Lisa Olivo, Associate Editor06.13.13
At this year’s SupplySide Market Place in New York, NY, Dr. Mike Roizen, MD, spoke to attendees on the success of the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, and the strides this institution has made in improving health, wellness and medical costs among its staff. Additionally, the presentation focused on the crucial role of supplements in improving overall health and promoting longevity.
The author of four New York Times best sellers, Dr. Roizen is also among the panel of experts who contribute to the Dr. Oz Show. He helped found the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute in response to the rapidly increasing cost of healthcare—in his own clinic and nationwide—which is due in part to the population’s increased age and high growth of chronic health conditions.
As a result of the average American’s poor overall health, the U.S. is at least 7% more expensive than the next closest country’s healthcare costs, mainly due to chronic disease, explained Dr. Roizen. He feels that if the U.S. doesn’t deal with the over expenditure of medical costs this will lead to “rationing, and we end up in America not having the same freedoms, and not having the same country.”
Dr. Roizen also warned that poor health is leading the U.S. down an increasingly dangerous economic path. Because of the extremely high cost of insuring and employing workers, U.S. jobs, particularly in fields like manufacturing, have been outsourced overseas to countries that offer cheaper labor and a healthier workforce. Dr. Roizen warns that if high medical costs and America’s overall poor health aren’t addressed, other careers such as teaching, military professions, banking jobs, to name a few, could be threatened. Overall, high medical costs and poor level of health is making the U.S. a less competitive marketplace for employers.
“This is the real reason for sequestration. Medical costs are now crowding out social programs we care about, education programs and even defense. We can’t allow that to continue,” he said.
According to Dr. Roizen, tobacco, food choices and portion size, physical inactivity and stress cause 75% of chronic disease. In 2007, “these four factors alone were responsible for 81% of hospital admissions, 91% of all prescriptions, 76% of physician visits at an average cost of $6,000,” he explained.
Further, he described that if a person does nothing about their health, their genes will progress so that they lose 5% of every function every 10 years. That’s 5% of lung function, 5% of cardiac function, 5% of liver function and 5% of bone mass. IQ is even affected by this natural decline. However, Dr. Roizen’s mission is to demonstrate that this decay can be avoided by making positive changes in one’s diet, level of stress, smoking habits and fitness routine.
Bending the Cost Curve
In light of America’s dismal health, eight years ago the Cleveland Clinic began the Wellness Institute. The Clinic started its work by taking its 43,000 employees and attempting to see if it could “bend” healthcare costs to a more manageable range. The Clinic’s own healthcare cost curve for its employees was rising at 9% per year. However, with the changes the institute has instated for its staff, over the last year costs decreased six-tenths of a percent in a progressive decline. That’s in the face of a 6% increase in charges and a 9% increase in pharmaceutical charges. Chronic disease among employees was increasing by 10% annually, and in 2012 saw a decrease for the first time. As a result, the Clinic believes it has “bent” the curve, and will see a return on its investment to make employees healthier.
So how did the Cleveland Clinic achieve these impressive health improvements in its staff? The answer lies in several key changes made to the facility’s corporate and social culture, work environment, and by presenting effective initiatives for the staff.
The first point of attack was addressing the staff’s diet. In an attempt to curb Cleveland Clinic employees from consuming sugary and syrupy beverages that can negatively impact health, the Clinic removed them from all the vending machines on campus. In addition it removed fryers from the cafeteria, and eliminated unhealthy foods. Dr. Roizen pointed to three “Food Felons” that rob people of their health, memory and energy—sugars, syrups and simple carbohydrates. By avoiding these three ingredients, one is able to keep blood sugar below 110 for coronary arteries, and less that 250 for brain arteries, thus maintaining healthy endothelial function, he explained.
Taking its mission a step further, smoking was banned on campus, and the Clinic even stopped hiring smokers as employees. Dr. Roizen noted the practice of not hiring smokers “will result in a savings of $15 million a year that we pass back to our employees in lower healthcare costs.” The Clinic also offered free smoking cessation for any employees looking to quit.
Further, free Curves gym memberships were offered to employees, as well as free yoga classes, and access to a free onsite fitness center.
