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A Ton of Prevention - The Big FIVE
It used to be an "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", but everything has gone up. The cost of medical care is astronomical, but preventive efforts can be relatively cheap. Not only will you save money, you will live longer (so you can earn the money you lost in this economic crisis). I know you have heard these things over and over in your life, but hearing them...and doing something about it is an entirely different issue. I am no different that millions of other people. I have health issues and I struggle with them, too.
I have health problems that I cannot change, like my tinnitus. I can't even remember what it was like to experience quiet - not hearing that constant, high-pitched whine. I have basically learned to ignore it (sometimes). I have arthritis, both degenerative (due to age) and acquired (from injuries). I have high blood pressure - a family legacy. And, my weight has been silently creeping up on me over the last two decades, to the point where it has been affecting my overall health. I could have over a thousand dollars a year if I didn't have to take blood pressure medications.
1. STOP SMOKING. Not only are cigarettes expensive, cigarette smoking results in billions of dollars of health related costs, from respiratory diseases (bronchitis, pneumonia) to even more life-threatening problems such as emphysema and cancer. All smokers know people who have smoked all of their lives without problems, but all smokers also know people that have died as a result of this habit.
I met a fellow in my clinic the other day from Ireland - one of my favorite countries. I read that Ireland has now banned smoking in the pubs and I wanted to know his perspective. He told me that every person in Ireland knows someone who has died of lung cancer, or has emphysema, so this ban on smoking was to honor their shortened lives and to keep from attending more funerals/wakes.
I never smoked, but I do know how difficult it is to break bad habits, or in this case, nicotine addiction. At an average of $5.00 a pack, a one-pack a day person would be spending well over $1,500 per year. Since you buy things with after-tax money, you are going to need to earn more than $2,000 to support this habit. If you have missed days of work due to respiratory illnesses, then the costs are even higher. My father was a smoker. He died of lung cancer at age 39.
2. EAT BETTER AND WISER. This is my biggest nemesis, since I love to eat and I hate dieting. I track my families spending on Quicken so it is easy to see how much we spend on food per month. It saddens me to see how much we waste by throwing it away - we either made too much and no one wants to eat leftovers, or we bought too much (like fresh vegetables) and they went bad before we got around to eating them. We used to cook for five kids, so our food bill was unbelievable. I know we prepare larger meals than we need, still thinking we are cooking for a small army.
I think we eat relatively well, but perhaps too much. Both my wife and I work long hours (12-13 hour shifts, not including commute times), and we just do not plan well enough. We only have an hour of awake-time after we get home. We tend to eat lunch at our desks completing patient charts, and we do not have time to have dinner at work before our evening shift.
As I was writing this Blog, my wife came in trying to make a three-day meal plan. We are trying to do better; one step at a time. She is on a mission right now after getting weighed at her doctor's office last week, so I expect to be suffering along with her for a while. I need to lose weight, too. Not only would my blood pressure and arthritis improve, but I would not have to spend money on bigger pants.
I suspect we could trim our expenses hundreds of dollar per month by preparing less food, pre-planning meals, and shopping wiser. We do try not to eat out, especially a fast-food lunch, but sometimes we wake up too late to make lunches. I am a big sushi fan, a healthy but expensive alternative to a packed lunch. Grocery store sushi is cheaper, but not very good, so I tend to buy it anyway. I eat less when it doesn't taste very good.
I have a stressful profession and good food was always a reward. I don't drink alcohol - never did - and I don't take sedatives. There are times when I would risk prison time to get a good chocolate chip cookie. For people who do drink (excessively), you know you have a problem.
And, for you vitamin-takers - vitamins do not really correct poor nutrition or prevent the kind of illnesses that are likely to kill you. Don't fool yourself that taking vitamins, herbs, or other concoctions will assure you longevity.
