“CHRONIC ILLNESS AND THE POWER OF CHOICE”

October 2026

Chronic illnesses—the persistent conditions and diseases that can be treated but not often cured—are responsible for more than 75 percent of public and private health care costs in the US and for an estimated seven out of ten deaths. These include diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and kidney disease; and one of the most common complications of these illnesses is another chronic condition—depression.

And there are many more chronic—and preventable—diseases demanding attention. Nearly one in five children are obese, as are nearly half of adults, putting them at high risk for such health problems as diabetes and heart disease. Obesity alone costs the U.S. health care system as much as $260 billion a year.

The Power of Choice

The sources of these diseases are all too often poor lifestyle choices—including smoking, overuse of alcohol, poor diet, lack of physical activity, and excessive stress. Cigarette smoking, for example, remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the US. Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Not only does cigarette smoking kill more than 480,000 Americans each year, it is estimated that more than 16 million Americans live with a serious disease or health disorder caused by smoking and tobacco use, including heart disease, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), stroke, and diabetes.

Excessive use of alcohol is another leading, preventable cause of death in the US. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 178,000 people die from excessive drinking each year, both from long-term alcohol use and drinking too much on one occasion. Like smoking, excessive alcohol use is connected to many chronic illnesses; and when combined with smoking, the health impacts are multiplied

Cause for Hope

Despite the grim statistics, the growing understanding of these illnesses—and their causes—gives cause for hope. Best estimates are that fully 80 percent of the deaths and severe disabilities resulting from chronic diseases are preventable. Medical studies show that adults with common chronic conditions who participate in comprehensive lifestyle modification programs experience rapid, significant, clinically meaningful and sustainable improvements. Lifestyle choices play the major role in creating these problems, and are equally powerful in addressing them.

Moreover, advances in therapies and medications are proving enormously helpful in managing many chronic illnesses—such as asthma and diabetes—and in many instances, returning patients to fully functional, productive, rewarding lives.

Similarly, dementia can be reversed if caught early enough and by attending to all the factors that affect brain function—including diet, exercise, stress, nutritional deficiencies, toxins, hormonal imbalances, and inflammation. And heart disease is potentially reversible by addressing risk factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure, and smoking.

In the next ediition of Health&Healing, we’ll invite area practitioners to share new and best practices for preventing, treating, and reversing chronic illnesses.

OTHER VOICES, OTHER CHOICES ARTICLES

For each issue, we invite area health care/health service providers who have a special connection to the feature topic to write articles about their work. We call this section: Other Voices, Other Choices.

Many healers are called upon to treat the ailments caused by toxic exposure, others work with their clients and patients to help mitigate or prevent such problems. Whether you are a dietitian or an allergist, a psychotherapist or functional medicine therapist, an oncologist or physical therapist, you are among such healers. And we welcome your voice in the next issue.

If you wish to be part of the conversation, see information about the Other Voices, Other Choices section in Advertising in Health&Healing, and contact us at 919-967-6802.

To Be Included in the Issue on Chronic Illness and the Power of Choice

Options include:

Advertorials: articles written by H&H staff, based on an interview. To reserve space and schedule an interview, contact H&H at 919-967-6801.

Other Voices, Other Choices: articles written by practitioners, focused on the feature topic. To reserve space, contact H&H at 919-967-6801.

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