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Monthly newsletters, November 2002
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Maintaining Good Health
Good health is more than good nutrition or an absence of disease or
illness.
The state of 'good health' is dependent on different factors (1). The
aim of this newsletters is to cover these points in general
terms:
- Attitude to life and everything that it throws at us
- General lifestyle and way of living
- Drinking plenty of water
- Food consumption and content of diet
- Fresh air
- Rest, relaxation and exercise
- Good relationships
- Possible use of food supplements
The idea that the human content works like a machine has been replaced with
the more enlightened view that the mind, emotions, environment and social
factors all have a role in determining the state of health. Holistic treatment
is now recognised as a more wholesome approach to disease.
Attitude to life and everything that it throws at us
'Positive Thinking' is the title of a book*, and a very necessary strategy
to help us through difficult times. Optimistic, positive thinking is a
much happier route through personal problems and work issues. If we can
see the way through problems, the journey through life will be much more
straightforward. Optimism helps prevent disease whereas the opposite,
pessimism, can have serious effects on health. Stop fuming and fretting,
listen to the sounds of nature, learn to be calm and pass calmness to
other people.
* "The Power of Positive Thinking". Norman Vincent Peale. Cedar Publishing.
General lifestyle and way of living
How would your friends describe your lifestyle and the way you live?
Frantic? Calm? Laid-back? Ultra casual? Slovenly?
Ideally, of course, there should be a balance. A person who is too frantic
may not have time for others, and may over-indulge in recreational activities
to the point of being dangerous. In the other extreme, a very slovenly
person may not be able to hold a job down, or could be a health hazard
to others because of their slovenly habits.
Each of us, our lifestyle and the way we live has a knock-on effect to
others. Some of us are more environmentally aware and try to reduce wastage,
recycle where possible, and "pass on a smile", while others simply do
not care for anyone or any thing including themselves.
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These factors
are important when considering the maintenance of good health.
Fresh air
Fresh air is an obvious component of good health, but not always easy
to obtain. Various factors affect air quality, methane produced from animals
is one! Traffic, aircraft, coal powered generators, air conditioning,
cigarette Smoking, and in some parts of the world forest fires and fires
for domestic use are all causes of air pollution. There are few places
in the world where there is no evidence of air pollution. That said, it
is still a good idea to go outside and 'take the air'; although we may
breath some pollutants, outside air is generally better for us than inside
air (unless, of course inside air is very well maintained). Taking the
dog for a walk is certainly a better option than sitting at home in front
of the TV with second-hand cigarette smoke or unseen gases from appliances,
air fresheners, perfumes, dust-mite particles, cleaning agents or fibres
from carpets and soft furnishings.
Rest, relaxation and exercise
Good quality exercise should promote good quality rest. It is important
to consult a physician before embarking on an exercise programme, just
to make sure that there are no unknown health problems. There are many
forms of exercise available. Some are constructive, for example gardening,
while others like tennis, bowling or golf are competitive. Walking appeals
to a lot of people because it is relaxing for both the muscles and mind.
It gives opportunity to think things through, enjoy nature and as a result
helps relieve Stress - and it doesn't cost any money. Regular walking
also benefits both the cardio-vascular system and the Digestive System,
and because walking is weight-bearing exercise it also benefits bones
and bone health.
Exercise is best taken on a regular basis; a ten-minute
walk every lunchtime is important. Maintaining a state of good health
involves 'knowing' one's content and responding to the various messages that
it sends out, and not ignoring them.
Drink plenty of water
Here are some of the excuses given for not drinking water! "Easier said
than done". "Can't stand the taste". "I drink plenty of water in my coffee
and tea". "Oh no, it would mean going to the toilet more often".
Some reasons for drinking water could include:
- Water is contained in all cells of the human content
- The content is 60% water
- Approximately half our daily intake of water is obtained through food,
therefore drinking water is necessary for the content to obtain the other
half
- Water lost through breathing, talking, perspiring, urinating and defecating
must be replaced to prevent the content dehydrating
- Water is the most critical nutrient for life
It may also be worth bearing in mind that Constipation, some Headaches,
poor digestion, dry Skin, feeling 'hungry' all the time are all indicators
of insufficient water consumption.
For those who baulk at the thought of drinking water because of the chlorine,
fluoride, nitrate, pesticide or heavy metal content, spare a thought for
people living in countries where regulations are not as stringent as ours!
At least we in Britain don't have water-borne disease like dysentery or
cholera.
However, we are all responsible for water pollution inasmuch as we use
the 'end products' from industry or farming, it is up to us to do something
to reduce pollution or put up with the consequences of it. It makes good
sense to drink plenty of water every day bearing in mind the role water
plays in the structure and function of the human content. As 'nature's detoxifier',
water is vital to good health.