3. EXERCISE. I absolutely hate to exercise. I permanently injured my ankle several years ago trying to stand on my kid's skateboard (Don't laugh. It looked easy.) My neck and back were injured in a car accident and if I overdo it, I will feel it for days. I work very hard all day, probably putting on several miles between exam rooms, and my days-off are active with gardening, stacking firewood, and mowing the lawns. I do not sit on my butt, but you wouldn't know that by looking at my butt. I just can't get beyond the fact that I find walking boring and a waste of time. I hate to go to a gym and deal with that eclectic crowd. My wife joins a woman's gym at least every year and doesn't go, so that is a waste of money, too. She insisted on buying a treadmill, and as you know, it quickly becomes a dust-collector and a place to hang up your clothes. I can effectively justify a hundred reasons for not exercising except one. If I don't overcome my own personal block and devote a reasonable amount of time doing purposeful, organized exercise, I will be paying a big price. Because of my long working days, I do have four days off per week, so I will have to start by walking the dogs. Maybe I can get them to pull me on a skateboard? No, tried that once. Bad outcome. All of us need to find a physical outlet that is both enjoyable and safe.
4. PHYSICAL EXAMS. If you have lost your insurance, you may be avoiding the doctor's office at any cost. Men, in particular, avoid medical offices like the IRS. Men tend to wait until things are really bad and their spouse drags them in. Even though I am in the profession, it has been a while since I saw my own medical provider. I guess I am avoiding the lectures about all the things that I am not doing - the same lectures that I give to other people every day. I can dish it out, but I hate hearing it from the patient-end of things. I am a believer in self-care; the concept that people can and should take responsibility for their own health. However, believing in it and doing it are two different things. I know my health risks, but like many people, I have a reluctance to do something about it.
Ignoring preventative care is a dangerous practice. No one want to have a gloved finger up their butt or worse yet, a colonoscopy, but ignoring efforts to detect colon cancer won't prevent it from happening.
Something as simple as an annual flu vaccine can save your life. Although it doesn't make the evening news, thousands of people die every year as a result of influenza. Adults need tetanus vaccine (the disease is 100% fatal), too, with diphtheria and now, whooping cough vaccine again (its back!). Pneumonia vaccines are helpful for older people and those with asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
Women need periodic pap smears and mammograms, and most of them are pretty diligent about getting them. Men need to take a lesson from this dedication.
Work closely with your medical provider and make sure that you openly disclose any financial problems you may be having. Less-expensive, generic medications, less-expensive diagnostic tests, etc. are usually available IF your provider is aware of your situation.
5. SAFETY AND ACCIDENT PREVENTION. You can save a lot of health care dollars by not being stupid and getting hurt. If you do not wear seat belts, talk on the cell phone, eat (fast food) in the car, and drive too fast or aggressively, or God-forbid, drive while impaired, then you going to be seriously hurt or killed...eventually. If you climb up a rickety ladder to hang Christmas lights, or try to do your own electrical work, you may be asking for an injury. Loose throw rugs at the top of stairs, slippery bathtubs, poor lighting, etc., all take their annual toll. People are killed or seriously disabled from some of the more obvious home hazards - hazards that are preventable.
These are just FIVE of the many preventative health measures that we all can do. The longer we live, the more we have the opportunity to enjoy life. Like the immortal words of Spock to "Live Long and Prosper", we need to prosper by remaining healthy.
We all need to tighten our belts - financially and physically. I am going to do it and I strongly suggest you do it as well.
Related Topics:
I have health problems that I cannot change, like my tinnitus. I can't even remember what it was like to experience quiet - not hearing that constant, high-pitched whine. I have basically learned to ignore it (sometimes). I have arthritis, both degenerative (due to age) and acquired (from injuries). I have high blood pressure - a family legacy. And, my weight has been silently creeping up on me over the last two decades, to the point where it has been affecting my overall health. I could have over a thousand dollars a year if I didn't have to take blood pressure medications.
1. STOP SMOKING. Not only are cigarettes expensive, cigarette smoking results in billions of dollars of health related costs, from respiratory diseases (bronchitis, pneumonia) to even more life-threatening problems such as emphysema and cancer. All smokers know people who have smoked all of their lives without problems, but all smokers also know people that have died as a result of this habit.
