Is this a true sign of the times or what! I recently read that the three industries that are booming and that will grow tremendously in the next year are fast food, alcohol consumption, and pacemaker implants.

With the poor economy squezing every last dollar, it is no wonder why so many people are choosing fast food. This is a cheap alternative for a meal. However with this trend growing you will see an increase in all of the other health related factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and an even bigger increase in obesity.

As the economy trends downward, stress levels are going up. As stress goes up so does the consumption of alcohol. One reason is that people are turning to the bottle to help them cope with losses of many sorts. Maybe is was the loss of a job, or worse the loss of a retirement fund. What ever the cause we need to take steps to limit the stress in our lives and find ways to relieve it.

Although pacemaker implants are probably a direct link to the above, it too is on the rise. In my opinion this is a very bad sign. Even though the baby-boomers have reached the high risk age for receiving a pacemaker, it is very bad for younger people to get these devices due to the economy snowballing. After all fast food and alcohol will potentially leada to a pacemaker.

Yes you see the stock market fall and retirements bottom. But you know it is a sign of an economy being bad when it effects our physical health.

So what can we do in the mean time to help alleviate the impact? There are a few easy fixes and a bunch that are too complicated to explain. One thing anyone can do is to budget your money in these hard times. Limit the amount of frivolous spending you do. However at the same time if you go out for fast food, try to order something healthy on the menu. Almost all fast food franchises have at least a small selection.

Another way is to conserve driving. Wait few days to go to store and pick up several needed items instead of going to the store everyday to buyone or two things. Or even better shop online for wholesale items. This will help save gas and money.

As for alcohol trends, one way to help decrease the amount of consumption is to drink in mederation and try to find other outlets. Try spending some time outside, try things that you normally would not have done in the past. This will help ease the stress and keep you healthy.

Will this get better? My opinion is yes it will eventually. All we can do is try to manage our own lifestyle to minimize the impact.