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Approximately one in four people diagnosed with diabetes will develop foot problems. Of these, about one-third will require lower extremity amputation.
As the western states of America were settled, pioneers often had to drink rancid water from ponds and other sources. This often resulted in chronic diarrhea, causing many cases of dehydration and death that could have been avoided if clean water had been available.
Most childhood vaccines are 90–99% effective in preventing disease. Side effects are rarely serious.
More than 30% of American adults, and about 12% of children utilize health care approaches that were developed outside of conventional medicine.
Elderly adults are living longer, and causes of death are shifting. At the same time, autopsy rates are at or near their lowest in history.