Navigating through a jolly holiday season and wishes for a wonderful new year when living with a chronic, debilitating health condition or caring for someone might have you thinking, “this is no holiday!” But researchers are documenting how expressing thanks can lead to a healthier, happier and less-stressed life. Noted expert Robert Emmons defines gratitude in part as, “… an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received. This doesn’t mean that life is perfect; it doesn’t ignore complaints, burdens, and hassles. But when we look at life as a whole, gratitude encourages us to identify some amount of goodness in our life.”

Family caregivers are often portrayed as the epitome of goodness, and rightly so. Time and again spouses, adult children, other relatives and friends who care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s, stroke, cancer and other health conditions, dig deep to put the needs of another before their own needs. They move personal life priorities to the back burner — work, family, travel, their own health — to ensure the safety and well-being of another person. But no well is bottomless and no caregiver can give in a limitless manner, always being kind, helpful, supportive, compassionate, honest and more, without doing harm to themselves. In this season of giving, acknowledgement of the giving that goes on all year long can get overlooked.

As a caregiver, there are ways to cultivate a greater sense of satisfaction coupled with a culture of gratitude this holiday season, both for the person receiving care and for yourself. To get a start, try these exercises to help focus your actions:

Connect with people: Holiday time is both about spending time with people we truly enjoy, but also with those to whom we feel obligated. Here’s a very specific exercise to help identify who receives your precious time during this season. Write down the names of family and friends with whom you’re likely to spend significant time this holiday season. Put a (*) by the names with whom you have a relatively simple, uncomplicated, mutually beneficial relationship. Mark an (x) by those people who make you feel uncomfortable (tense, inferior, frustrated, guilty, etc.). Ideally, would you like to spend (1) more, (2) less, or (3) about the same amount of time with each person on your list? Put a 1, 2 or 3 after each name.

Embrace the season’s activities: We often enter into the holidays wanting to be inclusive and accommodating. Every year family and friends gather to share meals and exchange gifts. Why should this year be any different? Write down all of the activities you look forward to or anticipate doing as part of the holidays. Here are a few to help you get started: Buy gifts, decorate, make travel plans, plan and shop for holiday meals, cook, bake, clean, host guests, host grandchildren, volunteer for charitable causes, participate in spiritual or religious activities, participate in special family traditions (gather at the family cabin, make tamales, sing at the local nursing home) and more. The list may sound both endless and compelling. Now revisit your list. Put a (*) by the activities that make you smile and feel content. Mark an (x) by the activities that you do not have time to fully enjoy, or that seem to have lost their meaning or become a burden for you, the person you care for or your extended family.

Cultivate a sense of goodwill towards yourself and others: At this time of year there is more pressure to appear happy and joyful. Feeling and expressing your true feelings, especially if these truths appear negative to others, can be discouraged and seen, at the least, as not acting in the spirit of the season. Here are some of the feelings that family caregivers have expressed to us, as well as some from those on the care receiving end of the relationship. See if any of these fit for you: Ambivalence, anxiety, anger, boredom, disgust, embarrassment, exhaustion, frustration, happy, grateful, grief, guilt, impatience, irritability, jealousy, loving, lack of appreciation, loneliness, loss, an opportunity to give back, peaceful, resentment, sadness, satisfaction, scared, thankful, tired, worried, hopeful. List any other feeling you know to be true for you. Now put a (1) by the feelings that get in the way or disrupt your life, a (2) by the feelings that just are there but don’t really get in the way, and a (3) by the feelings that you want to cultivate to feel more often.

What is doable and what reflects wishful thinking? To complete this exercise, draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. On the left side of the page note your 1’s from the first exercise, now write down the (*)’s from the second exercise, and add the 3’s from the third exercise. List the remaining items on the right side of the page. When you have finished scan your lists. What steps can you take to include more of the people, activities and feelings from the left side of the page into this holiday season or the near future? What items reflect wishful thinking but more realistically represent something to hope for some time in the future?

Here are few examples of actions to take this season:

The gift of listening: Putting everything else aside to focus your full attention on a loved one. Listen to them tell you about their life; ask questions about the origin of family stories and rituals, share a chuckle over past adventures.

Communicate gently but honestly: Tell the person you care for or the person who cares for you, sensitively but honestly, what you need and how you would like to meet that need. It’s better than speaking angrily or resentfully when the other person doesn’t know why. Sometimes you might just need some time away from the care situation. Try these suggestions for communication with someone living with brain impairment.

