disease, with a miserable prognosis no matter what doctor you see.  A treatment that offered significant benefit to these patients could be described fairly as increasing our Potential Health.

More recently, we have started to place much greater emphasis on our Attained Health – the health individual Americans actually achieve (as a fraction of our ideal or potential health). 

According to many health policy experts, there’s a large discrepancy between the best care available and the care many patients receive, and consequently a profound need for research into approaches that will close this gap.  The hope is that by improving access to care, and by ensuring the care provided is in accordance with the best medical evidence, our Attained Health can be significantly improved.

While there’s little argument that improving both Potential and Attained health is important, many health policy experts (generally proponents of the ACA) contend that if we want to improve overall health, we’ll get much more bang for our buck (i.e. better value) by focusing more of our attention – and especially our limited resources — on improving the Attained Health component, rather than pouring time and money into tweaking the Potential Health component – usually (it is often asserted) with little discernible success.

To appreciate what this is likely to mean for healthcare innovation, consider these comments last Thursday from a key ACA architect, and current VC, Bob Kocher:

As a venture capitalist, today’s ruling creates an even greater opportunity to invest in innovative companies focused on bending down the cost curve, improving outcomes and creating more effective health care marketplaces. As we expand coverage, we will need more tools to help consumers shop for care, suppliers to redesign their products and services to be more productive, and innovators to re-imagine how to engage doctors and patients in preventing complications and exercising value-consciousness.

This captures beautifully the ambition, language, and rhetoric of Attained Health – and the contrast with Potential Health couldn’t be more striking. 

In the giddy heyday of molecular biology, when Genentech and Amgen were founded, VCs used to talk about curing disease and saving lives.  Still today, Genentech asserts that “One of the goals we strive toward every day is to find a cure for cancer.”  Meanwhile, Amgen’s stated goal remains “to serve patients by transforming the promise of science and biotechnology into therapies that have the power to restore health or even save lives.”

To be sure, many Attained Health proponents would contend that biopharma has enjoyed only limited success in its mission, producing what are often very expensive drugs that in many cases appear to offer only limited benefit.   Sure, these critics agree, curing cancer is great – if you can do it; but if you’re just talking about adding a few weeks at most, wouldn’t the resources be better spent somewhere else?

Like many of us, I suspect, I feel more than a little torn; I agree with Kocher that there is a profound need for entrepreneurial innovation in what I’d call the Attained Health space, and have discussed this opportunity at length (see here, here, here, and here, for example).


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Monday, December 26, 2011

Important Facts About Very Low Calorie <b>Diets</b> | Health News

health newsThere are lots of different kinds of diets to choose from, and a very low calorie diet is just one of them. Ideally you shouldn’t start one of these diets

without consulting a medical professional for some guidance because these diets restrict your calorie intake to levels that are severely low. Patients needing to lose a lot of weight quickly are sometimes recommended these diets by their doctors, however not everybody can do them safely. In the following article we will focus our attention on some of the features of very low calorie diets.

When it comes to very low calorie diets people often find them hard to stick to. It’s hard to maintain on a diet that for a long period of time restricts you to less than 800 calories a day. Although people lose the weight when they are on the diet, when they come off they start to put it back on. It is a good idea for you to change your lifestyle and diet for long term with a strategy. That way, you can lose some weight quickly with a very low calorie diet, and then, rather than going back to your old habits, you can eat a modified diet that’s still healthy while exercising regularly too.

To make sure that you don’t go over the allotted number of calories you can consume, most very low calorie diets will involve some prepared formulas, however there are some natural diets that also drastically limit your calorie intake. A raw foods diet is one option, where you simply consume foods that aren’t cooked or processed. A raw foods diet that’s strict will not be high in calories due to you keeping away from all processed and high calorie foods.

By using a dehydrator you can make your own raw food version of bread and other foods as well, however sprouts, vegetables, fruits and nuts typically make up a raw foods diet. Lots of people find it rather difficult to stay on track with this kind of diet because eating most everyday foods is forbidden, however this is considered to be healthy. Adding some more raw foods into your very low calorie diet might be something that you want to do, even if you’re not so keen on having a 100% raw diet.

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Some of these tips really are critical to your comprehending, and there is even more going further than what is about to be covered.

If you’re going on a very low calorie diet, you basically have two choices. You can purchase products already prepackaged for you; or you can take it upon yourself to control your calorie consumption. The second approach gives you more freedom, but it also means having to be very careful about what you eat. All of those tasty morsels you nibble on will be forbidden if they are full of calories. There are many other great foods like fresh veggies, rice cakes, low fat yogurt and countless other healthy snacks. Carbohydrates are something to keep your distance from; if you need to eat bread; try a variety made with sprouted wheat flour rather than the processed ones. Refined sugars are not good, such as high fructose corn syrup.

The long term benefits of a very low calorie diet can be questionable, however they’re useful for short term weight loss. For obese people who are under a doctor’s supervision, such diets may be appropriate. For other people it’s important that they get sufficient nutrients that their body requires. You want to remain healthy and not only lose weight after all.


