Risk vs Benefit

Since 1975, the mortality rate from all cancers, excluding skin cancer, has gone down 8%. In that same period of time, the mortality rate from heart disease has gone down 60%. The reason for this lies in the fact that research funds have been directed toward treating disease and end-stage conditions in cancer patients, whereas most of the money for heart disease has been allocated towards risk reduction and prevention.

The trend of directing funds for patients with diagnosed conditions hold true for the allocation of funds for eye diseases such as macular degeneration, diabetes and other systemic problems. We should learn from the cardiologists in this age of diminished resources. It is also noteworthy that the cost and co-pays for pharmaceutical drugs continues to go up, further encouraging us to look at risk reduction.

An ounce of prevention helps many more people than a pound of cure.