Health Self-Education: Things We Can Do.

In my previous post I spoke about needing a new direction in healthcare that embraces the idea of self-education, practical knowledge and personal responsibility for our own health. So where might one begin in this pursuit of Health Self-Education. I would suggest the goal we aspire to in our self-education program is to gain a deeper awareness, appreciation and respect for how wonderfully we are made.

So, I went to my bookshelf and found two books that have helped to shape my view of health and you may find them to be of interest as well. The first one is Lennart Nilsson's 1973 book, Behold Man: A Photographic Journey of Discovery inside the Body. This book offers a remarkable collection of large, detailed microphotographs, giving us what he calls " a kind of first report" as it reveals the awe-inspiring and wonderfully made reality of our human existence.

The second book I would share with you is entitled I Am Joe's Body. The book is a collection of articles originally printed in the Reader's Digest, beginning in 1967 which was the year I graduated from high school. I didn't discover the book until years later. The book offers a compelling guided tour of our anatomy where each part speaks for itself as it explains its role and function within the body. J. D. Ratcliff, the author, writes in a simple and direct narrative style that both entertains and informs the reader. His book is still a pleasure to read and I believe you will come away with a deeper sense of appreciation for one's life and all that goes into making that life possible.

Life and health are wonderful gifts to be enjoyed and passed on. To change one's life and health for the better requires a return to a true foundation. The insight, knowledge and awareness that can come from these two books will help to rebuild that proper foundation of childlike awe for the mysteriousness of life. If a truthful foundation can indeed be re-established in our lives, we will then be motivated to be lifelong learners in this study of life and health. We will also be motivated to make the necessary changes in our behaviors and attitudes that will support the continual care and nuture of these precious and bestowed gifts of life and health.

Until next time, why not take a walk in nature and try to view it once more from a child's perspective, as if seeing it for the first time. May you be filled with wonder, awe and love.

David's Web Page

Health Notes

Health | Essential Nutrition | Reader's Digest | Good Books | Health Care

We've Got To Quit Meeting Like This.

Over the years, we have been conditioned to accept what seems to me a co-dependent relationship with our doctors and the health care system. We're told: "Trust Us, We're the Experts" and if we should accept those terms, then we have locked ourselves into an unhealthy, dependent and passive relationship with our healthcare providers.

The unhealthy relationship we have with our health care system needs healing so it can move in a new and healthier direction. The first step in that new direction should embrace the goal of continuing self-education, practical knowledge and personal responsibility for our own health. That's not the easy path and few will choose to take it.

Likewise, many of us seem to have an unhealthy relationship with ourselves, and few seem willing to change that as well. I am speaking about an almost total disconnect with our physical bodies. I would liken this relationship with the one we may have with our automobile.

Are we an owner who maintains their vehicle according to the owner's manual specifications or do we just drive it until a problem develops? Are we responsive to the signal our car may give us about its performance? Do we ignore the warning lights as they flash on the car's dashboard or do we respond quickly to its message of trouble?

Those owners who regularly maintain their car and are responsive to the small telltale signs of its performance usually have a trouble free and positive experience with their vehicle over its lifetime.

Whereas, those owners who are negligent in proper care and maintenance and ignore the telltale warning signs of approaching trouble generally end up broken down alongside the road. When this happens, most likely the owner is looking at an expensive repair bill to get their car back up and running.

Isn't it the same way with our physical health. Essential nutrition is like the wise car owner who maintains his vehicle (our physical being) in a regular and prescribed manner. That's called good health sense; or maybe, just good common sense. After all, you can always purchase another car, but that's not the case with your physical life. Health is not a one-time event. Our health is something that should be nutrured and cared for on a daily basis. Why not be healthy until the very day you pass from this present consciousness. I invite you to keep up with future posts to Health Notes on your RSS Reader by subscribing to its RSS feed on the Sidebar under Feed Frenzy. Until next time, take care for your life and good health.

David's Web Page

Health Notes

Co-Dependency | Health Care | Personal Responsibility | Practical Knowledge | Common Sense | Essential Nutrition

You've Got To Be Healthy To Take Your Medicine.

By now, I'm sure we have all seen the pharmaceutical drug ads on television and in magazines touting the benefits of their medicine. However, at the end of those ads they go on to list the common side effects of their medication, which are often dangerous and would seem to outweigh its potential benefit.

