Slow Down & Expect Great Health!

Taking steps to improve your overall health doesn't have to be time-consuming, painful or expensive---Check out these SIMPLE ideas below! You may want to make a sign/reminder for yourself to 'Slow Down'! :o)

Slower breathing is one of the simplest ways to better health. Deep breathing lowers stress and reduces systolic blood pressure (the top BP number). It allows oxygen to get down to the smallest airways in our lungs, where the oxygen exchange is most efficient. Quick, shallow breathing causes our bodies to be less oxygenated (not a healthy state to be in).

Slower eating is one of the simplest ways to eat less. This is because of the 'lag time' between when the stretch receptors in your stomach signal it is time to stop eating ('I'm full!') and when your brain gets the message. Researchers at the University of Rhode Island discovered that people who eat slowly consume around 70 less calories/meal. Multiply that by 3 meals a day and you could lose 20 pounds over the next year.

Slowing down in general is one of the simplest ways to prevent accidents. It's impossible to calculate the number of motorists killed or injured each year because they were in a rush. Insurance companies have found that the overwhelming majority of job-site accidents are traceable to hurrying. You actually save time, do better work and prevent more injuries by slowing down.

The last simple step for this blog is to simply Expect To Be Well, no matter what age you are! Obviously we need to take an active role in our health---being 'Owners of our Health' and making good decisions. Couple that along with positive expectations for good health---and you're way ahead of the average American who entertains thoughts like, 'Well, I'm almost 50, so I suppose I'll have a heart atack before long'...or 'Cancer runs in my family, so I suppose I'm next'...What?? Really?? We can't afford to have thoughts like that--We get what we think about!

How about 'changing the tape' and reminding yourself throughout the day of positive messages like 'I take good care of myself and am so blessed to be healthy' and 'I am grateful for my ever-improving health'?

Here's to Continued Great Expectations for your great health!
Sana

The Freedom To Take Ownership Of Your Health

We are very blessed as a nation to live in a country with such ready access to healthcare. We know that most people in the world don't have this luxury. But...would you agree that good access to healthcare DOES NOT ALWAYS EQUAL good health to those it serves?

American medicine sometimes causes more harm than good. The number of people having adverse drug reactions to prescribed medications while hospitalized is 2.2 million. The CDC reported the number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections in 1995 was 20 million. That number has now grown into the tens of millions of unnecessary antibiotics. (I'll explain in an upcoming blog about what frequent/unnecessary antibiotics can do to our 'gut' or GI tract).

The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5 million. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization annually is 8.9 million.

As you read about these huge numbers, it may appear that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the United States! This may be a surprise to some---appalling to others---and extremely obvious to yet others.

I'm not saying that healthcare in the US is all bad...there's just great room for improvement. The first step is the decision to take OWNERSHIP of our health, not leaving our health up to chance...or in the hands of others (even healthcare providers). Don't get me wrong---I'm a healthcare provider...a Registered Nurse. My point is that it is that each of is is responsible for working with trusted healthcare providers, taking the time to learn about various options that are available, and then making the best decision based on solid information.

This is a totally different scenario from showing up for a medical appointment, telling where it hurts, being handed a few prescriptions & driving on the the pharmacy to get them filled---without first learning what is causing the health challenge or symptoms, discussing various options for treatment (including potential side effects), and focusing on simple lifestyle changes that will have longlasting effects.

We have the FREEDOM to take ownership of our health. We often don't realize what a gift our health is until it is threatened or gone.

Enjoy your many freedoms this 4th of July holiday---including your freedom to take back ownership of your health!

In Health...
Sana

What's a Wellness Nurse?

Does the term 'Wellness Nurse' fall into your category of oxymorons (the use of contradictory terms like 'jumbo shrimp' and 'plastic glass')? Fifteen years ago, it would have been right up there in my books with 'boneless ribs'!

My nursing career dates back to 1981 (yes, that makes me 47!). I chose a nursing career because I wanted to 'help people.' It didn't take me many years to realize that, although I was helping people/patients in an acute care setting, many of these patients continued to be challenged with deteriorating health. Just 'adding another pill' or 'trying' a new treatment didn't provide longterm health that people were looking for. The overall health of Americans---of all ages---was falling apart right in front of me. I didn't have any answers to this ever-growing problem until I was introduced to the concept of Wellness and the use of Wellness Technologies.

I've been on a Wellness learning path for the past 12 years. It's taken a change in mindset...from one of waiting until I got sick & then seeking treatment...to one of expecting to feel healthy, full of energy, with full expectations of staying well longterm.

The most rewarding piece for me in these past 12 years has been sharing what I've learned with others---showing them how to get their health back safely & effectively---as well as showing them how to 'build wellness' into their daily lives. My family & I also enjoy great health, high energy levels and the peace of mind that comes from knowing that we're being proactive with our health (without any medications!).

I look forward to sharing what I've learned with you, so that you and your family may be blessed with True Wellness.

More tomorrow!
Sana