We all want longevity coupled with good health. One is not worth having without the other, so I have looked for at least 100 ways of living to a 100, but I haven’t included them all.
Here are a few you could include in your 2014 lifestyle, not as New Year’s resolutions, as these always end up being broken.
• Clear up the home and environment. The typical house contains a toxic soup of organic chemical compounds, electromagnetic fields, combustion gases and other pollutants.
• Nourishing the spirit is vital too. The best medicine of all is developing a strong, close-knit community, so don’t be alone; there are always people out there to help you.
• Those who consume a large proportion of their total calorie intake in the morning eat significantly less over the course of the day. This helps to prevent obesity. Missing breakfast increases the chances of a heart attack, high blood pressure and diabetes.
• Avoid processed foods, such as canned, fried, preserved and those laden with chemicals or refined in any way. At the same time, vary your diet. Most allergy specialists claim allergies are more likely if you repetitively eat the same foods.
• Try to reduce your consumption of tinned food and anything from plastic bottles, which can leach bisphenol A. Try to avoid water in plastic bottles, which may contain oestrogen-mimicking phthalates. You can avoid processed foods by cooking meals from scratch instead of resorting to ready meals.
• Cut out wheat altogether or reduce it to a minimum. Lots of people cannot tolerate this relatively new food in the human diet, particularly as it has been so genetically tampered with. Each grain contains wheat-germ agglutinin (WGA); in small quantities, it can inhibit nerve growth factor, which is vital for healthy neurons. WGA can disrupt endocrine functions, causing rheumatoid arthritis, ulcers, insulin resistance, kidney and digestive problems. It can also bring about cell death and chronic inflammatory conditions. Change to carbs, such as millet, buckwheat, quinoa, rice and corn.
• People who consume large quantities of dairy products have higher levels of circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which has been linked to an increased risk of numerous cancers (Recent Pat. Anticancer Drug Discov., 2012).
Men with the highest IGF-1 levels quadruple their chances of getting prostate cancer with low-fat milk, which strips away the anti-cancer protective effects of conjugated linoleic acid.
• Carpets in homes trap more allergens, are doused with dangerous pesticides and outgas more chemicals than do uncarpeted floors.
Learning to forgive can help overcome depression and stress
• Make sure you use your computer safely. If you are a man, don’t use Wi-Fi with the computer on your lap as it may adversely affect your sperm and fertility. Consider wired over wireless technology and set up a network for your household computer using the electrical system.
• Choose safer household-cleaning products. Most ordinary cleaners contain a cocktail of chemicals toxic to people and plant life. Choose cleaners free of sodium lauryl sulphate, phenols, formaldehyde, naphthalene and other widely used chemicals. Avoid air fresheners, which are just chemical cocktails.
• Get at least seven hours of sleep a night. This may significantly reduce your risk of cancer, says recent research. Lack of sleep alters insulin levels, contributing to being overweight and having diabetes. Seven hours seem about right, while nine are too much; women having more than this have the highest risk of stroke.
• Walk, especially if you are a woman. Walking at a moderate pace (three miles per hour) provides every benefit running does for staving off degenerative and cardiovascular diseases. Power walking will even burn off more calories than running at a similar speed, with no harmful effects on your joint cartilage.
• Use a Swiss ball to work your ‘core’ as this will strengthen the abdominal muscles that support the spine, hip and buttocks. Work with free weights rather than machines, which tend to be less effective for strengthening the body holistically.
• Cultivate a readiness to empathise and forgive. One of the greatest antidotes to stress is heartfelt forgiveness and empathy. Learning to forgive can help overcome depression and stress. Gratitude and generosity are powerful health-promoting game changes. Various studies have revealed that the root emotions of stress are a sense of helplessness and loneliness, and anything that can help re-establish connections with family, with the community, with God, is a potent healer.
Joining just one group this year will halve your chances of dying; connecting also protects against heart disease and stroke. If you don’t have a close community, then assemble one either through your church or through work or leisure organisations. Meet and share regularly.
• There is a whole list of drugs to avoid. Virtually all drugs are for maintenance – that is they manage, ease or suppress symptoms, but they do not cure.
In spite of assurances from the pharmaceutical industry that drugs can target certain receptors in the body with laser-like accuracy, the fact is that many unrelated systems in the body have identical receptors. Hence the reason drugs invariably affect other parts of the body and cause side effects.
kathryn@maltanet.net