I am referring to such medications as:
Nexium
Lipitor
Paxil
Lamasil
Imitrex
Wellbutrin
Cellebrex

I wonder how the use of such prescribed "magic bullets" square with the dictum attributed to Hippocrates in "doing no harm" to the patient. When viewing these pharmaceutical commercials, I often conclude that the treatment seems more debilitating than the original problem. That's why I say you have to be really healthy to take your medicine.

Doctors are good at diagnosing disease and they are trained to treat people when they become ill. But have you ever asked yourself: Who can help me to avoid becoming ill in the first place? Who are the prevention experts?

It is commonly said that 85-95 percent of all illness is related to our lifestyle and personal habits. You would think that lifestyle and personal habits are something that we can control. But do we? It seems that many of us are incapable of changing those lifestyle issues even when it is for our own good. And when those lifestyle choices inevitably lead to illness, we are only left with the hope that the doctor's "magic bullet" can make us healthy once more.

Why is it easier for us to believe in another man's "magic bullet" rather than taking personal responsibility for our own health? It is my guess that only 1-5 percent of the population will take the more challenging path of personal initiative to educate and reform their behaviors concerning prevention and self-care.

The lifestyle choices we make and the nutrition we take are important topics in this context of prevention and self-care. A famous scientist once said,

"Until man duplicates a blade of grass, nature can laugh at his so-called scientific knowledge. Remedies from chemicals will never stand in favor compared with the products of nature. The living cell of the plant, the final result of the rays of the sun, the Mother-of-all-Life. When correctly used, herbs promote the elimination of waste matter and poisons from the system, by simple natural means. They support nature in its fight against disease, while chemicals, not being assimilable, add to the accumulation of morbid matter and only simulate improvement by 'suppressing' the symptoms."
-Thomas Edison

I encourage you to be among the 1 to 5 percent who want to be in control of their own health and not entrust it to others. Keep up with future posts to this blog on your RSS Reader by subscribing to its RSS feed on the Sidebar under Feed Frenzy. Until next time, Live Well and Be Healthy.

David's Web Page

Health Notes

Nexium | Lipitor | Paxil | Lamasil | Imitrex | Wellbutrin | Celebrex | Thomas Edison

"It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"

Today, concludes my four part series concerning the essential nature of the B vitamin known as Folate or Folic Acid. Previously, I have presented the idea that the story of folic acid is much like the story of health and life itself; it is multifaceted, comprehensive and still being discovered.

So, what do we presently know about this vitamin and its role in our health. Growing research evidence is establishing that folic acid deficiencies are associated with numerous health maladies. Just spend a few minutes on the internet searching for news stories about folic acid and you will find a slew of information. These stories point to folic acid as being a factor in cases like alzheimers and dementia, heart and cardiovascular diseases, depression, osteoporosis, cervical, breast, pancreatic and colon cancers, hearing loss, psoriasis, restless leg syndrome, chronic fatique, cleft lip/palate defects, and of course neural tube birth defects which was highlighted in my February 26 post.

For the record let me briefly list some of the common natural food sources of folic acid along with their approximate bioavailability % rating. This food list includes: Beets - 30%, Brewers Yeast - 10%, Brussel sprouts - 30%, Cabbage - 30%, Cantaloupe - 30%, Cauliflower - 30%, Celery - 50%, Eggs - 70%, Fish - 70%, Green leafy vegetables - 50%, Kidney beans - 30%, - Lima beans - 30%, Liver - 80%, Nuts - 50%, Oranges - 30%, Wheat germ - 50%.

The scope of this blog is not to provide a detailed scientific explanation of how folate deficiencies may contribute to the above mentioned health conditions. The first Wikipedia link given above can be a first step for those wanting to know more. Let me instead present you with this idea. I believe that most thinking people would accept the premise that our over-all physical health and well-being is largely dependent upon the health of the trillions of individual cells that make up our physical bodies. With that being said, let me now take this opportunity to comment on the critical role folic acid plays in promoting the accurate replication of our human genome.

