You are in Charge of Your Health
Regardless of what you have been told in the past or what you may believe to be true at present, you are in charge of your health. It is true that when you were a child your parents are in charge of your health, but as you mature into a young adult the responsibility becomes yours. Your primary care physician is not in charge of your health as some would like to believe. Each individual chooses what to eat for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. Health is a choice made in the moment. Each individual chooses whether or not to exercise and whether or not to drink alcohol or smoke tobacco.
If you decide to relinquish control of your health to another then it is likely that overall health will suffer. For example, doctors usually prescribe medications for illnesses. The problem with this approach is that medications treat symptoms of disease rather than the cause and many medications come with a host of unpleasant side effects. There are even medications specifically designed to treat side effects. Without dietary change, such as following the new recommendations from Harvard School of Public Health of 9 -13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day (1), you may have to be on medications for the rest of your life (2). To find out more information on a healthy lifestyle read the works of these 8 medical doctors that will empower you on your journey: Dean Ornish, MD, Neal Barnard, MD, Caldwell Esselstyn, MD, John McDougall, MD, T. Colin Campbell, PhD, Michael Greger, MD, Joel Fuhrman, MD, and Doug Graham, DC.
It is important to understand that nobody other than you, not even a doctor, has control of your health. A doctor can give you information, but it is up to you to make healthy decisions throughout your day. The saying "you can lead a horse to water but you cannot force it to drink" is true in this situation. Here are five things you can start doing today to take charge of your health.
1) Before eating breakfast drink a quart of water.
2) Limit intake of dairy, meat, and eggs.
3) Go on a 30 minute walk 5 days a week if physically able.
4) Get at least 8 hours of sleep nightly, preferably going to bed by 10.
5) Upon waking give thanks for another day.
1) http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vegetables-full-story/
2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1312295/
If you decide to relinquish control of your health to another then it is likely that overall health will suffer. For example, doctors usually prescribe medications for illnesses. The problem with this approach is that medications treat symptoms of disease rather than the cause and many medications come with a host of unpleasant side effects. There are even medications specifically designed to treat side effects. Without dietary change, such as following the new recommendations from Harvard School of Public Health of 9 -13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day (1), you may have to be on medications for the rest of your life (2). To find out more information on a healthy lifestyle read the works of these 8 medical doctors that will empower you on your journey: Dean Ornish, MD, Neal Barnard, MD, Caldwell Esselstyn, MD, John McDougall, MD, T. Colin Campbell, PhD, Michael Greger, MD, Joel Fuhrman, MD, and Doug Graham, DC.
It is important to understand that nobody other than you, not even a doctor, has control of your health. A doctor can give you information, but it is up to you to make healthy decisions throughout your day. The saying "you can lead a horse to water but you cannot force it to drink" is true in this situation. Here are five things you can start doing today to take charge of your health.
1) Before eating breakfast drink a quart of water.
2) Limit intake of dairy, meat, and eggs.
3) Go on a 30 minute walk 5 days a week if physically able.
4) Get at least 8 hours of sleep nightly, preferably going to bed by 10.
5) Upon waking give thanks for another day.
1) http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vegetables-full-story/
2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1312295/