Revisit expectations: If you are caring for a family member living with moderate to severe dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, making heroic efforts to include your relative in a holiday gatherings can be tense and exhausting. Sometimes it can work wonderfully when family members and friends pitch in so that you can take a break to enjoy yourself. But, too often caregiving tasks and anxiety about actions by the person with dementia can drain any enjoyment from your time at the event. Encourage family and friends to spend time with your family member with dementia by visiting the person where they live, rather than at loud, busy family gatherings. A smaller gathering in more familiar surroundings gives visitors and hosts a much greater chance for meaningful time together. Here are more tips for navigating dementia care during the holidays.

Cultivate gratitude in your life: What would it feel like to focus more of your thoughts on what is good in life? If you have time, consider keeping a gratitude journal, writing down a few items each day. You’ll find a link to more about this project in the resource guide below. Reading just a few sentences from your journal before you go to bed and when you wake up can help you to focus on the good in your life. As a way to communicate within the family, some people create a “gratitude bowl” where everyone in the household jots down things they are grateful for on a slip of paper and places them in the container. Read a few of the slips out loud each day when you’re together at meal time or post a note on the refrigerator.

Navigating the holidays on top of all of the other daily activities of life for those living with chronic illness can be fraught with frustration and a sense of disappointment. Giving thought to what is truly important for you and your family, while taking steps to communicate your interests to others can open up opportunities for you to have a less stressful and more satisfying season.

Striveforgoodheath.com wishes all readers old and new Happy Holiday Season and Safe One!!

In their chapter on evolutionary psychology as it relates to homicide in the book “Evolutionary Psychology and Violence,” David M. Buss and Joshua D. Dunley hypothesize that aggression is a trait inherent in humans that dates back to the prehistoric era. People had to compete with one another for resources.

Is this what our society has resorted back to with how far we have gone in technology, science, disease?   Very sad if true since I am a human and in this category.

People are often confronted with feelings of disappointment, frustration and anger as they interact with government officials, co-workers, family and even fellow commuters to people just in society. Most can control their actions to the extent that relatively few of these interactions end in a radical action like being racist to violence.

What help build a individuals feelings to turn out in a negative result (like bullying someone to protesting to worse rioting to violence or killing) is factors.

Factors being:

1.YOUR CHILDHOOD UPBRINGING. Your childhood builds the foundation of how you turn out as an adult. If you have good upbringing where there are good morals, values, ethics with limitations or rules and regulations in what you can and cannot do with mommy and daddy overlooking from a distance in watching the child’s actions/interests/who they play with/what they’re doing on the computer or watching on T.V or even listening to music will help give direction for their child to be effective in society. Including, as the child shows good choices than more independence in getting older with still guidance and direction as needed. Remember your a young adult at 17 and a full fledged adult at 21 years of age to make all decisions in your life.

2.BEING AN ADULT.   This includes accepting the turn outs of how a situation finally results; before the final result if you did everything you could legally try to reach your hope of a turn out and did reach it great, it makes you a stronger person. Now lets say you didn’t than acceptance is necessary of what the result turned out as which also makes you a stronger person with being an asset in the community. Than your next step whether it be alone or in society overall move on without being an insult to the community where it effects the society in a negative way (like killing 2 innocent police officers just for wearing the color blue in uniform, predjudice=a radical action).   Being able to allow acceptance in your life which doesn’t always turn out the way you want it to helps you move on in life making you less out to be radical in your behavior. Take the riots (which they call protesting a radical approach from Missouri to New York) and see what their results turned out to be. Stopping people from getting to a destination point who had nothing to do with what the protestors were protesting about, to damage of property of innocent people’s business to the worse DEATH. Like this radical move did anything productive for humans in society. It obviously didn’t.

