1. Only imbeciles send messages on cell phones or put on lipstick while driving. They constitute one of the reasons why injuries are the leading cause of death in this country up to age 44.
So protect yourself and your children from foolish accidents that should not happen. Install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in your home, store toxic products out of reach of children, wear life jackets while boating, and helmets while biking. Don't becoming a statistic! And beware the imbeciles!
2. If you don't exercise these days, you may feel like you've been caught with your hand in the cookie jar. But I have a confession. I hate, hate, hate the repetitive motion of jogging or walking on a treadmill, and have avoided it. This decision may be to my detriment.
But I think the answer is to stay in motion and not be injured in the process. So I walk miles every week. I've noted that I am still walking, while those younger than me are having knee and hip replacements from the repetitive trauma to these joint by jogging and other joint-stressing exercise.
3. Stop eating junk food that is half sugar for breakfast. It's safer to eat the packaging. Rather, start the day with all-bran cereal that contains 14 grams of fiber. A Harvard study shows this choice decreases the risk of heart disease and obesity. It also helps to prevent constipation.
4. Popeye, the sailor man, was right about spinach. This and other dark-green, leafy vegetables are rich in antioxidants and help to prevent cataracts, according to a report from Ohio State University.
Another study showed that folate, a B vitamin, also found in green, leafy vegetables decreased the risk of stroke. The overall message, which has to be repeated over and over, is that it's prudent to eat all types of vegetables. Adding more fish to obtain healthy omega-3 fatty acids is also a good idea.
5. Don't add your name to the list of those who die from colon cancer. Patients often say to me, "But colonoscopy hurts." I agree there is temporary discomfort, but medication eases most of it. Besides, everything in life is relative, and the discomfort of this procedure is minimal compared to that of dying of terminal colon cancer. Don't procrastinate, get one. [Editor's Note: Colonoscopies are usually recommended for persons over 50 years of age.]
6. The next time someone wants to shake hands say, "Don't pass it on." If we could stop this practice and persuade everyone to wash their hands more often, it would decrease the spread of infectious disease. It would also help prepare for the next epidemic that will eventually strike and kill thousands of people.
7. Take at least 500 milligrams of vitamin C daily. It's a major antioxidant, and evidence is accumulating that it decreases the risk of aging problems such as cataracts. Recently, observational studies by Dr. Sydney Bush, an English eye doctor, show that high doses of C (3,000 mg to 6,000 mg) daily can reverse atherosclerosis.
It's ironic that tens of millions of dollars are spent on cholesterol research, yet vitamin C studies go begging for funds. Remember that animals make their own vitamin C while humans have lost that ability. This may be the reason that heart disease is the number one killer.
8. Don't take more medicine than you need. Napoleon was right when he told his doctor on the island of St. Helena, "Take a dose of medicine once and in all probability you will be obliged to take an additional hundred thereafter." Remember you never get a free ride with drugs.
9. Get an adequate amount of sleep. A number of studies show that eight hours is the magic number to remain healthy.
Dr. Gifford-Jones is a medical journalist with a private medical practice in Toronto.
Dr. Gifford-Jones's Web site
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