I met a fellow in my clinic the other day from Ireland - one of my favorite countries. I read that Ireland has now banned smoking in the pubs and I wanted to know his perspective. He told me that every person in Ireland knows someone who has died of lung cancer, or has emphysema, so this ban on smoking was to honor their shortened lives and to keep from attending more funerals/wakes.
I never smoked, but I do know how difficult it is to break bad habits, or in this case, nicotine addiction. At an average of $5.00 a pack, a one-pack a day person would be spending well over $1,500 per year. Since you buy things with after-tax money, you are going to need to earn more than $2,000 to support this habit. If you have missed days of work due to respiratory illnesses, then the costs are even higher. My father was a smoker. He died of lung cancer at age 39.
2. EAT BETTER AND WISER. This is my biggest nemesis, since I love to eat and I hate dieting. I track my families spending on Quicken so it is easy to see how much we spend on food per month. It saddens me to see how much we waste by throwing it away - we either made too much and no one wants to eat leftovers, or we bought too much (like fresh vegetables) and they went bad before we got around to eating them. We used to cook for five kids, so our food bill was unbelievable. I know we prepare larger meals than we need, still thinking we are cooking for a small army.
I think we eat relatively well, but perhaps too much. Both my wife and I work long hours (12-13 hour shifts, not including commute times), and we just do not plan well enough. We only have an hour of awake-time after we get home. We tend to eat lunch at our desks completing patient charts, and we do not have time to have dinner at work before our evening shift.
As I was writing this Blog, my wife came in trying to make a three-day meal plan. We are trying to do better; one step at a time. She is on a mission right now after getting weighed at her doctor's office last week, so I expect to be suffering along with her for a while. I need to lose weight, too. Not only would my blood pressure and arthritis improve, but I would not have to spend money on bigger pants.
I suspect we could trim our expenses hundreds of dollar per month by preparing less food, pre-planning meals, and shopping wiser. We do try not to eat out, especially a fast-food lunch, but sometimes we wake up too late to make lunches. I am a big sushi fan, a healthy but expensive alternative to a packed lunch. Grocery store sushi is cheaper, but not very good, so I tend to buy it anyway. I eat less when it doesn't taste very good.
I have a stressful profession and good food was always a reward. I don't drink alcohol - never did - and I don't take sedatives. There are times when I would risk prison time to get a good chocolate chip cookie. For people who do drink (excessively), you know you have a problem.
And, for you vitamin-takers - vitamins do not really correct poor nutrition or prevent the kind of illnesses that are likely to kill you. Don't fool yourself that taking vitamins, herbs, or other concoctions will assure you longevity.
3. EXERCISE. I absolutely hate to exercise. I permanently injured my ankle several years ago trying to stand on my kid's skateboard (Don't laugh. It looked easy.) My neck and back were injured in a car accident and if I overdo it, I will feel it for days. I work very hard all day, probably putting on several miles between exam rooms, and my days-off are active with gardening, stacking firewood, and mowing the lawns. I do not sit on my butt, but you wouldn't know that by looking at my butt. I just can't get beyond the fact that I find walking boring and a waste of time. I hate to go to a gym and deal with that eclectic crowd. My wife joins a woman's gym at least every year and doesn't go, so that is a waste of money, too. She insisted on buying a treadmill, and as you know, it quickly becomes a dust-collector and a place to hang up your clothes. I can effectively justify a hundred reasons for not exercising except one. If I don't overcome my own personal block and devote a reasonable amount of time doing purposeful, organized exercise, I will be paying a big price. Because of my long working days, I do have four days off per week, so I will have to start by walking the dogs. Maybe I can get them to pull me on a skateboard? No, tried that once. Bad outcome. All of us need to find a physical outlet that is both enjoyable and safe.