Before its life cycle ends, every cell in our physical body is programmed by the genetic code within its nucleus to reproduce or replicate itself through cell division. The accurate transfer of this genetic material - the DNA and RNA into the new cell forming is vitally important if we are to maintain good health. Most have heard about the role of antioxidants and how they protect against free radical damage. Free radicals can damage this genetic code. Damaged genetic code makes us more susceptible to defects and diseases like those mentioned earlier in the post. Researchers believe folic acid, like antioxidants, performs a primary role in ensuring the proper transfer of DNA into the newly formed cell.

I have often heard it said that humans have the genetic potential of living to the age of 140 years. And yet, doesn't that seem almost unbelievable in our modern era today? Based on what we already know, for that genetic life potential to ever become a reality, it only stands to reason that the genetic code would have to be replicated faultlessly through the many life cycles of the numerous individual cells that make up the human form. Modern research is providing the evidence that sufficient folic acid nutrition plays a fundamental role in the accurate tranfer of our genetic code from one generation of cells to the next.

In one sense, it could be said we are all being reborn daily through this genetic transfer. And if we were to accept that premise, would it then motivate us to be more mindful and intentional on how we care for ourselves? Could we approach our own health like the way two excited, expectant parents might prepare for the conception, development and birth of their first born child? May we, indeed, love ourselves in this same manner and be conscious of our own daily birthing. We can make preparation for this event by providing those essential nutrients necessary for our health and total well-being on an on-going and daily basis. This thought of being reborn daily reminds me of a lyric from Bob Dylan's song, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" - from his classic Album Bringing It All Back Home- where he says "That he not busy being born is busy dying." Dear reader, where are you on that spectrum of life and death? May we all choose life for ourselves.

Obviously, there is much more that could be said on this and other related subjects; and the good news is I will in upcoming posts. And, if you like what you are reading, then why not link up with my blog by subscribing to its RSS feed on the Sidebar under Feed Frenzy. That way, future posts will come directly to you at the time of publication. Until next time, choose Life.

David's Web Page

Health Notes

Folate | Human Genome | Essential Nutrients | DNA | antioxidants | Bob Dylan

Are We Just Punks When It Comes To Our Health?

On my last post I ended with this question: Why do we take for granted this wonderful gift of good health that most are born with? Why do we act as if good health will last forever without any care or attention. Like good personal relationships, our health must be nurtured and tended too. For me, it is a process of cultivation much like that of a good garden. But so many seem to be oblivious of that process. And far too many abuse their health through poor lifestyle choices until they no longer have it; and then expect the so-called health care system to restore them to wholeness. The reality is that good health and life just doesn't work out like that.

I am reminded of a quote from a Clint Eastwood Movie. He says: " I know what you're thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well to tell the truth in all this excitement I've kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum - the most powerful hand gun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question -- Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya punk!" from Dirty Harry

When we abuse or even ignore the process of building good health, aren't we just like that punk Dirty Harry is talking to, and shouldn't we ask ourselves, do I feel lucky? But why would we ever want to entrust our health to luck?

If you're like me, then you want to take responsibility for your own health. You don't necessarily trust the health care system with your health; because, after all, the shocking truth is that Doctors are the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer. You want to be in charge of your health; you want to be proactive in building a healthy lifestyle for yourself and family. And it all begins on the foundation of a proper education concerning wellness and health.

I invite you to come along with me on this blogging adventure as I search out and define what I call Intelligent Self-Care. Intelligent Self-care teaches me to build my physical nature with both whole food nutrition and strategic supplementation so as to insure that I am getting all the essential nutrition I need on a daily basis for vibrant health.

My next post will conclude this present four-part series concerning the essential nature of folic acid and your good health. To be sure you catch the final post of this series, please subscribe to my RSS feed so it can come to you directly after it is published. You will find the RSS Feed on the Sidebar. Until next time, Best Wishes.

David's Web Page

Health Notes

Folic Acid | Health | Essential Nutrition | Self Care | Healthy Lifestyle | Clint Eastwood

Health Awareness Campaigns, How Effective Are They?

I ended my last post by saying that the impact of Folic Acid on the developing child is not even half of the story about the important role this essential B vitamin plays in our health. Why don't we hear the whole story? I think the primary reason is because the story of folic acid is still being researched. The story of folic acid is much like the story of health and life itself; it is multifaceted, comprehensive and still being discovered.