First lets look at what turns anger into action? Mostly cognitive control, or to use a less technical term, self-control.  University of Michigan professor of social psychology Richard Nisbett, the world’s greatest authority on intelligence, plainly said that he’d rather have his son being high in self-control than intelligence, one year ago. Self-control is key to a well-functioning life, because our brain makes us easily [susceptible] to all sorts of influences. Watching a movie showing violent acts predisposes us to act violently. Even just listening to violent rhetoric makes us more inclined to be violent. Ironically, the same mirror neurons that make us empathic make us also very vulnerable to all sorts influences. This is why control mechanisms are so important. If you think about it, there must be control mechanisms for mirror neurons. Mirror neurons are cells that fire when you grab a cup of coffee (to give you an example) as well as when you see someone else grabbing a cup of coffee. So, how come you don’t imitate all the time? The idea is that there are systems in the brain that help us by imitating only “internally”—they dampen the activity of mirror neurons when we simply watch, so that we can still have the sort of “inner imitation” that allows us to empathize with others, without any overt imitation. The key issue is the balance of power between these control mechanisms that we call top-down—because they are all like executives that control from the top down to the employees—and bottom-up mechanisms, in the opposite direction, like mirror neurons. Whereby perception—watching somebody making an action—influences decisions—making the same action ourselves.

Neuroscience uncovered why people behave so violently looking into the Virginia Tech Massacre in 2007 with many other like incidents also which were still a small percentage of people. What happens in these individuals is that their cognitive control mechanisms are deranged. Mind you, these individuals are not out-of-control, enraged people. They just use their cognitive control mechanisms in the service of a disturbed goal. There are probably a multitude of factors at play here. The subject is exposed to influences that lead him or her to violent acts—including, unfortunately, not only the violent political rhetoric but also the media coverage of similar acts, as we are doing here. A variety of issues, especially mental health problems that lead to social isolation, lead the subject to a mental state that alters his or her ability to exercise cognitive control in a healthy manner. Again also childhood plays a big role. The cognitive control capacities of the subject get somewhat redirected—we don’t quite understand how—toward goals and activities that are violent in a very specific way. Not the violent outburst of somebody who has “lost it” in a bar, punching people right and left. The violence is channeled in a very specific plan, with a very specific target—generally fed by the media (like take the protesting that has gone on from Missouri to New York for a month or more with media showing every news flash each day)through some sort of rhetoric, political or otherwise—with very specific tools, in the Giffords case, a 9-millimeter Glock.

Now lets look at what are the signs of a person who is disturbed enough to take some form of action to killing.   The signs are quite visible, although difficult to interpret without a context—and unfortunately they unfold very quickly , and people can rarely witness them before the action is taken (which happened with Brinsley in New York killing officers in Brooklyn on duty just doing their job), . The action itself is a sign, a desperate form of communication from a disturbed individual (Brinsley did put on the internet a warning the day it was going to be done, Sat 12/20/14. Unfortunately, nobody was chatting with the guy when he left his final messages on Internet before getting into action. But I bet that if somebody was communicating with him before the act and saw those signs and read those messages on social network he was using, that person could have done something, could have engaged him in a sort of conversation that might have redirected his deranged plans. Indeed, by connecting with the subject, that person might have redirected some of the activity of mirror neurons toward a truly empathic behavior, rather than in the service of the deranged imitative violence leading to action.

My readers I tell you this information not to persecute a person dead not even a race or politicians but this LEARN HOW THE BRAIN WORKS.   Most importantly to PARENTS bring your children up AS A CHILD not as an adult until they reach adulthood with giving good direction and guidance as their primary mentor. You the parents make our next generation who are now children and even for future parents learn so they will have a more productive working society. For now the society in America works as a  nonproductive unit of people to all races, creeds, genders, sex preferences, & nationalities of all kinds. Especially in being compared to the 1980’s; yes they had their problems but not like today’s with people treating each other with more respect even if things didn’t go their way. Our nation went off the deep end in allowing us to have freedom of everything without limitations or better rules/regulations legally in place not followed which we are paying a good price for and will take a very long time to fix. Remember when someone or now a group of people get hurt you can forgive but healing is like a wound it takes time to heal. Example: Look at Hitler, people still haven’t forgiven him, those that did have not forgotten it and they shouldn’t. Protesting can be effective where its peaceful, quiet, and not bothering other people in the area who aren’t involved. Look at Missouri and New York City this past month, MUCH DAMAGE due to not thinking first but acting out first.

“About half of all men and one-third of all women in the US will develop cancer during their lifetimes. Today, millions of people are living with cancer or have had cancer.

The risk of developing many types of cancer can be reduced by changes in a person’s lifestyle, for example, by staying away from tobacco, limiting time in the sun, being physically active, and eating healthy.”

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

Cancer can be a simple disease or a monster to the body and let us first start reviewing the basics of cancer to understand this sentence. 

The body is made up of trillions of living cells.  Normal body cells grow, divide to make new cells, and die in an orderly fashion.  During the early years of a person’s life, normal cells divide faster to allow the person to grow. 