The Cleveland Clinic is just beginning to offer stress management resources to its employees as well. “We probably should have done it earlier,” said Dr. Roizen. “It’s as large a cause of heart attack or stroke as is smoking or diabetes, and it’s probably the first cause you can address and see a return on investment for.” He added, “By the way, this is typical of the American worker now. When this [stress] was measured in 1980 by the same scale, the average score was around 13. The average score now that we’ve detected in employed populations in our company, and three other companies, … is now 23.2, which is the same rating back in 1980 that you would have gotten if you were told your mom had cancer. That’s how high our average level of stress is for workers now.”
The Cleveland Clinic also restructured how its insurance program works, and how employees benefit if they maintain good health. The Clinic raised premiums about 9% from 2009 to present day, but now employees get a rebate if they receive five normal health evaluations from their healthcare practitioner (or if their doctor confirms that they’re on the path toward normal health within three years). “Normal” evaluations are qualified by demonstrating healthy blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, hemoglobin A1C and Body Mass Index (BMI) levels, in addition to testing negative for tobacco products in their urine. If staffers achieve this goal, their insurance premium returns to the pre-2009 rate, and they receive a check rebate for close to $2,000.
“So what did our employees do with all these programs?” asked Dr. Roizen. “They lost close to 396,000 pounds.” He also noted that blood pressure and the incidence of chronic disease among the staff is steadily decreasing.
The Role for Supplements
Dr. Roizen additionally spoke to the crucial role that dietary supplements play in maintaining and improving America’s health. To continue the positive habits the staffers of the Cleveland Clinic have adopted, he recommended certain key vitamins, minerals and nutrients to continue their path toward optimal health and longevity. Such supplements include:
· “Odd Omegas”: Omega 3, 5, 7 and 9 all play a role in supporting health, according to Dr. Roizen. He recommended 900 mg of DHA a day to decrease memory loss with age, and decrease the incidence of macular degeneration. He also stressed that the ethyl ester (EE) form of DHA is not effective to support cardiovascular health and inflammation, and that the TG form of DHA should be used for this purpose.
· Vitamin D3: Dr. Roizen recommended 1000 IUs of vitamin D3. He noted that 50-80% of the population is deficient in this vital nutrient, and that vitamin D3 turns on your “proof reader gene,” which scans for duplicate cells within the body.
· Calcium: Only 600 mg for calcium is advised, as over this limit may increase the risk of prostate cancer.
· A half of a Multivitamin, twice daily: “Why twice a day?” Dr. Roizen asked. “Because you urinate the water soluble components out in about 12-18 hours.” He explained that most multivitamins can be split in half, so it can be taken in two parts over the course of a day to ensure they offer the desired level of potency. Dr. Roizen also pointed out that people who take multivitamins regularly have an 18% reduction in cancer after the age of 70.
· Prenatal Multivitamin w/ DHA: Women ages 12-50 are advised to take a prenatal multivitamin with DHA, which has been shown to reduce the incidence of birth defects in offspring by 80%, childhood cancers by 60% and it’s the only thing known to decrease the likelihood of autism and autism spectrum disorder by 40% if taken in advance of pregnancy. Why should such a large portion of the female population take a prenatal? Dr. Roizen pointed out that 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, so any women capable of being pregnant should take preventative measures toward protecting their children.
· DHA and Lutein: Those over 55 should take DHA and lutein to decrease the eyesight loss that is associated with the initial stages of macular degeneration.
· Baby Aspirin: Dr. Roizen recommends 2 baby aspirins daily, to reduce heart attack from 10-45%. The aspirins should be taken with a warm glass of water before and afterward to protect the stomach lining. Baby asprin has been shown to decrease chronic and acute inflammation and rupture in the heart, as well as the platelet aggregation.
· CoQ10: Those taking non-blood-brain barrier passing statins should take CoQ10 to decrease fatigue during exercise. It also improves the quality of LDL repair and reduces chronic inflammation.
· Probiotics: Mothers during pregnancy and breastfeeding mothers have been shown to benefit particularly from probiotics. Yet, the general population can also benefit from their digestive and immune supporting effects.
