Steps to a great Health and a long life

Prevention is always the best medicine. Always put yourself first and do not neglect your annual checkups. Avoid putting off important doctor appointments. You can try these simple and practical prevention steps to stay healthy. Here are some suggestions:

• Eat a healthy diet: Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products. Include one time per week lean meat, three times per week lean poultry, two times per week small and oily fish, few times per week beans, eggs, and nuts. Eat foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and added sugars.
  
• Be physically active: If you are not already physically active, start small and work up to 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity most days of the week. Walking briskly, mowing the lawn, gardening, dancing, swimming, and bicycling are just a few examples of moderate physical activity.
• Sex: Although Clara Meadmore age 105; Britain's oldest virgin procalimes her long life to celibacy; sex can make life and relationships more pleasant. Couples who are healthy and who can sustain an active sex life tend to live longer and be happier.
• Stay at a healthy weight: Balance the calories you take in from food with the calories you burn off by your activities. Check here many calculators to help you. Have your body mass index (BMI) calculated to screen for obesity. (BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.) You can find your own BMI with the BMI calculator on this site. A simple test for this is a good waist with no belly fat.
• Sanitary conditions: Wash your hands with regular soap as often as you can. If you go to the doctor's office or hospital be careful of the sanitary conditions there.

• If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation: Have no more than one drink a day. A standard drink is one 12-ounce bottle of beer or wine cooler, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.
• Do not smoke: Tobacco use is a leading cause of heart disease and cancer.   Learn from other people that kicked the habit. For tips on how to quit call the National Quit line: 1-800-QUITNOW.  
  

• Breast health(women): If your mother, sister, or daughter has had breast cancer, have mammogram earlier than recommended times. check with your doctor about whether you should take medicines to prevent breast cancer.
• Estrogen Use for Menopause (Hormone Replacement Therapy-women): Do this only with natural remedies. Do not use estrogen for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or other diseases. 
• Tests and Drugs: Limit amount of x-rays and body scans in your life time to very few if you can. Do not use antibiotic drugs so often that your body gets used to them.  Also try to use natural remedies to prevent and remedy simple illnesses.
• Immunizations: Older people need a flu shot every year. You can prevent other serious diseases, such as pneumonia, whooping cough, and shingles, by being vaccinated. Talk to your doctor or nurse about the vaccines you need and when to get them. 

• Breast Cancer(women): Have a mammogram every 1 to 2 years.
• Cervical Cancer(women): Have a Pap smear every 1 to 3 years if you have ever been sexually active. If you are older than 65 and recent Pap smears before you turned 65 were normal, you do not need a Pap smear.
• Colon screening: Have a test for colon polyps or cancer. Your doctor can help you decide which test is right for you.
• Emotional Health: Your emotional health is as important as your physical health. Make sure you get a sound sleep every night. Everyday make sure you surround yourself with happy people and when you get a chance laugh, laugh and laugh. If you have been sad, or hopeless over the last 2 weeks or have felt little interest or pleasure in doing things, you may be depressed. Talk to your doctor about being screened for depression.
• Diabetes: Take this seriously. Have a blood test for diabetes if you have high blood pressure.
• Prostate(men): Always check for different variations of prostate disease which include nonbacterial, acute, and chronic.
  
• Blood Pressure: Have your blood pressure checked every year. High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher.
• Cholesterol: Have your cholesterol checked regularly. High cholesterol level is over 200.
• HIV/Sexually Transmitted Infections: Talk with your doctor about HIV/Sexually Transmitted Infection screening if any of these apply:
  • You have had unprotected sex with multiple partners.
  • You have used or now use injection drugs.
  • You exchange sex for money or drugs or have sex partners who do.
  • You have past or present sex partners who are HIV-infected, are bisexual, or use injection drugs.
  • You are being treated for sexually transmitted diseases.
  • You had a blood transfusion between 1978 and 1985
  Osteoporosis (Bone Thinning-mostly women): Have a bone density test at age 55 to screen for osteoporosis. If you are younger than 55, talk to your doctor about whether you should be tested. You may need to have this test again after 4 or more years.
• Education: Educate yourself with natural remedies using good old advise here at http://momsremedies.blogspot.com 

Every body is different. Always feel free to ask your doctor or nurse about being checked for any condition, not just the ones above. If you are worried about diseases such as glaucoma or skin cancer, for example, ask your doctor about them. And always tell your doctor about any changes in your health, including your vision and hearing.