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An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of treatment

Jun 25, 2018 | 12:36 PM

It’s estimated that 90 to 95 percent of cancers have their roots in environment and lifestyle; about 80 percent of people with diabetes are overweight or obese; more than 25 percent of deaths from heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke could be avoided; and between 33 to 90 percent of dementia is PREVENTABLE.

Yet most people mosey along, thinking they can get away with being overweight (more than 70 percent of U.S. adults), having prediabetes or diabetes (more than half), fueling cancer with sedentary behavior (80 percent of U.S. adults don’t meet minimum activity guidelines) and continuing to inject toxins into their body through tobacco, highly processed meats and lots of ultra-processed foods. And lifestyle treatments — reducing your exposure to toxins, mold or heavy metals — have disappointing results at reversing
dementia once it starts. So, start doing preventive stuff today! It’s time to:
STOP. Take a break and take time to smell the healthy coffee. Consider picking up some healthy habits.
LOOK. There are wonderful opportunities all around you. Seize a healthy lifestyle habit (or three) and revel in the positive results. Discover how to move, de-stress, eat well and have a longer, healthier, happier life.
LISTEN. We’re offering you tips to launch you on the road to preventing disease instead of reacting to it.

Food IS preventive medicine: KO cancer, dementia, diabetes and heart disease risks (not to mention wrinkles and a lousy sex life) by dodging added sugars, sat and trans fats and any grain that isn’t 100 percent whole. Ditch “snake oil foods” that make claims about how they’ll make you sexier, stronger, more beautiful or more handsome; instead, chow down on 12 walnut halves and seven to nine servings of produce daily, use olive oil and eat 10 ounces of salmon or ocean trout weekly.

A study in the journal Neurology found that eating a Mediterranean diet is associated with a larger brain volume, more gray and white matter and better communication between neurons. And a recent Harvard study says that one-third of premature deaths could be avoided by switching to a plant-based diet. Want some help figuring out what to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Check out Dr. Mike’s video tips on “How to Plan Healthier Family Meals,” at https://bit.ly/2Jo2ms8.

Develop devotion to motion: Every day, find chances to move. Make sure you get an additional 30 or more minutes of activity (walking, swimming, cycling, yoga, you name it) five or more days a week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that will reduce your risk for many cancers, heart disease, mental distress, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, plus provide weight control and strengthen bones and muscles. Exercise seven hours a week and you’ll slash your risk of dying early by 50 percent compared with folks who get only 30 minutes or less of activity weekly.

De-stress your distress: Find time to meditate, enjoy friends, sleep sufficiently, help others, and/or do yoga. It’ll lower your chronic stress response and dispel the harmful effects of too much cortisol pumping throughout your vascular system. A chronic stress response can suppress immune, digestive, sleep and reproductive systems, causing them to stop working normally. Over time it contributes to the development of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and other illnesses, as well as depression or anxiety. Sharecare.com’s free app analyzes the stress in your voice, and Cleveland Clinic’s Stress Free Now app for iOS offers stress-busting suggestions. Or find another stress-relief app you like.

Find your fun: One study found the more enjoyable activities a person participated in, the healthier and happier they were. Writing in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine researchers associated fun with lower blood pressure as well as reduced levels of total cortisol, smaller waist circumference and body mass index, less depression and better allaround physical function.

Looking for new activities to enjoy? Check out “150+ Hobby Ideas Broken Down by Interest and Personality” at hobbylark.com.
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Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.
© 2018 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc

This column is sponsored by your local choice for healthy lifestyle products -Nutter’s Bulk and Natural Foods
365 36th St. W, Prince Albert, SK
Phone: (306) 922-3835