[thrasher]

I couldn't agree more that obesity, and many afflictions that are diagnosed so commonly nowadays are easily preventable and thus deserve far more attention in the area of prevention as opposed to treatment. I think I would place less blame on the government than you, though, and focus more on pharmaceutical companies who stand to gain a lot more from overprescription of unnecessary drugs that amass them far greater profits. Let's face reality; it's driven by the bottom line like everything in this country, and this channels right on up to the government. Think about the big liquor and tobacco companies that fund all of the anti-marijuana campaigns, that illustrates the concept best. However, I would like to point out that:

Holistic medicine is starting to become far more prominent in US medical school curricula
Overprescription is finally starting to be tackled by medical professionals who recognize it as a problem
Awareness about general health in the US at least seems to be catching on, as can be seen in the big push for far healthier foods and ad campaings urging Americans to get off their fat asses and exercise for ONLY 30 minutes a day