The meaning and definition of “good health” has changed through the ages. Perhaps the best method of “knowing your health status” is being acutely aware of your own body, its functions and functional abberrations. So what am I talking about here?
I’m referring particularly to
- how you feel
- how often you have a bowel movement
- how often you urinate
- how often you feel bloated or gassy after eating
- what foods trigger your bloated or gassy feeling
- what hurts
- is that hurt “chronic” or “new”
Light-headedness could be a symptom of high blood pressure. Pain in a new and unexpected place could be a sign of a bruise, muscle strain, unknown injury, or an unknown infection of some kind. Shingles or easy bruising could be a sign of a lack of vitamin C in your diet. Many other little things about you and your body could be early indications of injury or disease. So….how aware are you of what your body is telling you every day?
My body type is literally grossly obese. I know I am “at risk” for many illnesses and for many injuries simply because of my body type. I am about 100 lbs overweight and it began when I was 25 years old. I’m now nearing 70. I would probably be a lot healthier if I were to lose 50 to 75 pounds. I know this, yet I continue not to heed it. My blood chemistry is “normal” – I have no major blood chemistry problems. My blood pressure is generally 135 / 75-80. I have a 54-inch waist yet I can bend over and touch my knuckles on the floor in front of my toes. I can still do 50 situps in under two minutes. I regularly walk 2 miles a day minimum and about 5-6 miles when I play a round of golf – and I walk for the golf, rather than ride in a cart. So I try to take pretty good care of myself.
Over the years I have learned a few things about my own body and health, how I react to certain foods and food supplements. This does not say anything about how you will react to these things….only that you need to be aware of what your body is doing and what your body is telling you about why it is doing those things.
For example, I love salads, especially green salads. And they give me loads of gas and bloating. I know this, so I try to eat a small salad at least once a day. It’s only when I get carried away and have a large salad, or second helping, that I get bloated and gassy.
I have an allergic reaction to all artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame. Prolonged use, say 1 cup of artificially sweetened international coffee or 1 diet soda a day for a month, will raise my blood pressure above 150.
I have a similar reaction to prolonged use (two weeks or more) of all vitamins except Vitamins C and E.
I have a very bad physical reaction to several prescription medications and food supplements which include tetracycline, biocyllin and amino acids.
I used to get a Flu Shot every year – and I would get the Flu 3 times a year. The first time was immediately after the shot, the second time was 3 months after the shot and the third time was 6 months after the shot. I documented this for about 10 years and, after talking it over with my doctor, quit taking flu shots. I now get the flu about once every 5 years or less and it doesn’t make me as sick as it used to make me.
The things I do, however, are the things that keep me healthy. These are walking regularly and playing golf. They also include taking 2000 units of Vitamin C daily for over 40 years, and taking 50 units each of both Zinc and Selenium once a week. And about the middle of November every year I up the Zinc and Selenium intake to 5-6 times a week.
I play Santa at a mall every Christmas season for 4-5 weeks, and I come into contact with just about every disease and bug known to man during that period. Yet I seldom get sick, and when I do get sick I neither feel sick nor exhibit symptoms to those around me. I attribute this to the Zinc and Selenium I take. I’ve been taking these for 8 years now, and in that time have only been sick once – and at that, no one around me knew I was sick.
Each of us is different from one another; each of us must make our own personal health assessment. We must learn to recognize what our body is telling us about what is going on inside and why, and we must also learn which preventatives work and which don’t on an individual basis.
In this article I’m telling you what works for me and why, and what doesn’t. It’s up to you to learn what works for you and what doesn’t and why. And then to do whatever it takes to maintain your health at optimum levels. Good luck and good health.