After the person becomes an adult, most cells divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells or to repair injuries. 

The pathophysiological responses of a patient with cancer are frequently determined by the size and extent of the tumor and by the presence or absence of metastases.

Cancer starts when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. Cancer cell growth is different from normal cell growth. Instead of dying, cancer cells continue to grow and form new, abnormal cells. Cancer cells can also invade (grow into) other tissues, something that normal cells cannot do. Growing out of control and invading other tissues are what makes a cell a cancer cell. Cells become cancer cells because of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) damage.

DNA is in every cell and it directs all its actions. In a normal cell, when DNA is damaged the cell either repairs the damage or the cell dies. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA is not repaired, but the cell doesn’t die like it should. Instead, the cell goes on making new cells that the body doesn’t need. These new cells all have the same damaged DNA as the first abnormal cell does=cancer cells.

The normal cells of a human body=Our red blood cells (our iron and cells that provide nutrition to our tissues by feeding oxygen to all our tissues), our white blood cells (fight infection off our body-part of immunity system), and our platelets (controls our clotting of the blood) all are taken over by the cancer cells especially if the cancer is primarily in the bone or metastasized to the bone since this organ in the human body produces all our blood cells in the bone marrow and the cancer in that causes the bone marrow to make cancer cells which is hard to cure especially if your cancer in the bone is at grade 3 or 4.   If a patient’s cancer is grade 1 or 2 its much easier to treat to possible completely cure. 

Again cancer can be a simple disease or a monster.

People can inherit abnormal DNA (it’s passed on from their parents), but most often the DNA damage is caused by mistakes that happen while the normal cell is reproducing or by something in the environment. Sometimes the cause of the DNA damage may be something obvious like cigarette smoking or sun exposure. But it’s rare to know exactly what caused any one person’s cancer. In most cases, the cancer cells form a tumor.

Some cancers, like leukemia, rarely form tumors. Instead, these cancer cells involve the blood and blood-forming organs and circulate through other tissues where they grow. Neoplasms or “new growths” are relatively autonomous (independent).  This means that the growth and its behavior are more or less independent of the host (the normal body functions).

  Neoplasms have been defined as benign or malignant; cancer is a common synonym used to refer to a malignant neoplasm.  The difference between a benign and malignant neoplasm depends on its behavior in the host.  Now if the neoplasm stays localized, enlarges slowly, is homogeneous in appearance, and can be resected or removed, then it is benign. 

On the other hand, if the neoplasm spreads or metastasizes to other areas of the body, infiltrates and causes the destruction of normal tissue, left untreated, will kill the host, then the neoplasm is considered malignant (it takes over in the body).

If a large tumor is occupying the oral cavity, then the patients will have problems with ingestion that might lead to an altered immune-responsiveness. 

If the tumor is in the large colon, then obstruction of the lumen, changes in bowel habits, and GI bleeding can occur. 

In addition, if tumors are large they often outgrow the blood supply, which leads to necrosis and bleeding. 

However, all the above changes are relatively late signs; the tumor would be quite large for a patient to exhibit these effects.  Most small tumors are painless and symptomless. 

In one sense this is unfortunate.  If small tumors were painful, perhaps more patients would seek earlier treatment and tumors could be treated more successful being diagnosed before they are large.

Leaving food out too long is one of the biggest holiday food safety problems. “It is so easy to linger around the table, but when food sits outs for more than two hours in the danger zone — above 40 degrees and below 140 degrees  — it is prime for bacterial growth,”

Blakeslee. Adds Cody via Web MD.

To make sure your holiday dinner is not only delicious but as safe as possible, WebMD asked the experts for their best holiday food safety tips. Here are their top 10 suggestions: 