For more information on Dr. Mike Roizen and the Cleveland Clinic, visit www.doctoroz.com/expert/mike-roizen-md or my.clevelandclinic.org.
The author of four New York Times best sellers, Dr. Roizen is also among the panel of experts who contribute to the Dr. Oz Show. He helped found the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute in response to the rapidly increasing cost of healthcare—in his own clinic and nationwide—which is due in part to the population’s increased age and high growth of chronic health conditions.
As a result of the average American’s poor overall health, the U.S. is at least 7% more expensive than the next closest country’s healthcare costs, mainly due to chronic disease, explained Dr. Roizen. He feels that if the U.S. doesn’t deal with the over expenditure of medical costs this will lead to “rationing, and we end up in America not having the same freedoms, and not having the same country.”
Dr. Roizen also warned that poor health is leading the U.S. down an increasingly dangerous economic path. Because of the extremely high cost of insuring and employing workers, U.S. jobs, particularly in fields like manufacturing, have been outsourced overseas to countries that offer cheaper labor and a healthier workforce. Dr. Roizen warns that if high medical costs and America’s overall poor health aren’t addressed, other careers such as teaching, military professions, banking jobs, to name a few, could be threatened. Overall, high medical costs and poor level of health is making the U.S. a less competitive marketplace for employers.
“This is the real reason for sequestration. Medical costs are now crowding out social programs we care about, education programs and even defense. We can’t allow that to continue,” he said.
According to Dr. Roizen, tobacco, food choices and portion size, physical inactivity and stress cause 75% of chronic disease. In 2007, “these four factors alone were responsible for 81% of hospital admissions, 91% of all prescriptions, 76% of physician visits at an average cost of $6,000,” he explained.
Further, he described that if a person does nothing about their health, their genes will progress so that they lose 5% of every function every 10 years. That’s 5% of lung function, 5% of cardiac function, 5% of liver function and 5% of bone mass. IQ is even affected by this natural decline. However, Dr. Roizen’s mission is to demonstrate that this decay can be avoided by making positive changes in one’s diet, level of stress, smoking habits and fitness routine.
Bending the Cost Curve
In light of America’s dismal health, eight years ago the Cleveland Clinic began the Wellness Institute. The Clinic started its work by taking its 43,000 employees and attempting to see if it could “bend” healthcare costs to a more manageable range. The Clinic’s own healthcare cost curve for its employees was rising at 9% per year. However, with the changes the institute has instated for its staff, over the last year costs decreased six-tenths of a percent in a progressive decline. That’s in the face of a 6% increase in charges and a 9% increase in pharmaceutical charges. Chronic disease among employees was increasing by 10% annually, and in 2012 saw a decrease for the first time. As a result, the Clinic believes it has “bent” the curve, and will see a return on its investment to make employees healthier.
So how did the Cleveland Clinic achieve these impressive health improvements in its staff? The answer lies in several key changes made to the facility’s corporate and social culture, work environment, and by presenting effective initiatives for the staff.
The first point of attack was addressing the staff’s diet. In an attempt to curb Cleveland Clinic employees from consuming sugary and syrupy beverages that can negatively impact health, the Clinic removed them from all the vending machines on campus. In addition it removed fryers from the cafeteria, and eliminated unhealthy foods. Dr. Roizen pointed to three “Food Felons” that rob people of their health, memory and energy—sugars, syrups and simple carbohydrates. By avoiding these three ingredients, one is able to keep blood sugar below 110 for coronary arteries, and less that 250 for brain arteries, thus maintaining healthy endothelial function, he explained.
Taking its mission a step further, smoking was banned on campus, and the Clinic even stopped hiring smokers as employees. Dr. Roizen noted the practice of not hiring smokers “will result in a savings of $15 million a year that we pass back to our employees in lower healthcare costs.” The Clinic also offered free smoking cessation for any employees looking to quit.
Further, free Curves gym memberships were offered to employees, as well as free yoga classes, and access to a free onsite fitness center.
