The 18th annual National Women’s Health Week kicks off on Mother’s Day, May 14, and is celebrated through May 20, 2017.

In honor of of all women, I want to share with you a few tips I have learned even recently about women and their health.  (These tips can apply to men as well).

Did you know that 80% of the healthcare decisions made in the home are made by women? I definitely knew that from my own experience in raising a family. And their needs always came before mine, something that we know will eventually catch up with us!

Although I have always been interested in nutrition and healthy living, it was not until I faced my own health issues that I began to realize that in order to keep myself in optimal health and to avoid the common debilitating diseases, I would have to design my own plan for a healthier lifestyle and keep to it.

Fortunately, at that time I was introduced to natural supplements. This provided a preventative maintenance program which I am on to this day and in my 70’s I find myself feeling better than I did at 50.   I would have to add to that program exercise. (I also believe exercise reduces stress, a factor that can often lead to heart disease because of high blood pressure).

Dr. Weil states in his book Why Our Health Matters the toll of preventable disease ~

  • Chronic diseases cause 70% of deaths in America and are responsible for 3/4 of health-care spending
  • Half of all American men and 1/3 of all American women will develop cancer
  • One in twelve Americans will have asthma
  • One in fourteen Americans will have diabetes
  • One in seven Americans will develop Alzheimer’s disease

Weil does not feel that these chronic diseases are inevitable consequences of growing older and that to maintain health and vigor into the late nineties and beyond, environment and lifestyle factors can actually modify genetic expression and influence risk for age-related diseases.

Regarding the environment,  I have chosen to use only non-toxic products in my home.  If the air outside is bad, at least I can do whatever I can to keep the air inside my home as clean as possible since it increases the risk of respiratory diseases of all sorts, weakens our immune system and even makes us more susceptible to cancer  And we are not even yet discussing the threat to the health and welfare of the whole planet by affecting the earth’s protective ozone layer.  I also try to  buy  organic when I can.  A great list of 10 foods to definitely buy organic can be found here ~ rmdy.hm/kam

Dr. Oz shared an interesting healthy tip which included checking your pulse. Before you get out of bed, press your index and middle fingers against the inside of your wrist below your thumb; count the beats for 30 seconds.  Then double that number.  A 2010 study found that compared with a resting rate of less than 60 beats per minute, a rate of more than 90 triples a woman’s risk of dying from heart disease.  If your heart rate is high, consider adding more omega-3 fatty acids to your diet.  Adding omega-3 fatty acids from sources like olive oil and nuts and fish may help improve lipid levels as well.

Another tip he included was making sure to get enough magnesium (about 265 mg for women).  Apparently nearly half of Americans do not get this.  Magnesium helps to relax blood vessels and may lower blood pressure by as much as 5 points in people with mild hypertension.  (Try cooked spinach and pumpkin seeds).

With the high price of health care than any other people in the world, we need to educate ourselves on more safe and effective alternatives to drugs.  Shifting our health care efforts from disease intervention to disease prevention and health promotion is a mission we all need to have.

I would love to hear what you are doing in creating a more preventative approach to your own health,  For some information about this subject you might enjoy checking out my free report here which helps you navigate the world of nutrition choices.

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