Morning everyone!
Welcome to another edition of the Doctor’s Note where we talk about what’s on our minds when it comes to your health.
Welcome to 2022, the year we came to our senses!
This is the first Doctor’s Note of the year which is a perfect time to talk about getting our priorities right.
Healthwise, 2020 and 2021 have been tough years. Covid has exposed our healthcare system and its weaknesses. It’s also exposed how unhealthy we are as a nation, among the worst in the world. But I’m very optimistic about this coming new year!
It’s becoming more clear that we aren’t going to vaccinate our way out of the Covid-19 crisis.
What viruses do is mutate, and this new Omicron variant seems a lot less virulent than the previous variants.
Note: You still need to treat Covid aggressively and early! Treating early is the key to beating Covid.
In my opinion, what hasn’t been emphasized enough is how vulnerable we are to getting sick with Covid-19 or any disease. I think these past few years have taught us how unhealthy we are as a country and as a world in general.
This is largely because we, as a whole:
- have poor immunity
- are obese
- are diabetic or prediabetic
- are stressed out, and
- have poor sleep patterns
We’ve been relying on someone else to take care of our health. As we’ve learned, no one is going to do that for you. What I want you to do is take care of your own health. Trust yourself and take care of your own body to ramp up your own immune system.
The Common Sense Approach To Your Health
I wouldn’t be preaching this if I didn’t have some practical tips to take care of your own health.
They are routine and simple.
These are things you can do NOW to protect your health.
1. Get leaner and lose weight. As we age most of us gain weight, especially around the belly (which is the dangerous kind). If you are overweight you need to lose weight now. Obesity is the number one risk factor of dying of most any disease.
The two simplest way to lose weight are:
- Eat less sugar and total carbs
- Time restricted eating (Intermittent fasting)
Time restricted eating is eating during a specified time of the day. I take 17 hours off and 7 hours on. This has helped me get leaner than I’ve ever been. I have more energy and my brain works better. We are not meant to graze all day. We are meant to feast or fast.
2. Start moving. Our bodies are meant to move, not sit around. Develop a routine of exercising for 20-30 minutes per day. Walk more places. Get up and move every hour. Also don’t forget about stretching and building muscle.
3. Get a good night’s sleep. If you have poor sleeping patterns you need to figure out why. It may be because you’re stressed. It may be because you have sleep apnea and are obese. It may be a number of different things.
You need a good night’s sleep to regenerate everything. Look at your sleep patterns.
4. Get your screening tests. There have been a lot of unnecessary deaths these past two years because people aren’t going to their doctor. They’ve been putting things off like cancer screenings and heart disease screenings.
A lot of people didn’t get their routine screenings and follow up with their doctor for their current medical diseases.
Screening tests are a big part of prevention.
Get your routine screenings done:
- Cleveland Heart Panel
- CT Calcium scoring to see the shape of your heart
- Colonoscopy
- Mammogram
- Pap Smear
- Prostate check
- Routine Physical Exam
5. Most importantly take care of your immune system.
This starts in your GUT.
Eat well and manage your stress levels and TAKE SUPPLEMENTS. You are going to need them.
Here’s a few I recommend for everyone:
- Vitamin D with K
- Vitamin C
- DigestShield
- Magnesium at night
- Zinc
Note: The other vitamins depend on your body’s unique needs. Check my vitamin recommendations per age group HERE. You can’t get all the nutrients you need through diet alone. You need supplements!
This year my goal is to use my experience to help bring common sense to your healthcare. Let’s quit being afraid to get out and do things. Let’s take care of our health.
Bottom line….Don’t live in fear. Live in health.