Rules to Live By
The following suggestions are based on my experience over the past 25 years and supported by Evidence Based Medicine, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, Expert Opinion and the Center for Disease Control recommendations.
Exercise aerobically for 30-90 minutes every day.
Do not smoke or use tobacco products.
Limit alcohol intake to: two drinks per day for males and one drink per day for females.
Try to control stress through regular exercise, yoga, counseling, Tai Chi or meditation.
Maintain a body mass index (BMI) of between 18 and 25.
Always report rectal bleeding. Many people assume rectal bleeding is from hemorrhoids when it is actually due to colon cancer.
Wear a helmet when biking, snow skiing or skateboarding.
Never drink alcohol and drive.
Always wear a seatbelt.
Start getting screened for colon cancer starting at age 50 or earlier if you have risk factors for colon cancer.
Women should get annual PAP smears starting within the first three years after they first become sexually active or at least by age 21.
Have a flu shot every fall particularly if you are over 49 years of age, if you are at high risk and also for infants 6-23 months of age.
Females should have a mammogram every year starting at age 40 or earlier if they have specific risk factors for breast cancer.
Have a pneumonia shot (Pneumovax) starting at age 65 or earlier if you have risk factors such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease or lung disease.
Become knowledgeable about sexually transmitted diseases.
Discuss sleep apnea with your physician if you snore and your partner says you seem to have repetitive episodes of upper airway occlusion while sleeping. You may also have excessive daytime sleepiness.
Eat fish two or three times per week. Cold water fish such as salmon and tuna are best. Studies have shown that this reduces your risk of heart disease.
Try to get at least 30 grams of fiber every day. One half cup of Fiber One Cereal contains 14 grams of fiber. Citrucel may cause less bloating than Metamucil.
Avoid excessive amounts of sun exposure and use sunscreen. Any moles that change should be evaluated. New moles appearing after age 40 should be evaluated.
Report any vaginal bleeding that occurs after menopause.
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Taking vitamins is not a substitute for eating fruits and vegetables.
Avoid excessive use of NSAID's (ibuprofen, Aleve, Motrin and others). This is particularly important if you have diabetes or renal disease.
Consider taking a baby aspirin with food everyday if you are at high risk for heart disease or if you have diabetes.
Consider taking a vitamin with minerals everyday.
Limit the amount of red meat in your diet.
Women should perform breast self-examination once each month. Report any breast lumps immediately.
Try to get 1200-1500 mg of calcium/day either through diet and/or calcium tablets.
Men should discuss getting a PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test with their physician at age 50.
Get a Tetanus-diphtheria shot every 10 years.
Take folic acid 0.4 mg several months before you decide to get pregnant. Taking a multivitamin daily satisfies this recommendation. This prevents neural tube defects.
Avoid using new drugs on the market during the first year after they are introduced. Some adverse drug reactions are not discovered until the drug is released and has widespread use.
Markedly limit saturated fats or trans fatty acids.
Consider getting a hepatitis B immunization.
The information provided above is offered as a community service about health-care issues and is not a substitute for individual consultation. Advice on individual problems should be obtained from your personal physician. This information is based on research by the author and represents his interpretation of the literature.