This got me to thinking about what his background is. Why is he qualified for this position? Should we be scared, or hopeful?
In researching Mr. Kennedy, here is his history. He attended Harvard in late '70's and law school in early '80's. Passed the Bar in 1985, which is when he began his career as an environmental attorney suing corporations for disposing of hazardous waste into waterways instead of properly disposing them. In the '90's, he began taking private clients, instead of cities or groups, to fight against corporations with poor waste management.
This is also when one of his son's was found to have peanut allergies. After some research, he attributed this to certain vaccines that began to be used in 1989. His fight against oil and chemical companies began to move against big pharma as well. Now it was personal.
Since then, we have seen a large increase in chronic diseases, mental health, and the rising costs of preventable health conditions. Many are therefore looking to work with Mr. Kennedy to advance policies that will be more in line with preventative health and wellness through physical activity.
Regular exercise has been shown by science for years, if not decades, to be a very effective way to manage and preventing chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and depression. What many are hoping to see is:
1. Including access to fitness and wellness programs into healthcare programs
2. Policies to allow Americans to use pre-tax dollars for physical activity, such as gym memberships.
3. Supporting exercise to support mental health wellness, as exercise, has been shown to be a good way to relieve stress, anxiety, and depression.
Only time will tell what he will do. It is promising that finally someone will start to look into preventative measures and not just being reactive as usual. One cannot legislate or regulate people to behave a certain way, but with education one can hope to guide them in a better direction. Also, this may incentivize a route to improve one's health without the use of drugs and getting them to move more.