When it comes to campaigns like the National Folic Acid Awareness Week, my thoughts are much the same as the actor Morgan Freeman's recent statement on a CBS 60 Minutes Interview. He says he finds Black History Month "ridiculous." "You're going to relegate my history to a month?" asks Freeman. "I don't want a Black History Month. Black History is American history," he says, noting that there are no white or Jewish history months. I think Mr. Freeman is right. History is a comprehensive subject and should be handled in that manner.

The subject of health and nutrition is very much like that of history. For best results, these subjects must be studied in a comprehensive manner.Therefore, I think campaigns like the National Folic Acid Awareness Month, though well intentioned, are largely ineffective for two reasons. They try to highlight just one aspect of a comprehensive whole, like the fact that folic acid is important for the pregnant woman and her child. But there is mounting evidence that folic acid is essential for everyone, not just developing children. And why focus on just one vitamin when optimal health is dependent on providing 90 plus nutrients on a daily basis. Nutrition is a comprehensive subject and should be approached in that way.

The second reason I think campaigns like the National Folic Acid Awareness Week are largely ineffective is that too many of us are apathetic about our health. Just how interested are most of us when it comes to such topics as nutrition, good lifestyle choices and prevention? From my view of the world, it seems that most of us rarely notice or even care about such matters; that is, until such time as when we lose our health or the health of a loved one is lost. But by that time, it is often too late to do anything but undergo some extreme medical intervention to try and save our lives. Why does it take a crisis to motivate us to make positive lifestyle choices? Prevention never seems to cross our minds beforehand. How sad that is, but from my perspective that's reality for most of us.

Why do we take for granted this wonderful gift of good health that most are born with? I will cover that in my next post. So that you don't miss the next installment in this four-part series, I invite you to subscribe to my RSS Feed. You'll find it on the Sidebar. Also, please take a moment and check out my web page. Until then, here's to your good health.

David's Web Page

Health Notes

Folic Acid | Health | Essential Nutrition | Pregnancy | Black History Month | Morgan Freeman

National Folic Acid Awareness Week - What Did We Learn?

The week of January 9-15, 2006 marked the National Folic Acid Awareness Week. Did anyone take notice of this National Health Observance? Are we now better educated as to our need for this B vitamin in our diets? Is anyone more aware of how the body uses a micronutrient like Folic Acid? And what are the possible consequences for our health if we should be deficient in this important vitamin? Did you learn, that it is estimated that 88% of North Americans suffer from a folic acid deficiency?

If you missed it, then let me try and begin to catch you up on the important and necessary nature of this B vitamin. Folic acid is essential for proper cell growth in every cell of our body. However, it is most generally promoted to pregnant women for the healthy development of their children. When the pregnant woman's diet is deficient in this particular B vitamin birth defects can result. These birth defects are commonly known by the name "neural tube defects" and spina bifida is an example of such a defect. Spina Bifida is a condition where the backbone and spinal cord do not close before birth. It is a catastrophic defect with lifelong consequences.

As if to highlight and bring further attention for the need of folic acid for the developing child, you may have seen the news story about the three month old Iraqi infant known as Baby Noor who received surgical help in this country for her spina bifida condition. It is firmly established that by taking sufficient folic acid through either our food or by a supplement both before and during early pregnancy such defects like what Baby Noor suffers from can be prevented.

Also during this same week of the National Folic Acid Awareness Week, Angelina Jolie confirmed her pregnancy. I wonder if the expectant Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are aware of the benefit of folic acid nutrition for their developing child. Someone should tell them. A few pennies worth of nutrition could avoid a world of hurt.

Folic Acid's impact on a developing child is not even half of the story about the important role this essential B vitamin plays in our health. Why don't we hear the whole story? I think the primary reason is because the story of folic acid is still being researched. The story of folic acid is much like the story of health and life itself; it is multifaceted, comprehensive and still being discovered.

Please join me for my next post, the second in a four-part series, when I will continue this study of folic acid and it's importance to our health. To be sure you catch this next post and those that follow, why not subscribe to my RSS Feed. You will find the RSS Feed on the side bar of the Blog under Feed Frenzy.

Until then, to your good health; after all, isn't it all about making the most of your life and your health?

David's Web-Page

Health Notes

Folic Acid | Health | Essential Nutrition | Pregnancy | Baby Noor | Angelina Jolie