4. PHYSICAL EXAMS. If you have lost your insurance, you may be avoiding the doctor's office at any cost. Men, in particular, avoid medical offices like the IRS. Men tend to wait until things are really bad and their spouse drags them in. Even though I am in the profession, it has been a while since I saw my own medical provider. I guess I am avoiding the lectures about all the things that I am not doing - the same lectures that I give to other people every day. I can dish it out, but I hate hearing it from the patient-end of things. I am a believer in self-care; the concept that people can and should take responsibility for their own health. However, believing in it and doing it are two different things. I know my health risks, but like many people, I have a reluctance to do something about it.
Ignoring preventative care is a dangerous practice. No one want to have a gloved finger up their butt or worse yet, a colonoscopy, but ignoring efforts to detect colon cancer won't prevent it from happening.
Something as simple as an annual flu vaccine can save your life. Although it doesn't make the evening news, thousands of people die every year as a result of influenza. Adults need tetanus vaccine (the disease is 100% fatal), too, with diphtheria and now, whooping cough vaccine again (its back!). Pneumonia vaccines are helpful for older people and those with asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
Women need periodic pap smears and mammograms, and most of them are pretty diligent about getting them. Men need to take a lesson from this dedication.
Work closely with your medical provider and make sure that you openly disclose any financial problems you may be having. Less-expensive, generic medications, less-expensive diagnostic tests, etc. are usually available IF your provider is aware of your situation.
5. SAFETY AND ACCIDENT PREVENTION. You can save a lot of health care dollars by not being stupid and getting hurt. If you do not wear seat belts, talk on the cell phone, eat (fast food) in the car, and drive too fast or aggressively, or God-forbid, drive while impaired, then you going to be seriously hurt or killed...eventually. If you climb up a rickety ladder to hang Christmas lights, or try to do your own electrical work, you may be asking for an injury. Loose throw rugs at the top of stairs, slippery bathtubs, poor lighting, etc., all take their annual toll. People are killed or seriously disabled from some of the more obvious home hazards - hazards that are preventable.
These are just FIVE of the many preventative health measures that we all can do. The longer we live, the more we have the opportunity to enjoy life. Like the immortal words of Spock to "Live Long and Prosper", we need to prosper by remaining healthy.
We all need to tighten our belts - financially and physically. I am going to do it and I strongly suggest you do it as well.
Related Topics:
- Healthy Eating & Diet: The Latest from the Greatest!
- Fitness 101: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Exercise
- WebMD Slideshow: 13 Best Quit Smoking Tips Ever
- Living Better Newsletter - Wellness news to keep you healthy and strong!
Labels: diet, exercise, health and wellness, prevention
5 Comments:
Lots of great points in this article. Thanks!
Dr. Moser... try dancing with your wife...in the privacy of your own den to the music you grew up with! It's exercise, doesn't cost anything and she will actually love the fact you involved her.
thanks for the post
http://health.okguru.com
Vicki...did you read my "dancing blog"? You made me do it...
I know some aggravating people who seem able to do everything very well. I hate them. They sing, they play at least three instruments, they have the most productive gardens, they are proficient do-it-your-selfers. There's nothing they won't tackle, and they usually triumph. But most of us have skills or talents in two or three areas and simply don't give stellar performances beyond our chosen realms. I would very much like to be able to dance in a social setting, which comes along every two years or so....with my husband, or maybe a male friend or two. Like you, I also sing, and am an instrumental musician. Still, I'm challenged to do these things in front of people. I sing with a small group, and usually do instrumental duets rather than solos. I understand rhythms. But my body doesn't. My canned response about dancing is, "I was raised as a Batist. My body doesn't move like that." I truly think, lacking any natural grace or movement ability, the body must be taught how to move.
At a wedding a couple of years ago, I thought if I had one more glass of wine, maybe I could get on the dance floor. Didn't happen...but I did manage to drop a baby carrot directly in my cleavage.
I think lessons would give me some confidence. But, again, I fear judgements and perceptions: I don't want to be middle-aged dork/klutz.
You're a gifted physician - and a pretty good writer too. Keep it up.
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