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Friday, December 23, 2011

Important weight loss tips for women under 30

The women are the major sufferers of obesity and that is also seen mainly in those who are under 30s. This leads to many problems in them such as cyst in ovaries, problems during pregnancy and miscarriages. To avoid these problems you should aware beforehand and go for exercises or diets that helps you to burn your extra calories. There are many online websites available who provide weight loss tips for women under 30. The tips are categorised according to the age of the women because a women of 40 or 50 years cannot perform the same exercise that another woman of 30 years or less can. This is so the energy and capacity of a woman decreases along with her age.

Here are some weight loss tips for women under 30
1. Go for regular physical exercises- Physical exercises like swimming, jogging, walking, exercises at home or gym is very much needed for the women under 30 to reduce their body weight. They have the capacity to go for hard work outs and so it is very much necessary for them.
2. Go for yoga- Yoga is one of the best weight loss tips for women under 30 because it has no side effects and reduces your weight quickly. It also helps to reduce blood glucose level and pressure by making the muscles active in absorbing the excess glucose from the blood.
3. Eat moderate amount of food- You should eat less and also should avoid having meals frequently. Another thing is to avoid carbohydrate rich foods which add on extra fats to your body.
4. Say no to junk foods, white breads etc. - Junk food is the major cause of gaining weight. So you need to avoid the oily and fried foods as well as white breads, chocolates, mango etc. Instead you should go for brown breads, salads, toned milk, fruit juices etc. as alternatives for the junk foods.
5. Lastly women under 30 but more than 25 can go for daily sex with her partner as it is the best way to lose fat quickly. Sex causes a lot of exertions to your body and thus burns a huge amount calorie than other physical exercises. It also makes you fresh and looks young.

Thus women under 30s should be careful enough to reduce their weight at this early stage or else it will create a lot of physical problems once she will grow old. But one thing is that she should follow these weight loss tips for women under 30 daily to make her look beautiful and attractive forever.


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Ways To Burn Calories - Physical Movement And Exercise Is Important For All - Adults AND Children

Ways to burn calories reduces to physical movement and exercise. It is important for all of us...adults and children. There are, however, a few more difficulties involved in remaining physically active for those who are unusually heavy (morbid obesity):



Self-esteem issues may prevent you from participating in group activities.
Movement, such as bending or brisk walking, may be difficult.
Clothes suitable for exercise may be hard to find.
Depression may cause lack of motivation to even make the effort.
Discouragement causes one to feel hopeless that anything will make any difference.

So, what is the larger person to do? Should you just abandon the effort and "resign yourself to your fate"?

Exercise is essential for all living beings. We are not designed to be sedentary. Further, people who are overweight to any extent are at more risk of developing illnesses associated with weight: diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, arthritis, sleep disorders, gall bladder disease, and even some types of cancer.

What are the benefits if you "get on the move"? In addition to losing weight and reducing risk of disease as discussed above, take a look at this benefits:



Improves mood and self-esteem.
Increases energy.
Helps to reduce blood pressure.
Aids in the control of blood sugar.
Improves balance and flexibility.
Strengthens and conditions bones, muscles, and joints.

Convinced? Let's get started!

1. Walk. Start slowly if you have been completely sedentary. (If you have been ill or suffer from breathing difficulties or heart disease, check with your doctor first, just so he knows what you're doing. It's unlikely he will tell you to continue to sit or lie perfectly still all day.) Start with only five minutes at a time and build up to ten minutes, and then fifteen. Walking is a safe and comfortable way to begin to get yourself moving. If you wish, ask a friend to walk with you. Don't race...don't even get out of breath. Just start walking. (If you have large thighs you may need liners or shorts to prevent skin irritation of your inner thighs).

2. Water exercise. If you have access to a gym with a pool (check with your local YMCA) count yourself fortunate and sign up immediately. Exercising in water is an excellent way to get yourself moving without undue stress on muscles or joints. Water provides natural resistance for toning of muscles and flexibility of joints.

3. Yoga exercises. Check your community resources for classes. Yoga is a gentle way to begin to get your body moving without undue stress on muscles and joints that have become accustomed to inactivity.

4. Limit the amount of time you spend watching TV or using the computer. You are more likely to feel an urge to get moving if you are not engaged in a pleasant activity. Set certain hours of the day for screen time and in the off times, get moving...even if you're walking around your house or lifting small hand weights.

5. If you are too large at this time to engage in much movement, participate in chair exercises available every morning on several TV stations.

Remember your goal...you're striving for a mere five percent of your body weight. You can do it...start right now!


Sue Bristol, R.N. answers the question regarding How to burn calories ? in a very practical and easy way.
Here's the "Secret Weight Loss Diet" that virtually EVERY successful dieter uses. (Whether or not they are even aware of it!)
Click Here to get your Free e-book, which will give you the "Weight Loss Secret" You don't need to be overweight: Learn how to lose weight in a scientific and effective way.


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