Health Tips

Are you reaching for a sugary drink? Think again. And don’t do it. There is very little good in them — almost nothing.   Soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit-flavoured or powdered drinks, and sweetened teas and coffees — plus quite a lot of alcoholic drinks — are among the most fattening things you can consume.  Drinks full of sugar lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dental problems, and more. Enjoy a refreshing glass of ice water.  Add some lemon or lime.  Drink your tea and coffee black.  If you are looking to lose weight, combine calorie-free water with a small portions of healthy food at mealtime. Go for a walk. Take up a hobby. Find ways to occupy your mind with other things than food and sugary drinks.

Love family, friends and the world. Support, encourage and comfort them all. And care, above all else! Caring is an emotion that warms your own heart and the hearts of others. It fulfills your days and adds meaning to your whole life. Love and caring are the most meaningful and beneficial values of all.

Many readers of the weekly Gifford-Jones health column are, shall we say,  experienced in life. This week’s health tip is a reminder to those with accumulated wisdom to express your knowledge generously with family, friends and others interested in listening and learning. You’ve become familiar with the Gifford-Jones Laws, for example, that “if you keep going to Hell, you eventually get there.” Giff’s other half prefers to put things more eloquently. She encourages a routine of sharing knowledge that is derived from lifelong integrity, humility, virtue and truth. And enjoy a bit of humour to cope with everything else.

Strive for the best you can be. Accept with grace your limitations, whether mental, physical or societal. But also push barriers, reach far, and enhance your wellbeing as much as possible, for your own reward but also for the benefit of others.

Change is inevitable. While preserving the essentials, we need to guide change. ‘Do onto others…..’ is a helpful principle. Bear no grudges, and adopt a positive outlook for a better tomorrow. Complaint only augments irritation. Seek to understand problems and to solve them. Civilizations must learn, faster now than ever.

This week’s health tip is the first of a five-part series offered by Gifford-Jones’ wife, Susan, who keeps us all in line and is an elegant source of mindfulness about health and wellness. Hopefully you find as much wisdom and good guidance in her words as our family has.

Value #1: Happiness

“Since none of us know why we are here on this planet, nor for how long, I believe we should enjoy every minute of it. Be constantly aware of passing time, savour enjoyment, be grateful for every pleasure. Remembering each brings contentment to the day.”

What are three good examples of how consistency pays off? One is medication adherence. Many medications are designed to be taken at specific intervals throughout the day. Missing doses or taking them irregularly can have serious consequences. For instance, someone with high blood pressure who skips their medication might experience a hypertensive crisis, potentially leading to a stroke or heart attack. A second isis dental hygiene, where alongside consistency, thoroughness is important. Maintaining oral health, including regular brushing, flossing, and dental check-ups, not only ensures a pleasant smile but also plays a significant role in preventing conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory infections. A third is in high-dose nutrients for cardiovascular health. Just like a little exercise now and then to fight obesity, little vitamin C on occasion isn’t going to protect you from heart disease. It’s consistent high-doses that provide protection in the long run.

The statistics are alarming. Medical errors are estimated to cause over 400,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. In Canada, 1 in 17 hospital stays involves a harmful event requiring treatment or prolongation of the stay.  With surgery, like every other skill, a lot of practice helps.  Surgeons who have performed over 1,000 major operations are less likely to make a technical error than less experienced surgeons who have done only ten major procedures.  It’s the same for minor surgery. More complications occur involving doctors having completed fewer procedures. As one Harvard professor remarked, “There is no such thing as minor surgery, but there are a lot of minor surgeons.”

Every moment of the day, our bodies are using oxygen to keep us alive.  But the use of that oxygen, the process of oxidation, results in metabolic ash known as “free radicals” that can cause all kinds of trouble.  Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps to reduce damaging free radicals. But whereas just a handful of mgs of vitamin C will halt scurvy, it takes daily consistent doses of 2,000 mg or more to fight cardiovascular disease, stroke, arthritis, and viral infections. Read more here about the benefits of high-dose vitamin C.

As much as non-alcoholic beverages may be the best choice for some, that doesn’t mean everyone needs to be a teetotaler. Decisions about what one drinks should take into account personal context. As noted in “90+ How I Got There!”, the first word of advice, bold and underlined, is the word MODERATION. That means, set boundaries and never cross them. In choosing to drink alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, the important thing is not whether or not to have a second drink. Put your energy into ensuring you are unwinding pleasurably at the working day’s end, sharing time with loved ones, and giving your body and soul the opportunity to rejuvenate.

If a workout at the gym is not your thing, then at least try including super short exercises in your day . Climb a set of stairs and walk down carefully two or three times in a row. It takes only a few brief minutes, but even this can produce an improvement in fitness while also maintaining balancing skills. Super-mini workouts won’t replace the benefits of lengthier ones. But remember, even a small improvement is better than none at all. And it’s not lack of time to exercise that prevents it. It’s simply that many people loathe exercising.

It’s that time of year when outdoor accidents increase, with the worst of them bringing a tragic end to fun sporting or leisure activities. Many accidents are preventable. So take the time to play safe and help protect your loved ones. Water activities are a major hazard. Does everyone in the family know how to swim? Do they wear life jackets when on the water? Are they skilled in operating equipment? Lawnmowers and other summertime tools can cause bad injuries. Even when used properly, ear and eye protection are essential. Remember, always, safety first.

