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Prevention/Health Maintenance
Many of us recognize that poor health is often the result of a progression
that starts with bad habits and ends in pain or other symptoms. The basics
of health maintenance are not particularly complex, but their implementation
can be difficult to carry out. At Lifeline we try to encourage good
lifestyle habits with easy to follow suggestions.
It is an unfortunate fact, however, that an exemplary lifestyle is no
guarantee of ideal health, although it does greatly reduce the risks of a
many health problems from osteoporosis to obesity. Below are some of the
lifestyle infractions that are most commonly observed at Lifeline.
Dehydration. For whatever reasons, many people do not feel thirsty
when
their body needs water. The over-consumption of sodas and especially
caffeinated drinks that include some sodas, tea, coffee, alcohol and
chocolate actually reduce the amount of water in the body. People may not
realize that decaffeinated coffee and teas contain about 50% less caffeine
but are not caffeine free. Because caffeine is a diuretic, it increases
urination, which can make people believe that they are well hydrated.
Actually, when these drinks are consumed a person should drink more water to
compensate for the loss of water that caffeinated drinks cause. The usual
recommendation of at least 8 oz. of water a day, in addition to other
drinks, and more in hot weather is still a good one.
Eating too much. Some people overeat protein and some fat, but by far
the
food that is most commonly overeaten is carbohydrates in the form of sugar
and grain or potatoes. People are overweight in most cases because they
can’t, or won’t eat less. Carbohydrates play an especially big role in this
because overeating carbohydrates may actually result in a temporary lowering
of blood sugar, making a person hungry. The solution for reducing hunger,
although difficult to follow is simple in theory. Eat three small meals a
day and try to include some protein, healthy fat, (such as nuts, flax, olive
oil, fish oil capsules, avocado) and carbohydrate especially vegetables, at
each meal. Keeping the blood sugar from falling by eating a small snack
between meals can also help to prevent strong cravings for sweets.
Exercise. Exercising several times a week can help prevent many
health
problems. Exercise cannot completely compensate for other bad habits such
as smoking, over eating, etc., but it is almost always better to perform
some sort of aerobic exercise than to remain inactive. If you cannot
exercise because of foot, knee, hip or other pain, try to correct this
problem so that exercise can be done without pain.
Posture. Proper lifting, sitting and keyboarding techniques and good
posture are important to prevent problems from carpal tunnel to low back
pain. Improper lifting, sitting, etc bring a great many people to my
practice. Keeping the head positioned back over the shoulders when sitting,
avoiding bending from the waist, taking breaks when sitting are some of the
important basics.
Down time. Taking breaks from your usual routine is extremely
important for
mental health and possibly physical health too. I am constantly telling
worn out, stressed out people that they need to take a break. Sometimes
healing requires rest or at least a change of pace, hence the saying, “a
change is as good as a rest”.
A healthy lifestyle cannot prevent all health problems. Even the best
maintained human body can still suffer a breakdown. Falls, accidents,
diseases, genetic weaknesses and other circumstances can result in the need
for some type of health care intervention. |
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