Ignorance kills, knowledge saves, says Teresa Heinz at Women's Health & the Environment Conference

(photo credit: globalvillage1)

In her opening remarks, Teresa Heinz encouraged audience members at the Women's Health and the Environment conference in Pittsburgh today to ask questions about healthcare, "The more we can ask the more we can make healthy choices, and here's why: ignorance kills and knowledge saves lives. Preventive medicine is part of knowledge."

Heinz was very critical of our current healthcare system, which she said does not work, is not reasonable or affordable for businesses or individuals, and excludes the working and middle classes all too often. Additionally, she said it tends to dispense and treat more often than it prevents, which is the more important medicine to practice.

She spoke of her childhood, growing up in Africa where her father was a doctor. She said there healthcare was a scarce resource. As a result, sh elearned the importance of prevntion of disease and using nature to treat, "I saw firsthand what preventive care can do. . .so everything I do is from a preventive point of view---in everything."

Women, people, should feel emboldened to ask questions, and get answers, then continue asking questions about their medical and health care, Heinz said. She warned of the risk of lethal cocktails of drugs, dangerous and unknown chemicals in everyday products such as women's make-up and children's plastic toys, and even drinking water, which is known to contain low levels of prescription drugs such as Prozac, lipitor, and replacement hormones.

Heinz said knowledge was essential, "You know why this is important? Breast cancer. Why is it still on the rise? Heart disease. Why is it on the rise? Austism. Why is this on the increase over 200% in last ten years? In all of our medical advances, chronic diseases such as arthiritis and diabetes are on the rise, and we need to discover why."

With a brief humorous story about a friend of hers in Iowa who is an organic pig farmer, heinz said, "As much as I like a good discussion about lipstick, and pigs, especially, what I really want to know is what our next President is going to do about healthcare in our country."

Heinz was opening for a conference exploring liks between the environment and its effect on health. Keynote speakers include: Nancy Nichols, journalist and editor, cancer survivor, and author of Lake Effect; Diane MacEachern, founder, president and author of Big Green Purse; Leslie David, president of Magee-Women's Hospital of UPMC; Charlotte Brody, Devra Davis, and Jane Houlihan of Environmental Working Group, as well as others.

Julie Pippert is in Pittsburgh covering this important conference, and will be providing additional information here, and at Moms Speak Up.

Comments

[Diane MacEachern]

Julie, Good to meet you at the conference! While I agree with Teresa that knowledge is power, it often seems like "we don't know enough yet" is an excuse for not taking action. Even if we stopped studying the cause or impacts of various problems right now, don't you think we already know enough about most issues to take action on them? Carolyn Rafsperger only alluded to the Precautionary Principle in her presentation yesterday, but isn't that what it's all about, really? We have the knowledge we need to act - today. There's no point in waiting.