Gardening can be enjoyable, productive, and great exercise.  Growing your own organic vegetables can ease grocery bills too. Even in a small urban plot, it’s remarkable what can be grown. But getting a garden off to a good start is important. Farmers markets, community gardens, and your local library can be great places for novice gardeners to learn. Studies have shown that getting your hands in the dirt improves mood. Being outside provides exposure to a source of vitamin D. Gardening is good for maintaining bone strength and offers balance exercise too.

Whether it is a cold you catch or an allergy, the first line of defence should be your natural immune system. Sneezing, watery eyes, a sore throat and headaches — all these things can be eased by natural remedies. The benefits also include cost effectiveness and ready accessibility. And don’t forget, natural remedies are not just natural products, but also natural approaches.  This means, for some simple health problems, activities like sleep, can be just as powerful a cure as anything else.  For a sore throat, try herbal tea with a little milk and honey.

These are the foods high in magnesium that can help you avoid being among the two-thirds or more of North Americans who are deficient in this essential mineral. Have you been eating them? Sure, there are other sources too, like beet greens, kale, and lentils. Brown rice too. But if this doesn’t appetize you, then wait, because there are bigger problems. The quality of soil isn’t what it used to be, with repeated usage and fabricated fertilizer. Even the plants we like to eat that offer magnesium aren’t packing the nutritional punch they once did. And that’s before we put them through processing. It may not be the preferred source, but getting magnesium through supplementation is a sound alternative. Without enough of it, there’s a long list of health problems that ensue, from fatigue and migraines to muscle cramps, emotional trouble, and irregular heart rate.

Soyfoods are high-quality proteins that protect again prostate cancer in men. A little soy is protective for young girls against breast cancer later in life. Soyfoods have also been shown to reduce the risk of recurrance of breast cancer by 25%.  Just don’t overdo it if you get your soy in soy sauce, for example, as it has a very high salt content. It’s better to opt for unfermented soyfoods like tofu, soymilk, edamame, soy nuts and sprouts. Good fermented soy products include miso and natto, two staples of Japanese cuisine.

Twenty-five years ago, doctors told Dr. W. Gifford-Jones that it was “sheer madness” for him to refuse taking cholesterol-lowering drugs following his coronary attack. But he stuck with his decision to take high doses of vitamin C plus lysine instead. Now, at 100 years of age, he’s still here to remind us to keep our minds open about alternative treatments.

Replacing animal products with plant foods significantly reduces the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that vegetarians and vegans have a lower body mass index (BMI) and maintain healthier weights as compared to meateaters. They also have lower blood pressure and lower rates of diabetes and cancer. People on a strict plant-based diet should take a vitamin B12 supplement, a vitamin that comes from micro-organisms and is found in fortified foods or animal products. It’s possible for a vegan diet to provide enough B12 to avoid anemia and nervous system damage, but possibly not enough to avoid a deficiency that could lead to potential risk of heart disease or pregnancy complications.

Orange, red, yellow and green veggies and fruit contain the organic pigments lutein and zeaxanthin. These two substances go to work in the macula of the eye, filtering and protecting against damage from blue light in cells that allow fine-pattern vision. Without eating enough of these foods, age-related macular degeneration can eventually occur. Good sources are cantaloupe, corn, carrots, and orange and yellow peppers.

Most people sit too much. Don’t make it worse by crossing your legs all the time. Crossed legs create pressure that hinders blood flow. Over time, it can lead to vein inflammation and place you at greater risk for a blood clot, higher blood pressure and varicose (spider) veins. It might seem strange to those who haven’t tried it, but sitting can be a good time for doing a little exercise. No one will know if you work in several sets of Kegel exercises. Keeping small weights nearby for use two or three times a day can also turn one of the laziest pastimes into a new health routine.

Too much sodium in the diet can lead to many problems, including the increased chance of kidney stones. A high sodium diet increases the amount of calcium excretion in the urine. This calcium is removed from bone and increases the possibility of bone fractures. But one problem often leads to another. And the more calcium excreted in the urine, the greater the risk of kidney stones.

Moderate consumption of beer will furnish some of your daily nutritional needs. Depending on how much and what type, you’ll get some calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, chloride, and sodium. You’ll also get several B vitamins, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pryidoxine, and folic acid. Beer used to be the third most consumed beverage in the world, after water and tea. Now soft drinks have displaced beer to a lower rank, and unfortunately, they are loaded with sugar.

People with high levels of omega-3 in their blood have a lower risk of stroke. For people who have had an event — heart attack or stroke — supplementing with omega-3 has been shown to reduce the risk of a second event. Unless you are eating a lot of fish rich in omega-3, supplementing is advisable.

Moliere, the French actor and playwright, once remarked that, “Nearly all men die of their medicines, not their diseases.” This was a realistic statement four hundred years ago.  But even today, in this enlightened age, many people suffer serious and sometimes lethal ends, due to medication.  Take drugs the way porcupines make love.  Very, very carefully.

Moderate drinkers can relax, quite literally. An alcoholic pre-dinner drink increases “good” cholesterol.  It also lubricates the blood so there’s a decreased chance of a blood clot.  The relaxing effect of a small amount of alcohol does no harm, and the commitment of an easygoing social connection with loved ones at the work day’s end would be a world of good to many.