Prevention
We are all creatures of habit. Some of these habits are
good and some are bad. Bad habits directly affect not only physical health, but
also mental health. Adverse behaviors and behavior patterns not only affect us,
but also affect those around us . . . family, friends, coworkers.
Lifestyle changes are always difficult. Initiating change
requires self-awareness, self-discovery, and of course, self-discipline.
Positive change can be initiated, executed, and maintained independent of
professional assistance. Taking charge of your health and wellness can be the
most rewarding accomplishment you can experience.
Smoking
Each year more than 400,000 people die
from illnesses caused by smoking. Smokers die prematurely, and smoking-related
deaths are often associated with long periods of illness and suffering. Direct
medical costs for smokers totaled $50 billion in 1993, and indirect expenses
such as time lost from work due to smokingrelated illnesses represent another
$47 billion each year.
By far, the most important lung cancer risk factor is
tobacco smoking. The longer a person has been smoking and the more packs smoked
per day , the greater the risk. If a person stops smoking when pre-cancerous
signs are found, the damaged lung tissue often returns to normal, usually within
five years.
Secondhand smoke has been proved to cause lung cancer in
nonsmokers, and has been classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) as a known cause of lung cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen). Secondhand
smoke contains more than 4,000 substances, more than 40 of which are known to
cause cancer in humans or animals. Passive smoking is estimated by the EPA to
cause approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers each year.
Alcohol
Alcohol is a potent nonprescription tranquilizer and a member of the family of sedative-hypnotic drugs. Alcohol use
is implicated in:
- One-half of all accidental deaths, homicides and suicides.
- One-third of all drowning, boating and aviation deaths.
- Almost half of all fatal automobile accidents.
Moderate daily drinking may be good for the heart, but
for many the risks outweigh the benefits. Even moderate alcohol consumption
affects cognitive abilities, while larger amounts interfere with the oxygen
supplied to the brain. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
defines moderate drinking as an average of not more than two drinks per day, and
estimates that 15 million adults consume more than that amount. The 15% of men
and 3% of women who ingest more than four drinks a day risk a serious drinking
problem.
Alcohol adversely affects motor ability, muscle function,
reaction time, eyesight, depth perception, and night vision. As a drinker
continues to drink, alcohol depresses lung and heart function, slowing breathing
and circulation. Death can occur if alcohol completely paralyzes breathing. The
health problems associated with alcohol include brain damage, cancer, heart
disease, and cirrhosis of the liver. Alcoholics who do not quit drinking
decrease life expectancy by 10-15 years.
Caffeine
Just as your car needs high-octane fuel for top performance, your body needs high octane nutrients (raw materials
for the manufacture of hormones), which are your ticket to keeping the
adrenaline coming without decimating your adrenals. Depending on caffeine to
keep "the rush" coming is like whipping a tired horse and will only accelerate
adrenal exhaustion.
Sleep
Much remains unknown about sleep, but one thing is clear—it’s not a luxury. You need sleep. The vast majority of people
seem to need close to 8 hours of sleep a night. A small fraction are fully alert
all day with a routine of about 6 hours of sleep per night, while another small
group regularly seem to need at least 9 or more hours to feel rested. For many
reasons, most typically related to the work week, people don’t get their basic
requirements of sleep. There is growing evidence that sleep deprivation is
cumulative day after day. However, usually after two nights of full,
unrestricted recovery sleep, sleep patterns return to the baseline level even if
the chronic deprivation has gone for a week or more.
Health Risk Assessments (HRAs)
Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) are designed to help individuals target areas for health
improvement or maintenance. Visit www.HOOAH4HEALTH.com and take a few minutes to complete an
interactive Health Goals Checklist designed to help you assess your health risk
areas and determine where you might want to make changes.
Another exciting feature of this web site is HOOAH 4
Change. Here you’ll find a model that is used by leading health care and medical
experts to guide behavioral change and kick bad habits. It could provide the
motivation you need to make a change and "stick with it."
MEDLINE Plus Health Information
The journey to achieving and maintaining a health mind and body begins by acquiring knowledge
and tools to successfully explore and patrol your individual interests and
goals.
MEDLINEplus (www.medlineplus.gov) will direct you to information to help
answer health questions. MEDLINEplus brings together, by health topic,
authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
other government, non-profit and other health-related organizations.
Pre-formulated MEDLINE searches are included in MEDLINEplus and give easy access
to the medical research literature. This fact-packed, government information
resource brings a wealth of information to you with a click of your mouse.