Compared with previous generations, what health advantages and disadvantages do boomers have?
A. Today’s baby boomers have many advantages over previous generations. These are too numerous to list completely, but some of the more important examples include: • Fluoridation of water. • Improved agricultural and food preservation methods. • Antibiotics. • Hormones. • Health insurance. • The knowledge that exercise is medicine. • Knowledge about calcium and other mineral and vitamin supplementation. • Modern dental technology. • Miniaturized diagnostic studies, especially those made possible by endoscopes. • Access to hospitals and regular preventive medical care, such as mammography, Pap tests, rectal exams for the prostate and other health screening. • Vaccination and eradication of most childhood diseases, such as polio. A result is that boomers are generally healthier than people of previous generations.
