Real health reform (Part 4 or 4): Personal responsibility & Self-care

4) Personal responsibility & Self-care

• There needs to be a paradigm shift so that people start taking health into their own hands -- by practicing healthy habits like a plant-based diet, regular exercise, not smoking, positive relationships, less stress, etc. 

• Brian Berman, Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland, said: 

“About 40% of the illnesses that we have today are behaviorally based. How do we move toward more self-care?”  

Is it really only 40%? Thinking about the reasons patients are hospitalized, it seems like that number is much higher. 

• Christie Mack, cofounder and president of the Bravewell Collaborative, said: 

“[Patients need to] realize that they are the primary caregivers for themselves. And health care should provide the support systems to encourage behavior change toward healthier lifestyles.”