1. Have a master plan. Chefs do it, and so should you. Consider your refrigerator, freezer and oven space, and how you’ll manage to keep hot foods at 140 degrees or higher and cold foods at 40 degrees or below. If you need to use coolers, make sure you have plenty of clean ice and check it frequently to be sure the ice hasn’t melted. “Whatever you do, don’t rely on the natural outdoor temperature on the porch to keep foods at proper temperature” says Cody.
2. Cook to proper temperature — and use a thermometer. There is simply no other way to determine that food has been cooked enough to kill bacteria. “Turkeys, stuffing, side dishes, and all leftovers should be cooked to at least 165 degrees and kept above 140 degrees during serving to be sure that any potential bacteria is destroyed,” says Karen Blakeslee, MS, of the Kansas State University Food Science Institute. “Remember the golden rule: Keep hot food hot and cold food cold.”
3. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of preparation. Leaving food out too long is one of the biggest holiday food safety problems. “It is so easy to linger around the table, but when food sits outs for more than two hours in the danger zone — above 40 degrees and below 140 degrees  — it is prime for bacterial growth,” says Blakeslee. Adds Cody: “Store leftovers in 2-inch deep, shallow containers and make sure the refrigerator is not over-packed and there is plenty of air circulating around the food so it can be properly cooled.” Blakeslee suggests cutting the meat off the turkey to allow it to quickly cool to proper temperature, as well as make it easy to store.
4. Properly defrost your turkey, or buy a fresh one.  “If you choose a frozen turkey, allocate 24 hours per 5 pounds to defrost in the refrigerator, and whatever you do, don’t defrost the bird on the kitchen counter,” says Blakeslee. In light of drought conditions in certain areas of the country, defrosting the bird using frequently changed cold water seems wasteful. But it is safe (albeit time-consuming), as long as you change the cold water bath every 30 minutes.
5. Wash your hands thoroughly and often — before, during, and after food preparation.  “Simply washing hands is one of the easiest ways to minimize bacterial contamination and keep your food safe,” says Blakeslee. Wash with hot water and soap, up to your wrists and between your fingers, for approximately 20 seconds.
6. Wash all fresh produce. Wash even prepackaged greens, to minimize potential bacterial contamination. Make sure kitchen counters, sponges, cutting boards, and knives are all well scrubbed.
7. Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees. Filling a plate of food and popping it into the microwave for a few minutes may seem safe enough. But, says Cody, you really need to use a thermometer to make sure all the food is reheated enough to kill bacteria. “Microwaves heat in an uneven manner, so let the covered food sit for a minute or two to let the heat destroy any bugs, then check the temperature all around the plate.” she recommends.
8. Keep guests (and sticky fingers) out of the kitchen.  “Holidays occur during cold and flu season, which further compounds the fact that about half of all people have staph aureus bacteria on their fingertips,” says Cody. “So it is important to prevent anyone from picking at the food while it is being prepared,” She suggests serving simple appetizers to give guest something to nibble on until the meal is ready.
9. Serve only pasteurized apple cider. Most juices, including apple cider, are pasteurized to destroy any harmful bacteria. While you can buy unpasteurized juice, it will contain a warning that it can cause serious illness in vulnerable people. “To be on the safe side, serve pasteurized cider at your holiday gatherings,” says Blakeslee.

To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.

