It helps to dwell on the positive when much around us is otherwise, especially as we embark upon a new year. So instead of all the depressing health news lately (i.e. H1N1, the trials and tribulations of the health care reform debate, and other Debbie Downer-esque reports), check out Melinda Beck’s recent post in The Wall Street Journal, celebrating the 20 health-care advances for which we should all give thanks for a pick-me-up. I’ll highlight just a few of them here:

• Death rates dropped significantly for eight of the 15 leading causes of death in the U.S., including cancer, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, accidents, diabetes, homicides and pneumonia, from 2006 to 2007. Death is a part of life, and sadly, people will still die from cancer, homicide, or accidents. But when you can see an actual drop in rates for these leading causes of death, well – that is cause for commendation.

• The amount of trans fats in packaged food has declined by about 50% since 2006, when the Food and Drug Administration began requiring food labels to list it. Now if only they could find a way to make French fries good for you, we’d be golden. But seriously, this is a major, much-needed change, given the startling rise in obesity rates across the nation. It’s truly a step in the right direction.

• As of this month, 71% of the U.S. population lives under either a state or local ban on smoking in workplaces and/or restaurants and/or bars, and 19 states have banned smoking in all three kinds of places. Isn’t it nice to come home from your favorite greasy spoon diner and not feel the need to immediately wash your hair or coat?

• Life expectancy in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 77.9 years in 2007, the latest year for which statistics are available, continuing a long upward trend. (That’s 75.3 years for men and 80.4 years for women.) We may not know how to efficiently eliminate wrinkles outside of the wonders of Adobe Photoshop, but we’re likely to live long enough to get them. And that’s a good thing!

These and other notable advances in our current health care system may explain why reaching a consensus on health care reform is so difficult. Who knew that life expectancy could reach 77.9 years? Who could imagine the challenges that living longer would present? There are no easy answers because the dialogue on some of these issues is just getting started…but it’s certainly a good problem to have.

Melinda Beck is right: the recent progress we have made in health care is remarkable, and we should be truly grateful for it.

SFL followers, what health care advances are you grateful for? On the flip side, what health care advances would you like to see in the near future?

~Michelle Seitzer