Instead of waiting for the outcome of the healthcare debate to decide your fate, use some simple common sense strategies to take back the power to control your own health.
1. Start exercising
An increase in activity of as little as 20 minutes 3 times a week can make a difference in your risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. You don’t have to get fancy with a gym membership. Try taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator, or park further from the entrance when you go to the market or mall.
2. Eat Smaller portions
You may not want to give up your junk food or fried food, but try to limit your portions. Instead of buying a six pack of soda, buy a two liter bottle. You can better control the portions along with your intake of calories.
3. Drink more water
The average person should be drinking 1 ounce per kilogram of his/her weight in water per day. (1 lb = 2.2kg). Studies have shown that people eat more when they are dehydrated because the signals in the body can confuse hunger with thirst. If you are hungry, try drinking an 8-12 oz glass of water before you decide to eat that snack.
4. Avoid salt
The average American diet consists too much salt. Salt is found in everything from canned foods to frozen foods. Not only does salt make your body retain water, it also dulls your sense of taste when it comes to sugar. As a challenge, decrease the amount of salt you eat for about 1 week, then drink a non-diet soft drink. Not only will you lose about 3- 5 lbs of water weight, but you will see that the soda is incredibly sweet. In addition, try to use sea salt.
5. Avoid high fructose corn syrup
Studies have shown that most products in this country are made with high fructose corn syrup that is contaminated with mercury (a known neurotoxin). Instead try to choose foods made with cane sugar. When you drink soft drinks that are made with sugar you will be less likely to crave salt and be able to stop with one soda because there is no ‘sugar high’ that leads to the craving that makes you want to have more.
The definition of an antgeinically shifted flu virus’ changed subtly with the H1N1 swine pandemic’. Prior to 2009, the term shift’ was applied when a new’ H-type appeared (or reappeared, after not having been circulating for many years) and pandemics were associated with a change in circulating H-type (probably H3 to HI with the Spanish flu in 1918-19, H1 to H2 with the Asian flu in 1956-57, H2 to H3 with the Hong Kong flu in 1968-69). H1 viruses had been circulating since 1976 (why wasn’t that reappearance designated a pandemic some textbooks, eg Mandel et al, DO count it but there wasn’t an enormous loss of life as in 1918-19, 1956-57 or 1968-69, so maybe that is why it is largely ignored and not counted as a pandemic). The H1N1 swine was a mild infection for most (not to underestimate the impact it had for those who had more severe illnesses and the people who died) and might have qualified as a drifted’ virus in earlier years. There have been other years when a drifted’ virus has caused more morbidity and mortality than H1N1 swine (eg the 1989-90 H3 virus in the UK, at least).But a universal vaccine (irrespective of the semantics around pandemics) would be very welcome declaration of interest: I am approaching my elder years, when flu becomes more of a threat, and I welcome anything I can get especially a vaccine to try to keep me healthy!