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One thing a person needs, besides a good watch and some money, to live the good life, is good health. As the old adage goes, money can buy everything except poverty. Don't ignore the last 25 years of cumulative facts on the right foods to eat, proper diet, exercise, and a yearly physical. A diet rich in fiber will certainly prolong your life. Vitamins will help. You can take 300 vitamin C tablets, and you will still get a cold, but they can generally increase your health and life. I am a fan of getting your vitamins from food, not pills, but you have to make that decision yourself. Eat three portions a day of fruit, whether it be strawberries, apples, or a peach. Mixing it up with some natural yogurt gives you your calcium, as even men are not immune from osteoporosis. Fancy diet regimens are a bunch of crap, they are no substitute for a healthy diet and exercise. Eat a lot of fish. Last week someone suggested to be that I should try a bass smoothie, made from soy milk! I will be anxious to hear from other viewers who have tried that. Above all, drink a lot of purified water.
If you're sincerely interested in living a healthy lifestyle, write to John Hopkins University and request a subscription to their newsletter. For $25, you'll get reams of validated diet and nutrition advice that should add 10 years more to your life. Generally, it's the best 10 years. The kids are gone, the college payments are paid up, the house is paid up. And you can't make a move because of chronic heart disease. Don't be a shmuck! Shape up! There's always time to start, no matter what your age. As far as your physical goes, get a PSA test, check your skin for melanomas, and above all else, get your blood pressure taken. There is valid evidence now that if one's blood pressure is even a tiny bit elevated, you may be a ticking time bomb. Getting excited, which we are all prone to could cause your blood pressure to peak abnormally. Any inherited genetic weakness can cause a blowout, and you may end up in a wheelchair, or worse. Don't take your doctors word, go to a cardiologist. Your blood pressure can never be too low. An argument with another can make it peak, and cause a false positive. Get it checked repeatedly. An aggravating day can make it peak, giving false test results. Of course, genes count, but you can overcome bad genes. Remember, medicine, like selling watches or computers, is a business. Most physicians lead a luxurious life, and probably deserve it for the sacrifices that they make. The money to them is in the procedures that they perform. The bottom line is that don't even dream of following a doctors instructions if they sound bizarre, or invasive. Get a second and third opinion. In regards to sleep. Most individuals know how many hours of sleep they need every night. Sleep depravation can not be fixed by playing catch up, it doesn't work that way. Sleep depravation can cause your blood pressure to rise during REM sleep, the resulting pressure change can give you a brain hemorrhage. Even more dangerous is driving, one of my physical therapists told me that she sleeps so little, that she falls asleep while driving. Very bad. Also, watch your salt intake. Try to live without ever using a saltshaker or ordering soup from a restaurant. If you love yourself, and you love and respect your family and friends, you owe it to them to lead a cautious life. I have found the Harvard Monthly Medical Newsletter, and the Mayo Clinic Monthly Newsletter to keep me on the cutting edge of health knowledge. Do not rush every time you hear a new scare or wonder drug in the news. It is usually unfounded. And be sure to read your prescriptions. The only one that truly cares about you is you. Many errors are made each year. Certain drugs can have violent reactions when mixed and matched. Everybody's human, especially your doctor, and everybody has shmucks working for them. If the doctor has a shmuck making out the wrong prescription, or the druggist has a shmuck working for him, you just be ever-vigilant. WebMD is a wonderful place on the Internet to get some information about your health. All of the above is useless unless you add a reasonable amount of exercise to your daily regimen. I can't give you medical help, but I can certainly point you in the right direction if you need help. Feel free to call and I can refer you to some of the most talented physicians in the country, who also happen to be my clients.
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