Environmental Alternatives

    "Health is a growing concern for everyone.  If we don't have our health, we don't have much else.  The average lifespan today is fifteen years longer than it used to be, which means that babies born today will be living to be over 100 years old.  This fact alone makes it imperative that we focus on our health over the long term.  This of course means proper nutrition, sleep and exercise, but it also involves developing and maintain a positive, constructive and healthy attitude towards not just our own bodies and immediate lives, but towards the world as well.  Health is all-inclusive.  Every tiny detail of our being, from what we eat to how we think, contributes to how well we are.  The healthier we are, the better our bodies and brains function, and the more capable we are of conceiving ideas, creating new concepts and constructing elements that would otherwise have not existed. By being able to accomplish more we contribute to society, hence the world is improved.  We have three choices in life: make things better, keep things the same, or let things fall apart.  Maintaining the status quo produces no progress, change, growth or improvement.  Allowing atrophy destroys what has been created.  Health is the key to development, constructive growth, and global survival."

• Eat right. Make sure you get your daily dose of fruits and veggies.
• Take your vitamins and bump up your vitamin c.
• Get plenty of exercise because exercise helps build your immune system.
• Walk for at least an hour a day, go for a swim, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.
• Wash your hands often. If you can't wash them, keep a bottle of antibacterial stuff around.
• Get lots of fresh air. Open windows whenever possible.
• Get plenty of rest.
• Try to eliminate as much stress from your life as you can.

Here now, from the upcoming book 30 Minutes a Day to a Healthy Heart, are seven of the easiest fixes (you can institute one a day until they become habitual) to slash your risk. (Note: This advice is not designed to replace regular medical care. You should continue taking any medications and maintain a relationship with your doctor.)

1. Start the day right. Choose a breakfast with the highest fiber count you can find. Studies show that every gram of soluble fiber you add to your diet cuts your LDLs (bad cholesterol) by two points. If you eat cold cereal for breakfast, switching to a bran cereal packed with 10 g of fiber can lower your LDLs by 20 points. Don't forget the fresh fruit for even more healthy fiber.
2. Make the whole-grain switch. Whole grains are filled with heart protective vitamin E, fiber and antioxidant phytochemicals. Switching completely from refined to whole grains could cut your heart attack risk by 30%.
3. Aim for nine. Forget five a day. Fruits and vegetables are so crucial, you should aim for nine daily servings. It's easy if you sneak them into every meal and snack.
4. Get good fats. Even better than going low-fat is eating good fats. Whether in the form of nuts, olive oil or avocados, monounsaturated fats help lower LDL "bad" cholesterol... slightly increase HDL "good" cholesterol... and reduce triglycerides. Use olive oil for scrambling eggs, basting meats and flavoring savory dishes. (Caution: Frying or high-temperature cooking with canola oil transforms the oil into the bad peroxidized compounds that cause heart disease.)
5. Brush up. People with periodontal disease, a chronic bacterial infection of the gums, are nearly twice as likely to have a fatal heart attack as those with healthy gums. Toxins from the bacteria can contribute to heart disease. Brush twice a day, floss before bed and use an antibacterial mouthwash to protect against the ill effects of plaque.
6. Shhhh. You can't change the world, but you can change your response to it. Carve out a quiet place in your house where you can escape, collect your thoughts, listen to some relaxing music and decompress. Spending more time relaxed instead of stressed can cut your heart disease risk in half.
7. Move. A Harvard study of nearly 40,000 women over the age of 45 showed that walking, even leisurely, for as little as one hour per week makes you half as likely to have a heart attack or be hospitalized for heart disease as those who rarely walk. Walk to the mailbox... take the stairs whenever possible... park in the farthest parking space. Every little bit helps. In fact, Johns Hopkins researchers found that people who snuck small bouts of activity -- parking in the far spots, yard work and walking the dog -- every day achieved the same improvements in fitness, blood pressure and body fat as people who took structured aerobics classes. More good news: Studies show that walking up two flights of stairs a day can shave off six pounds a year. Take advantage of every little opportunity to move.

These lifestyle practices aren't so hard, are they?

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• Exercise: thoughts on exercise that might not have occurred to you.
• Bicycle for health.
• Tired?  Out of energy?  No time for exercise?  Take a look at some simple things you can do.  Here is a list of nine natural energizers.

• Food supplements: what to consider when selecting a good supplement
• Children's vitamins: an option worth considering
• Foods for Long Life and Well-Being
• Food: what we eat is what we are.
• Vegetarian Recipes
• More Vegetarian Recipes
• Contaminated foods
• Food consumption
• Agriculture
• Spices
• Fat

Toxins

• Toxins in our environment
• Non-toxic home
• Water purification
• Air purification

• See the March-April 1999 issue of Audubon special report: "The Organic Revolution"
• Would you like to feed a starving person somewhere in the world?   If you click on this site, someone will be fed for free.  www.thehungersite.org
• Get involved: Community Supported Agriculture http://www.csacenter.org
• Into fitness?  http://www.fitnesstraffic.com
• Here is a site full of related links:http://www.healthshaman.com/
• Empowering personal wellness: what you must know about holistic and alternative medicine, including the self-care tools and information you need to prevent and revers disease and create and maintain vibrant health in body mind and spirit:http://www.1healthyworld.com
• NutraSanus.com is a non-commercial natural health website that offers a wealth of useful information: http://www.nutrasanus.com/
• The mission of HealthEcho.com is to help business and professional searchers find what they are looking for. http://www.healthecho.com/
• Quit Smoking http://www.thefinebalance.com/
• <>“Medical Tourism” means patients traveling to other lands to obtain treatment.  http://www.123-health-and-beauty.com/index.shtml 
• HealthyGreat.com is a health directory. You can find links to website relate to health, diseases and conditions, holistic health, cancer, beauty, fitness, nursing, yoga, healing, weight loss and other information about health. http://www.healthygreat.com/
• Disease Information: Information of all major killer diseases, like cancer, HIV/AIDS, hear diseases, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, etc., and their causes, symptoms and treatments. http://www.diseases-information.com
• Self-Growth:  SelfGrowth.com is the most complete guide to information about Self -Improvement, Personal Growth and Self Help on the Internet. It is designed to be an organized directory, with articles and references to thousands of other Web Sites on the World Wide Web.   http://www.selfgrowth.com