Buddha

Both internal and external environments play a part for the human body in how we, as people, turn out either healthy or unhealthy in the nation that we live in and even as a world. External environments are the images of what makes up the nation or the planet earth at home including the outer space (a single entity in which air, water, and continents interrelate for mankind and more; but the important question is this: is it overall effective or not to life). Let’s take a metaphor in understanding this, an effective external environment for life is country life (ex. life in Virginia) for home/produce/life and an area of weather that is suitable for the human body as opposed to living in the North Pole (freezing ice cold) much more difficult to obtain an healthy external environment for the human body. The internal environment is referring to our minds and bodies which are primarily up to us, the people, in what we decide to be acceptable in how we live out our daily. Society determines what is considered ok as a habit and what is not, ending line how we treat ourselves daily. Yes drugs are not legal, so there are limitations (law). Thank God or we could be worse off with disease and illness in the U.S. Though we can control other things for example what we simple drink daily that can range from 1 can to a six pack of regular soda daily for some people (which equals high sugar content in the body) or using nutraSweet regularly (which can cause cancer), or even better-diet soda (Phenylketourics-Phenylalanine). Why is this on the soda can and what does that mean? It is to prevent a law suit since it can cause cancer. I could go on with unhealthy foods and drinks; ending line is we need to know what is in our foods and fluids we ingest, making smarts decisions on what we ingest and in how big a proportion from daily intake down to every meal you eat that day. To become a healthier nation to spread out into the world with living healthier habits in our daily living with occasional eating of things unhealthy could make a 360 turn in how our diseases and illnesses could go down in number.   There are diseases/illnesses in the top rank in the U.S. due to many with Obesity (Ex. leading to Diabetes II and even cardiac disease that can further lead you to a heart attack or even a stroke). To get out of unhealthy eating/dieting, with a little exercise daily or every other day (not necessarily work out but my hat is off to those who do) and keeping your weight in your body mass index would make a turn for you and so many others overtime. We have to start somewhere, just like technology did but this is much easier since we have the knowledge; it just has to be utilized (first from the home, into schools, into fast food joints to restaurants, to our government (who should not be the one deciding our health care system and insurance) and stricter rules through FDA (higher standards in what we eat). Put this all together and we call it SOCIETY. Remember society gives direction on what’s allowed in the community (simply t.v. to radio, what’s allowed in local restaurants, who are president is, and to what’s allowed in the house (mom and dad). We need to start nurturing our society a lot better (we don’t now). What will this do for the present couples, especially with children? It will make both age groups healthier with a better life and the same results for the future grand kids coming down the road. What will it do for you people single or just couples without children, like myself? It will give you all healthier lives and for all a change for the better in the percentage in diseases/illnesses (going down drastically) to the point of impacting our insurance costs in time for the better with how our health care system works (this wouldn’t be over night). We have to start somewhere. Let’s get our overall health to a point where we don’t need so much health care or the government to get involved deciding how our health care system runs but pay more attention to what is going on in wall street, wars we have to keep an eye on or even take part in looking into or getting our troops out of, etc… No matter if you are in a high or mid or low income bracket there are affordable foods that you can have in your diet with gradually increasing to 30 minutes of exercise daily or every other day in your life, of course in time. It’s just like watching TV, you just have to fit it in your life and in time it will become a regular part of your activities of daily living with not making you feel as if this is a burden but routine. If you want to live a longer life with helping to decrease disease in our country then make the move whether young, mid-age or even older. It is like a wound that our society over generations allowed to happen, in time. The ending result is 2/3 of our country is obese, do we want to continue making this wound larger? We already have caused a large number of obesity but like all wounds, time heals all wounds (if not completely than to a degree and in America’s case it’s a large one). We are now in a technology that knows what foods are high in fat, high in sugar, high in carbohydrates, high in calories, with what it can cause when foods like this are taken on a daily basis in all yours meals over a long period of time, which is obesity. We also know the ending result of obesity in based upon the kinetics of what it can create in the body, again overtime.   We are a stronger nation in all colors, races, ages, and sexes with knowing the knowledge of what to do.   Do you want a better fit body, family, grandchildren and even country than take the action NOW. For your goal in playing a part is one you need to be healthy or get healthier and without question you will feel better. Also, for the next decade & generation to be healthier it will help Americans in their lives all around (including our health care showing a spread of disease in lower percentage that is originally due to poor diet and activity choices by our people=again society’s choices, who are so important in helping to decide where the health of the present and future of the US people lie. America please help me turn this around. Should we let our government make the move on our health rather than us? Finally after so many years Obama’s health care law had to get involved because of the money aspect regarding Americans health took, taking a toll on our economy. I know I would want the people making the last move regarding our health care system, when we still have choices. If you care about this you would want to take part in joining me (at almost 50 y/o) to get healthier. If you are than go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and be a part of making our home a healthy USA with learning the knowledge of how to prevent or better treat your body even diagnosed if already diagnosed with obesity, coronary heart disease, diabetes II, high blood pressure, stroke, transient attack ischemia, and more). It is recommended to get clearance first from your M.D. if you decide to take this diet plan. How do we reach and stay at a healthy state in making our lives a grand ride on a roller coaster without falling off the track; and if we do fall off the ride (Ex. Have a trauma, like a back injury) if you have been healthy most or all your life the better the odds you will turn out. To reach that level internally we now all need to see what it is we are NOT doing best to our bodies regarding the daily habits of prevention (most significant factor) or regarding the habits of secondary-treating of disease or illnesses people have today (do you follow your diet, or are you compliant with taking your meds prescribed, etc…).   Prevention Habits would be stay fit (not necessarily a body builder fit), be ideal in your weight (BMI), eat and drink healthy, know good foods from bad foods, and practice healthy habits of living. If your at this healthy state already great and if you do unhealthy habits occasionally that is great also (Examples like eating Burger King, having shell fish, drinking alcohol and parting till 2am or so). If you need to learn how to reach this state or even learn how to stay in this level of health because of getting older or whatever the reason is than Dr. Anderson and myself as your coach can help you. Dr. Anderson through his book of “Dr. A’s Habits of Heath” and me as your health coach with take shape for life will teach you all about this. We can provide the knowledge, the foods you eat for 3 to 6mths to a couple of years, depending on what you want to lose; but in time you can even stop take shape for life and just buy healthier foods in the store using all 4 food groups (which the book reviews also with what foods in each group is the lean, leaner to the leanest and in what proportions).

