The Best Defense.......

is a good offense right? Right! Many people are running around scared and nervous about the most recent outbreak of Swine Flu. It is good to be aware and cautious, but it is NOT good to get nervous and over the top freaked out about it. That only increases your chances of getting ill! Let's talk about a good "offense" to ward off the chances of becoming ill with Swine Flu, or any other illness for that matter.

The actual simple solution is to make sure that you are not a good host for any virus or bacteria that tries to make its home inside your body. Simple right? Yes, not always easy, but it IS simple. That is the answer though, and no one would dispute that. How we go about making our bodies not be a good host is where it gets more complicated, but that boils down to what you've undoubtedly heard me say before: To BE well, we must EAT well, MOVE well, THINK Well and REST well.

So, when you are attempting to make your body stronger, eat better than you ever thought you could. Focus on fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Eat them with your meals, and use them as snacks For instance, today so far I've had a Superfood Solution Shake (NanoGreens, NanOmega 3 and NanoPro), made a blueberry/banana smoothie, and brought some grapes, fresh blueberries and almonds to snack on. That's a good start!

Make sure you aren't stressing out too much. Stress lowers your immune system and makes you more susceptible to illness. Take time to De-stress daily (deep breathing/relaxation exercises). Make a list of things you have to be grateful for daily (here on this blog is a sample I used from a few months back).

Of course, exercise helps boost your immune system too. It also helps mitigate the effects of stress on the body. Keep up with your exercise, or start a walking program. I find that a good hard workout leaves me feeling totally de-stressed. Don't start working out hard if you haven't been, and get cleared by your doctor if you're over the age of 35 before you start a program.

Remember to get your REST! Keep your sleep habits the same (if they're good) even on weekends. Go to bed around the same time and wake around the same time daily. Use de-stresing exercises such as deep breathing/relaxation before you go to bed, or if you wake up and can't get back to sleep. Avoid caffiene late at night and avoid wild TV shows or movies late at night as well.

There you have it in a nutshell, but also remember to wash your hands regularly and if you feel sick, stay away from people as much as possible to reduce the chances of spreading illness.

Until next time, BE WELL!

Dr. B.

8 Decades

Today my Mother turns 80 years old. 8 decades. WOW.....which is MOM upside down...not that that has any significance.

Back on topic. 8 decades. That is amazing. So many don't make it that long, and certainly not in as good of a condition as my Mom has made it. She is blessed, we are blessed to have had her this long, and I don't see it changing any time soon. How does one do that? Well let's take a look.

I wish I could say Mom was an exercise freak, as it would TOTALLY back up my way of life but she wasn't. Mom didn't eat fast food much, she did smoke til about 40 years of age (who in her generation DIDN'T smoke at some point?). She drank moderately, and still does (ok sometimes in her younger years more than moderately). She laughed a lot with my Dad, her life partner of over 50 years (Dad died at 78). She and Dad did start walking in their 40's and 50's and beyond, but never had a serious exercise plan, though they certainly weren't sedentary.

She raised 7 great kids, has enjoyed 20 or more grandkids (I don't recall the exact number and refuse to start counting now) and now several great grandkids. She has kids and grandkids that call on her to say hi, and visit with her regularly.

She and Dad always had a great social circle, and gave back to their community through church and investing in kids lives through youth group activities. They always had projects they worked on at the house, yardwork, gardens, cleaning, always a purpose to the day. She still goes through her day keeping her life in order, her house spotless, and talks daily with at least a couple of my siblings plus some of her generation. Today she has several of her best friends coming to visit her from Louisiana. Mom still drives all the way from Ft. Worth to Houston, spends the night with one of us, then drives 3 hours to Eunice.

I think all of these things contributed to her healthy life. Sure she has a few health issues, but nothing severe. I think that she and Dad lived life, loved life and are leaving a great legacy of love and laughter behind which helped them live as long as they did.

I'm impressed with her, and blessed to have her around. I hope that one day I cross that octogenarian line with my bride in as good of form as she has.

Happy 80th Mom!

9/11 and Thinking Well

............


Ok, I am officially ready to potentially make a few people mad. But hey, it's my blog right? I'm glad you agree.

No adult around will not recall exactly where they were and what they were doing when the 9/11 catastrophe occurred. We'll always recall how that day "changed everything". I for one recall becoming addicted to the news, and eventually in the following years addicted to political news and the talking heads that we are all so familiar with these days.

During this time I've seen more divisiveness in our country than I can ever recall in my 20+ years of adulthood. It's all over the TV and radio daily. People I know spend hours reading political blogs, watching political TV, listening to political radio. Again, until about a year or two ago, I did the same, so I know of what I speak.

Let me be honest here. During that time in my life, I found myself with a large degree of anger and frustration built up inside of me. I found myself so wrapped up in the political news world that I began developing feelings of dislike for those of opposing views. Stay with me here, I am just being honest about a time period in my life. I found myself with an "us vs. them" mentality. Not exactly healthy thinking, right?

But eventually I recalled what I had learned in the 90's about being careful what I allowed into my brain on a regular basis. I recall being taught in more than one venue to avoid spending too much time watching/listening to the news as it was so negative, and never without what we now call "spin". I also began noticing the "us vs. them" mentality displayed on talk shows everywhere and I recall thinking back to a time when it wasn't so, a time that seemed so far back, but it really wasn't that long ago. I began recognizing so many of the political news folks were all about the "win" for their side, not about seeing a possible compromise, or even trying to see the other side.

It was then that I realized how unhealthy it was to be so caught up in the whole game. Now, in retrospect, I see the lack of "Thinking Well" that occurs in politics, and in our minds when we become too wrapped up in it. I look back on 9/11 and I am still amazed at how not thinking well led a handful of people, who had listened for too long to the rhetoric of some other non "thinking well" people, and agreed to hijack planes and eventually took the lives of thousands of innocent people. I can see how not thinking well led many to have vile hatred for the people of the religion whose people perpetrated the act. Trust me, I have no respect for those that choose to commit acts of terror, but I know in my heart that hatred for them is an unwell way of thinking.

That same emotion of hatred now has our country divided by and caught up in the "us vs. them" mentality. For nothing more than a letter that stands behind a name (D or R) a plethora of negative emotions and actions are brought forth. That kind of thinking is a non-starter for unity and for the health and well being of our country. I am saddened by it, and wish that my children could experience some of the days where it wasn't so rampant.

I am not saying that I don't have views, or that I walk the line on every issue. I am saying that the emotions that are brought out by this whole game are a serious problem that will affect the future of our country for generations to come if it is not changed. And to call it a "game" is a misnomer. Life is not a trial run, not a dress rehearsal. This is the real deal, and this "game", if it continues, will undoubtedly have real and serious consequences in our future, and it probably has already had said consequences.

On the other hand, thinking well, realizing we are all on the same planet, that maybe some other views may warrant a second look, that we truly are on the same team, can have real and everlasting positive consequences for our future, and for the future of our kids. On this anniversary of a very sad day in the history of this great nation, and of this planet, take some time to step back and see if you are caught up in some of this divisiveness. It can't hurt.

Until next time, "Be Well".

Dr. B