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Food consumption
and content of diet
"Let your food be your medicine and let your medicine
be your food"
This saying by Hippocrates is as true now as it was in c.400BC.
Fruit and vegetables provide nutrition in the form
of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, carbohydrate, water, soluble fibre
and contain no, or very low, fat. Pulses, beans, seeds and nuts provide
largely beneficial Essential Fatty Acids, vitamins, minerals, trace elements,
carbohydrate, protein and some insoluble fibre. Meat provides us with
protein, vitamins, minerals, trace elements and water. A plant-based diet
is low in saturated fat, high in Essential Fatty Acids, high in antioxidant
phytonutrients and high in fibre. Fibre is of particular importance in
clearing toxins from the digestive tract by decreasing intestinal transit
time. Hyperglycaemia after meals may also be reduced by dietary fibre.
Fibre increases pancreatic secretion, short-chain fatty acids, and the
feeling of being full after a meal. Bile becomes more soluble when there
is more fibre in the diet.
Although fertile food growing areas are distributed
unevenly across the planet, the means to transport food to those who need
it exists.
Nature provides us with ready-made packages of nutrition
to meet our daily requirements. In nature, processed foods, refined carbohydrates,
hydrogenated fats, trans-fatty acids and carbonated drinks do not exist.
'Negative Health' factors (2)
Certain, rather obvious, factors are known to cause an imbalance in health:
- Overweight people contain greater quantities of rancid fats in their
bodies than thin people. Consequently they have a greater chance of
a heart attack. Restriction of calories has been found to increase the
life span of animals, while antioxidant nutrients found in colourful
fruit and vegetables help to counteract content fat going rancid. A forgotten
area of the content is brain tissue. This contains a lot of unsaturated
fatty acids like Lecithin which may be attacked by free radicals if
there are insufficient antioxidant nutrients present.
- Smoking and alcohol consumption do great damage to the content. Again,
the intake of Antioxidants as supplements, or through consumption of
fresh fruit and vegetables is really important to help counteract the
damage caused by free radicals produced from these.
- The over-use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides on the soil
can also have a negative health effect by inhibiting the uptake of minerals
from the soil and reducing absorption in the digestive tract.
The importance of antioxidant nutrients found in food such as the colourful
Carotenoids, vitamins C and E, trace elements Selenium, Zinc, Manganese
and Copper for making antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase and superoxide
dismutase cannot be over emphasized. We should all be eating at least
five fruits and vegetables every day (not including potatoes). Antioxidants
play a critical role in the maintenance of good health.
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Good relationships
Good relationships are healthy and health promoting.
Positive (and negative) influences in our lives come to us through friends,
colleagues and all our relationships with others. We naturally gravitate
towards those with positive attitudes and who have similar interests as
ourselves, just as we naturally avoid those who 'wear us down' emotionally
or try to make us do things we would rather not do.
On a daily basis, who thinks of the people they encounter
and the effect they have on a person's feelings? Small things can affect
the way we feel throughout the day, even though we may try very hard not
to let them affect us! Being Ms Smiley can help the day off to a good
start, as can being served by another Ms Smiley in the newsagents. This
can help Mr Sad or Mrs Anxious to have a good start to their days too.
If you think this all sounds a bit corny, try it, it does work (most of
the time)."Pass on a smile!"
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Possible use
of food supplements
Exciting developments in the study of nutrition have
meant that more and more of us are taking nutritional supplements. Even
healthy diets may no longer have the necessary nutrient elements, and
in order to have Immune Systems that are strong enough to fight off disease,
and to have optimum levels of energy and mental acuity, we must find these
elements of nutrition elsewhere.
Research concluded that young adult prisoners carried
out fewer disciplinary offences (antisocial behaviour including violence)
after a minimum of two weeks' supplementation with vitamins, minerals
and Essential Fatty Acids. (3)
Nutritional supplementation can reduce the risk of
elderly adults suffering immune dysfunction associated with advanced age.
Supplementation can also improve the micronutrient status of elderly persons
to levels associated with a reduced risk for several chronic diseases.
(4).
A good foundation to any use of supplements to the
diet should be a multinutrient formula. Multinutrients provide vitamins,
minerals and other associated factors needed to help prevent shortfalls
in the diet that may be caused by poor eating habits, rushed lifestyle
and so on.
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References
- Encyclopaedia of Natural Health. Murray and Pizzorno. 1998. Little,
Brown & Company
- Vitamins and Minerals in Health and Nutrition, Matti Tolonen. Ellis
Horwood - 1990
- Br J Psychiatry 2002 Jul;181(1):22-28.
- J Am Coll Nutrition 2000 19;613-621
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