In the United States, a clear connection can be observed between levels of education and levels of health. Often, the broad concept of “socio-economics” is used to describe where a person is situated in things like health and education, but in focusing on the correlation between the two, it is clear that health and education have an inverse relationship in the United States. Where one is restricted, so is the other. Where one flourishes, so does the other. Health tends to resemble education in the United States in most people. The higher a person’s education reaches, the higher their bill of health reaches.

The reason behind this is how much of our health awareness is tied into our education. After all, what does education do if not make us more aware of the world around us. This includes information about health and well being. An education in any area gets us questioning our life practices. An education in anything having to do with physical, biological or social sciences gets us thinking about the repercussions of toxicity and the benefits of nourishment. Essentially, any education exposes a person to information about better health practices, if only in that it inspires them to educate themselves on different topics for their own interest.

The effect that this has on a person is profound. They begin with understanding their health within a basic mental framework and ultimately come to understand their health in incredible detail. Studies have shown that once a person takes an interest in understanding their personal health, they do not stop. Instead, they continue to invest more and more time and energy growing in their understanding of their personal health. This essentially makes them more self sufficient people because they do not have to rely on the country’s medical system as heavily.

In the United States, education is valued highly, and Americans have preconceived notions of what every level of education represents. They are merely generalizations. People break out of them all the time. But on the whole, Americans assume things about one another based on their level of education. Below is further elaboration on what certain milestone education levels represent to Americans.

• High School. In order to enter the job market anywhere in the United States, a high school level of education is expected. This is the lowest level of education accepted for positions that rank at entry level or customer service level. Individuals who have less than a high school education can typically only find menial jobs, such as janitorial services or manual labor.
• Associates Degree. Earning an associates degree signifies that you have some level of expertise in a particular area in the United States. It may be in a trade or it may be in another professional area. Most skilled professions require a Bachelors degree at minimum to be hired, but an Associates degree can put a person in a higher income bracket.
• Bachelors. The Bachelors degree is the initial targeted degree for most people. Students work toward their Bachelors because they know that it will officially put them in a different hiring bracket, as well as a different income bracket. However, where as a Bachelors degree was all that was needed to earn a decent living in the past, a Bachelors degree is now considered the degree to get merely to move yourself above the poverty line.
• Masters. A Masters degree is the new standard for those trying to achieve the likelihood of a good salary. A Masters currently does what a Bachelors used to: make a person competitive for the skilled professions. A Masters is very likely to put a person at the level of average to high income earner and will garner respect from peers and colleagues.
• PhD. A PhD is still the ultimate level of education status to achieve in the United States. It signifies absolute expertise in a certain area, as well as the highest pay bracket in that area as well.

Health is a major concern in all countries, but in the United States, the topic of health takes a particular social and economic form. Americans have a model of good health that they strive toward and a model of bad health that they discourage. Both exist within the country at either end of the spectrum, and both are heavily tied to education and social economic class. The U.S. model of good health is currently the person who embraces natural living, and the U.S. model of poor health is the one that has no education in or exposure to natural living.

The person who embraces natural living is the one who Americans admire and aspire to be like. Natural living is a sign of education, ethics and independence. It entails being knowledgeable about lifestyle choices that promote good health and having the focus to act upon that knowledge. This is primarily in choosing healthy foods, engaging in healthy exercise and living according to sound medical advice. Another part of this ethic in current times is balancing individual health with environmental health, and not engaging in anything that throws off the balance between the two.

The American model of bad health is, of course, the person who undermines everything the healthy person is trying to do. They are uneducated in healthy living, or they simply have no interest in the subject, so they do not implement it into their lives. They remain ignorant, unethical and unable to take care of themselves. This lifestyle usually entails low interest and low will power in doing what is right for personal and planetary health. This prototype is not known to follow med opinions, think critically about the food they eat or make much effort to exercise. They are the type, instead, to eat processed, sugary, fatty foods, watch too much TV and drive everywhere instead of walking and ignore their doctor’s advice. They are also not interested in the health of the planet and do not follow any sustainable or natural living lifestyle choices.