I always say do anything legal in America within moderation and you should do fine but when we don’t negative feedback begins to start, which is what has happened to our country & even others with cancer, obesity, cardiac disease, diabetes, and more due to living on a regular basis unhealthy habits, poor activities of daily living and unhealthy normally in the diet So America let’s turn around for the better and join me. Take a peek at healthyusa.tsfl.com and check us out with guaranteed no hacking, no fee, no donation, or any BS. I hope I did shed light on someone and hope to hear from you soon. Thank you for reading at my blog and don’t hesitate with giving me your comments, they matter.

For your knowledge the top health problems in the USA are:

1-Heart disease Heart disease was the #1 disease affecting Americans in 2010. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) statistics showed 31.5% of women and 26.8% of men die of heart disease.

To prevent heart disease, become physically active, eat a heart healthy diet, and quit smoking.

2-Obesity Two-thirds of Americans are now either overweight or obese. Obesity has become an epidemic in the U.S. and leads to other diseases such as high blood pressure, hypertension, and diabetes. The best way to prevent obesity is through a well-balanced diet and physical activity.

3-Cancer The 2008 World Cancer Report predicted that deaths caused by cancers will nearly double by the year 2030. This means 27 million people will suffer from cancer by 2030 resulting in 17 million deaths every year. Experts believe the main culprit will be poor lifestyle choices. There are many forms of cancer, but limiting the intake of red meat and animal fat, exposure to the sun, alcohol intake, and knowing your family’s history can limit the risk of developing cancer.

4-Infectious disease Disease-causing germs such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi spread diseases directly or indirectly from one person to the other – sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV, etc. Infectious diseases are now the world’s biggest killer of children and young adults; they lead to 16.2% of worldwide deaths.  Simple things like washing your hands and preparing foods properly could prevent the chances of spreading infectious diseases.

5-Tuberculosis Around 2 million people die of tuberculosis (TB) every year. Researchers have shown almost one-third of the world’s population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that cause tuberculosis. The bacteria are spread through coughing and sneezing. Be sure to cover your mouth and wash your hands.

6-HIV/AIDS Nearly 25 million people have been infected with HIV/AIDS from 1981 to the present. According to the latest data from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), an estimated 2.7 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2008, and 2 million people died of AIDS-related causes in 2008. Practicing safe sex and monogamy can prevent the chances of spreading or contracting HIV or AIDS. Your partner may look safe, but the only way to know the current status of yourself or your partner is by getting tested.

7-Lower respiratory tract infections Diseases of the lungs, such as pneumonia, kill more than 4 million people each year. Lower respiratory tract infections also include tuberculosis and whooping cough. Washing hands, and following a healthy diet and exercise routine will help keep the immune system strong in order to fight off infections.

8-Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) COPD includes lung diseases that make breathing difficult. It is estimated that by 2020 it will be the third biggest killer in the world. Smoking is the most recognized cause for COPD but occupational exposure to dust, air pollution and certain inherited diseases have been known to cause the disease as well. Exercises built around strengthening your lungs, such as cardio, are a good way to prevent COPD.

9-Influenza An estimated 36,000 people die annually due to complications from influenza. Influenza, which is more commonly known as the flu, is a highly infectious disease that is caused by the influenza virus. Transmission of the disease is made through both airborne and physical contact. Hand-washing, covering coughs and sneezes, and avoiding people with the flu are a few ways to combat interception of the virus.

10-Depression Clinical depression is one of the most common mental illnesses; affecting more than 19 million Americans each year. Developing healthy habits such as not overworking, taking breaks, meditation, and exercise can help prevent depression.

As simple as it seems, a healthy diet, physical activity, and a well-balanced lifestyle can help to further prevent the onset of many diseases. Take control in 2013 and begin to live your best life now. Go to healthusa.tsfl.com and start to help turn our health around in America.

References: AMADImag.com

Joint United Nations Program

World Cancer Report

World Health Organization (WHO)

Eating vegetables provides health benefits – people who eat more vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Vegetables provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body.

USDA ChooseMyPlate.gov