Why aren't "we" allowed.tomsuggest peole need to take some responsibility for their own health?

[Holidayfix]

Another one on the benefits issue.

My position is I'm surprised by these cuts and I absolutely support a benefits safety net, and where people have been unfortunately enough to have poor health dealt to them I feel it's absolutley necessary that "we" support them.

However, like it or not, a lot of what affliction people, mentally and physically, in the modern world is lifestyle related and there are very many things that many people could do to help themselves.

Obviously this doesn't apply to everyone, but why is it unacceptable to suggest that people could help themselves by doing the recommended things that support.mental and physical health?

There needs to be a balance between empowering people to make the lifestyle changes we can to improve our health by giving us the knowledge, encouragement, skills and resources to effectively make the changes we can ourselves...

But we also need to recognise that personal responsibility and self control didn't just happen to steeply decline in all age groups and ethnicities across the developed world 50 years ago. It isn't a personal failure, it's a public health crisis caused by a rapid change in the food environment.

There are things individuals who have the resources and can find the right information and have the existing health and ability to act upon it can do to improve their health.

But we are also very much part of a man made eco-system designed to keep us over consuming industrial produced edible substances aka ultra processed "food". Industry and Governments have been quite happy to push the blame back on consumers and tell them to take personal responsibility, to be "treat wise" etc rather than actually make sure that fresh nutritious foods are available to everyone.

A chunk of it is simply poverty - when people have more money they spend more of it on better quality food and have the equipment and time to prepare it.

Some of it is needing better regulations around the food industry and other environmental contaminants. There are obesogenic chemicals in the environment that encourage weight gain not just in humans and pets eating industrially produced food, but actually affecting wildlife and babies in the womb. Newborn babies haven't had a failure of personal responsibility. This isn't stuff that individuals can tackle alone, we need to work together as a society to make sure people have access to clean air and water and nutritious food.

It is so hard to make permanent lifestyle changes, loads of the ways people lose weight are not sustainable and they regain. People can be highly motivated and try so hard to lose weight, but our bodies pull out all the stops to prevent us from perceived "starving" by adjusting our hormones to make us move less and eat more, making food actually taste better.

WRT benefits, I think you could chop down the benefits bill much more humanely by reducing waiting times for healthcare and offering more support with lifestyle changes .e.g preventative healthcare and helping people manage their chronic conditions. If you did that on the health and social care side whilst also increasing access to further education, especially access type courses that people who have been out of work, education or training can use to try and build up confidence, skills and knowledge to retrain for jobs they could do, and work on creating more jobs that are flexible and open to remote applicants. Same effect of reducing spending on benefits, but with the human health and happiness benefits of people actually being healthier and more skilled.

I think for many people like me - mental health conditions can be managed but not cured. People talk about therapy, medication like it is a magic bullet but its really not. Also some jobs may help mental health - but many many do not - gig economy, zero hours contracts, toxic workplaces, unsupportive and discriminatory workplaces. This is what people with no mental health problems face so imagine what it is like with.

With PIP the government is clearly going after mental heath claimants. And yes I guess some people will work the system - thats always the case with any benefit - but far more will be genuine and these people will really suffer.

Also people who say its easy to fake mental illness because you cannot ‘prove’ it - well conversely the same is true as to why its not taken seriously by people - just because you cannot physically see it - doesn't mean people dont suffer and its not a case of just being more resilient. Anxiety can be seriously debilitating and dangerous - think not concentrating when crossing the road because your anxiety is so bad - its not a mild mental
illness.

Can you give some examples op?

Am currently on holiday at an all-inclusive hotel with most midde-aged couples. Is quite shocking how overweight they are. No-one need to get overweight /just eat less!

How do you propose my non verbal relative with Downs who needs 24/7 carers takes responsibility for improving their health?

Depends on the severity of the anxiety.

Generalised anxiety and OCD has ruined years of my life, even when I was doing well at school, work etc. I was really suffering.

In relation to the question of personal responsibility - yes, of course we should all try to eat well, exercise, not smoke, see a GP when things are wrong (not always the easiest when appointments are scarce) - but a lot of problems are societal, and I don't think individual responsibility will fix them.

This is more of a US-based problem, but my late uncle lived in a food desert, where the only options for food were McDonalds and the contents of a tiny "general store." It would be almost impossible to eat a healthy diet under those circumstances.

People should have a resonsibility to try to pack up smoking, eat healthily and try to exercise a bit, practice good sleep habits such not gaming or using screens too late. This might help people not develop some health issues. Better preventative medicine will also help with some things such as not waiting years for knee and hop replacements or assessments and therapies.

I blame the pharmaceutical industry for a lot of it. They've pushed these drugs into society, normalised their usage and now millions are dependent on brain altering chemicals that are marketed as a magic cure for all ailments especially anxiety/depression both of which are perfectly normal to feel at times. The global pharmaceutical industry was worth $1.6 trillion in 2023.

Feel sad? Take a pill. Can't sleep? Take a pill. Feel pain? Take a pill. When actually people often need to stop eating shit masquerading as food; get outside and get some exercise, and keep a normal routine so you're not living in your own head.

@TheLadyIsAVamp

I’m really sorry to hear this, poor thing! Sounds like she’s been through a lot.

I am entitled to full PIP but l don't claim it.. l don't even claim my pension.. I'm fortunate enough in one way to have a few million .. but in another way I'd give it up to not to be severely disabled both physically and mentally..
I do use my GP/ nurse etc.. but l pay for my therapist.. I've paid for some of my consultations and procedures..l will be paying to have new hips and my pelvis reconstructed..
But loads of people have to wait years to access MH help or support or operations etc.. I'm not sure what you are suggesting?
Maybe people who smoke.. yes could/ should stop for their own health or any conditions it could give them for example?
Mainly there are genuine cases who simply cannot do anything more.

If we didn’t have an NHS people wouldn’t feel they could judge others so much! Must be great to be perfect. But skinny people also get ill and die.

You didn't remotely have the courage of your convictions here, did you, @Holidayfix? A few people recounting their actual experiences plus a few questions and you disappear...