Preventative Self Care: 5 Things Everyone Should Do To Proactively Take Care of Their Health
Setting Up Your Personal Health Surveillance System
It is nothing more than common sense to try to catch potential health issues before they become a real problem. Unfortunately, that is not how our healthcare system is set up. Therefore, it falls to you to do it for yourself and your loved ones.
A simple health surveillance system and some good habits will go a long way to preventing real trouble.
Learn to listen to your body.
When you consistently get up with a splitting headache after having 2 alcoholic drinks the night before, maybe that should be a clue that your body doesn't process alcohol very well. The logical response would be to drink even less or not at all...listen to what your body is telling you. Some of our body's communications can be much more subtle, maybe a vague belly discomfort after eating certain foods, or a change in mood after getting up later over the weekend or a dip in energy forgetting to drink enough water.
Paying attention to these things increases your SOMA-IQ -your understanding about how your body works- and alerts you to signs of things going awry. The more you notice your body's communications the more effective your preventative selfcare will be.
Know your medical history.
Keep a record of your healthcare appointments, doctor's progress notes, lab results, and other examinations. If you do not know what the meaning is of certain medical terminology or diagnoses, discuss it with a trusted healthcare provider AND educate yourself as much as you can.
Understand the power of asking questions; you will allow your healthcare provider to take better care of you when you ask questions. Make sure you know what medications you are taking, what they are for, and regularly check with your physician if you still need to take them. Be aware of any family medical history that might be revealing a heightened risk for certain health problems.
Know and track your baseline health numbers.
Without going overboard, it is good to be aware of your cholesterol, triglyceride, and fasting glucose and/or A1C when you have your bloodwork done, preferably on an annual basis. Know what your usual blood pressure and heart rate range is. The purpose of having a sense of your usual numbers is to be able to spot (negative) trends before they become a much harder to fix real problem.
Regularly review the lifestyle factors that most significantly impact your health in the long term.
How much, how regularly and with what intensity do you exercise?
Does your diet primarily consist of nutrient and fiber dense foods, very limited amounts of junk, processed and calorie dense foods?
Is your sleep of sufficient duration and quality -do you feel refreshed and ready for the day in the morning vs tired and sleepy?
Maintain a healthy and supportive social environment.
The importance of positive social interaction to our physical, emotional and mental health is often underestimated, but our need for belonging, acknowledgment, love and friendship, and a number of additional emotional needs can only be satisfied in healthy relationships with others (in the absence of humans, pets have been proven to be sources of tremendous help and support in this domain).
Keep in mind that the basis of any relationship is skillful communication, verbal and non-verbal. It pays to seek feedback about your communication skills. This can be quite painful, so make sure you are ready to receive constructive -and sometimes spiteful- criticism, when you seek feedback. Give all feedback the serious consideration that it deserves; there is always a nugget of wisdom or truth to be had.