Healthful living

Comments, constraints, and caveats.
Strategies to maintain our health.


Comments, constraints and caveats.


Most of the health enhancing strategies below are well-known to us. Since you are seeking health information on this web site, it is very likely that you are more health conscious than most and already incorporate many of these strategies into your lifestyle. Most people, however, do not.

The statistics about disease and disability that you read about include all of us. For example, you may have read that about 1/6 of U.S. women will fracture their hips sometime during their lives. These women are much less likely to have been maintaining their health than the women who will not fracture their hips.

After saying that, however, it is very important to remember that our genes, one of the major determinants of our health, are not under our control. We may be doing everything right and still may have a hip fracture because of our genetic makeup.

There are also constraints placed on women which prevent us from taking the best care of ourselves. For example, a woman may be in an abusive relationship and the everyday choices she makes have more to do with survival rather than reducing her risk of chronic diseases. Also, a woman may have a disability that prevents her from doing more than a minimal amount of exercise. Or a woman who lives in a high-crime area may feel it is best for her if she stays inside rather than takes long walks. Virtually all neighborhoods are unsafe for women after dark and therefore we have less opportunities than men do to be active outdoors.

Moreover, strategies that we thought were health enhancing in the past, may have actually put us at risk. You may recall that when we were young, we were told that it was very important to eat meat every day and liver once a week. Today, liver is no longer recommended because of the large amount of cholesterol it contains. Research is showing that a low or no-meat diet is much more healthful. Now that we are midlife, we are being told that it is important to take estrogen every day. Research is showing that there is strong evidence that it increases our risk of breast cancer. It is quite possible that sometime in the future we will be told to avoid taking estrogen after menopause.

There is also a consistent relationship between socioeconomic status and health. In virtually all countries in the world, poorer people have poorer health than those who are more affluent. If a nation wants to improve the health of its people, it must eliminate poverty.

For all these and other reasons, we should not blame ourselves or others for any disease or disability.

After these caveats, here are major health maintaining strategies. No one can say with absolute certainty that they will help maintain our health, only that there is very convincing evidence that they will do so.


Strategies to maintain our health


Health enhancing lifestyle
1. Physical activity, most days of the week for at least 30 minutes; does not need to be consecutive. Walking is the best overall exercise, but choose whatever works best for you.
2. Eat a diet low in animal fats and high in fruits and vegetables.
3. Avoid smoking and second hand smoke.
4. Increase intake of soy products such as tofu, tempeh and soymilk. Add flaxseed to your diet.
5. Make sure you take enough vitamins; taking extra Vitamin C and E may be helpful.
6. Avoid any unnecessary medicine or surgeries, especially oophorectomies.
7. Enjoy your life, try to avoid whatever you feel is stressful, put energy into what you think is important. Form and/or maintain strong relationships.
8. Empower yourself, don't allow others to disempower you.

Specific to heart disease - All of the above health enhancing strategies plus:
Maintain normal blood pressure, if high salt diet, lower it; if high blood pressure, keep it under control.
One or two servings of fish a week, salmon seems to be the best.
Olive oil or cannola oil is the best choice of oils. Avoid trans-fats.
If no problem with alcohol abuse, drink about 1 glass of wine daily, not more than about 7 drinks a week. (red grape juice may offer similar benefits)
Additional folic acid and Vitamin B6 & B12 may be helpful.

Specific to osteoporosis and hip fractures - All of the above health enhancing strategies plus:
Exercise to maintain balance and strength, Tái Chi and Yoga are good choices. (Swimming is less helpful in maintaining bone mass.)
Make sure you have enough calcium, taking extra calcium, vitamin D, magnesium & zinc as supplements may be helpful. (take with foods, not more than 1200 mg of calcium a day, divided doses may be more beneficial.
Avoid colas, they contain phosphorous that causes you to lose calcium.
Do whatever you need to do to avoid falls; non-slip shoes, rugs, arrange furniture.
For those who take sedatives, take care in getting up.

Specific to breast cancer - All of the above health enhancing strategies plus:
Avoid long-term use (more than 5 years) of exogenous estrogen.

Specific to sexual health - All of the above health enhancing strategies, especially 6-8 plus:
Genital stimulation to increase the blood flow to the area.
An inexpensive (about $4 for a 4 ounce bottle) oil labeled Vitamin E oil that also contains other oils such as mineral, soybean and safflower oil works well for genital massage by yourself or your partner. It also can be used as a lubricant by either one of you.
Resplen, or estrogen cream may be useful. Susan Love suggests applying a small dab of estrogen (only about 1/10th or less than what the manufacturer recommends) just inside your vagina daily for 3-4 weeks, than reduce it to once or twice a week. Christine Northrup suggests using a daily 0.5 mg dose of natural estriol cream for a short time. Your body does absorb some of the estrogen putting you at risk for possible adverse effects so the lowest amount that is effective is best.