Your Health Matters
June Tavenor-Brake, BN RN
Preventative health care keeps Canadian Health Care alive and well. Prevention allows for the better and longer health of all Canadians. So what do I mean by “preventative health care”? Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away?
Mistake number one: Keeping the Doctor Away.
Having a regular health care provider like a family physician is the first step to ensuring good health. This person is theoretically going to know all of your ailments, as well as monitor you for those that you may be at risk for.
Let’s say you have asthma and live in Toronto during the worst smog year on record. Having a family physician can ensure you have the proper medication and inhalers that will provide you with the same daily quality of life that the rest of us enjoy. What if a female member of your family died of breast cancer? If you have a family doctor, there is a good chance you receive an annual breast exam along with your Pap smear.
Mistake number two: Ownership
We cannot rely solely on someone else to care the most about us. We need to take ownership of our lives beginning with our health. Be informed. Know what conditions you may be at greater risk for. If high-blood pressure (the silent killer) runs in your family, you need to be proactive and monitor it along with your physician. If diabetes runs in your family, it may be more important than you think to not have that excess weight on your waist. You and your family physician need to work as a team to ensure your overall health.
Mistake number three: Ignorance is Bliss
The third mistake people make is thinking bad health will not happen to them. Do not ignore the little things that you think are nothing. If you do, the real problem may present itself as an emergency. For more than ten years, my father felt a “thing” (as he liked to call it) in his leg when he walked. When he finally checked it out, his doctor said he had blood flow problems in his legs and recommended he have his heart checked out. The heart doctor said he had blood flow problems there requiring surgery and suggested he have his brain blood flow checked, which also showed decreased blood flow. All of these problems required surgical attention, but they may not have if he had addressed the “thing” in his leg when he first noticed it all those years ago.
My mother has had a bad back for years, which she continued to blame on working in health care until a bone scan discovered significant decreases in bone density. If left untreated, this could lead to fractures that could end her independence and the quality of life she enjoys. Being proactive with diet and exercise will help her achieve this goal.
Living the Good Life
How can we try to keep ourselves in good health if there really isn’t any one problem we are destined to have? You know the answer to this before I even write it: Eat well and exercise. We hear this message so often that it is beginning to sound like a cliché, but it is the truth. With research going back and forth on what is good for you and what is bad (my father swears one day smoking will be good for you!), one thing has remained the same: Eating well and exercising decrease your chances of developing numerous life threatening conditions -- conditions such as diabetes, which can lead to many complications including loss of sensation, amputations, loss of vision, cardiovascular disease, and so on. With all the en vogue diets that come and go, following Canada’s Food Guide will never let you down. Plus it includes some of the junk food we all love!
This mantra of good food and physical activity can prevent high blood pressure, a condition that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Physical activity keeps the blood flowing, the muscles and bones strong, and gives you better mental health. And who has time for exercise? Everyone. Walk to the store for milk instead of driving. Turn up the music when you do your house work and dance as you go. Take your kids, or your friends’ kids to the park and see who lasts the longest and has the most fun! Recruit your partner or a friend. Gossip is even better with fresh air. Be creative, and do not let excuses ruin your efforts.
If we as Canadians expect health care to stay the way it is or get better, we need to act. Keeping ourselves well is going to ensure that our emergency rooms are for emergencies only.
Please visit the following websites for information on simple ways to improve your health that do not cost a lot, and can be a lot of fun! Be sure to also visit “Wellness and You” for some other great tips!
Canada’s Food Guide http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/review-examen/index_e.html
Health Canada http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/index_e.html
Healthy Living http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/index_e.html
Women’s Exercise Network http://womensexercisenetwork.com/
Women’s Health & Fitness http://www.womens-health-fitness.com/
June is always ready to discuss health care in Canada in the Edwards Forum.
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