The Cleveland Clinic is just beginning to offer stress management resources to its employees as well. “We probably should have done it earlier,” said Dr. Roizen. “It’s as large a cause of heart attack or stroke as is smoking or diabetes, and it’s probably the first cause you can address and see a return on investment for.” He added, “By the way, this is typical of the American worker now. When this [stress] was measured in 1980 by the same scale, the average score was around 13. The average score now that we’ve detected in employed populations in our company, and three other companies, … is now 23.2, which is the same rating back in 1980 that you would have gotten if you were told your mom had cancer. That’s how high our average level of stress is for workers now.”
The Cleveland Clinic also restructured how its insurance program works, and how employees benefit if they maintain good health. The Clinic raised premiums about 9% from 2009 to present day, but now employees get a rebate if they receive five normal health evaluations from their healthcare practitioner (or if their doctor confirms that they’re on the path toward normal health within three years). “Normal” evaluations are qualified by demonstrating healthy blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, hemoglobin A1C and Body Mass Index (BMI) levels, in addition to testing negative for tobacco products in their urine. If staffers achieve this goal, their insurance premium returns to the pre-2009 rate, and they receive a check rebate for close to $2,000.
“So what did our employees do with all these programs?” asked Dr. Roizen. “They lost close to 396,000 pounds.” He also noted that blood pressure and the incidence of chronic disease among the staff is steadily decreasing.
The Role for Supplements
Dr. Roizen additionally spoke to the crucial role that dietary supplements play in maintaining and improving America’s health. To continue the positive habits the staffers of the Cleveland Clinic have adopted, he recommended certain key vitamins, minerals and nutrients to continue their path toward optimal health and longevity. Such supplements include:
· “Odd Omegas”: Omega 3, 5, 7 and 9 all play a role in supporting health, according to Dr. Roizen. He recommended 900 mg of DHA a day to decrease memory loss with age, and decrease the incidence of macular degeneration. He also stressed that the ethyl ester (EE) form of DHA is not effective to support cardiovascular health and inflammation, and that the TG form of DHA should be used for this purpose.
· Vitamin D3: Dr. Roizen recommended 1000 IUs of vitamin D3. He noted that 50-80% of the population is deficient in this vital nutrient, and that vitamin D3 turns on your “proof reader gene,” which scans for duplicate cells within the body.
· Calcium: Only 600 mg for calcium is advised, as over this limit may increase the risk of prostate cancer.
· A half of a Multivitamin, twice daily: “Why twice a day?” Dr. Roizen asked. “Because you urinate the water soluble components out in about 12-18 hours.” He explained that most multivitamins can be split in half, so it can be taken in two parts over the course of a day to ensure they offer the desired level of potency. Dr. Roizen also pointed out that people who take multivitamins regularly have an 18% reduction in cancer after the age of 70.
· Prenatal Multivitamin w/ DHA: Women ages 12-50 are advised to take a prenatal multivitamin with DHA, which has been shown to reduce the incidence of birth defects in offspring by 80%, childhood cancers by 60% and it’s the only thing known to decrease the likelihood of autism and autism spectrum disorder by 40% if taken in advance of pregnancy. Why should such a large portion of the female population take a prenatal? Dr. Roizen pointed out that 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, so any women capable of being pregnant should take preventative measures toward protecting their children.
· DHA and Lutein: Those over 55 should take DHA and lutein to decrease the eyesight loss that is associated with the initial stages of macular degeneration.
· Baby Aspirin: Dr. Roizen recommends 2 baby aspirins daily, to reduce heart attack from 10-45%. The aspirins should be taken with a warm glass of water before and afterward to protect the stomach lining. Baby asprin has been shown to decrease chronic and acute inflammation and rupture in the heart, as well as the platelet aggregation.
· CoQ10: Those taking non-blood-brain barrier passing statins should take CoQ10 to decrease fatigue during exercise. It also improves the quality of LDL repair and reduces chronic inflammation.
· Probiotics: Mothers during pregnancy and breastfeeding mothers have been shown to benefit particularly from probiotics. Yet, the general population can also benefit from their digestive and immune supporting effects.
For more information on Dr. Mike Roizen and the Cleveland Clinic, visit www.doctoroz.com/expert/mike-roizen-md or my.clevelandclinic.org.