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Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the massive onslaught of commercials and ads that push medicine? Wouldn’t you notice it if they were ads for cocaine?

Are you longing for balmy summer days? Are you dreaming of a winter holiday to Florida? Do you need to read The Long Winter just to encourage yourself for another cold season? Before you start your packing, your flip flops, sit back, make a warm cup of coffee and consider that there is a purpose for cold. You may even find it something you actually enjoy.

There is an old saying that says…if I knew I was going to live this long; I would have taken better care of myself. No one expects a car to maintain itself. No one expects a house to never need repairs or maintenance. Yet, when it comes to our human frame, we are filled with shock and wonder at the thought that some care is required. Like a new car and a new house, when we are younger, we can get away with a certain amount of neglect without major repercussions. There comes a time when that is no longer true.

Deep down….waaaaay deep down…..we all know that we don’t eat as healthy as we should….When it comes to eating right, there are controversial subjects, un-proven theories, flat out lies, areas we don’t know about and things that require too much work for us to comply with or are too expensive

Besides, “Don’t play ball in the house,” haven’t we all heard growing up that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”? Yet, from our teen years until you hit the senior age bracket, up to 40% of Americans don’t eat breakfast. Some figures have this number as high as 50%. Of those that do actually eat breakfast, less than 20% get a truly healthy breakfast.

As temperatures drop, we all hunker down and try to stay warm and cozy indoors. In fact, most Americans spend more than 90% of their time indoors. Some have called it the human zoo syndrome. Some call it an epidemic of inactivity. Regardless, very few still heed their mothers sound advice, “Go outside; it’s good for you.” There are some excellent reasons for spending time outdoors, even in the winter, even if you are older, even if…, well, you get the picture.

I use coupons. I shop based on store specials and plan my menu accordingly. Each week, I am more and more annoyed at the advertisements and specials taking the place of useful food sales for cleaning supplies. I especially hate air freshener ads. I have been in houses that try to mask their filth with air freshener smells. I do not advocate slovenliness, but I think most cleaning supplies are unnecessary and many are downright dangerous and harmful. Did you know that it is less expensive and healthier to clean with natural products?

It may be common knowledge to some that people need essential fatty acids, but the why and how to apply the known need is a mystery to most people. Some people run from fat all together; some consume the wrong kind of fat. Neither extreme is correct. Essential Fatty Acids are known as Omega 3, 6, and 9. They are essential because we need them for health, but cannot produce them on our own. We must consume these fats through diet or supplementation.

It is a wild concept that you should willingly swallow billions of bacteria each day and that this might be good for your health. It may be even harder to believe that doing so can prevent allergies, eliminate irritable bowel syndrome, reduce bloating, treat female infections, prevent colds, enhance our immune system and eliminate diarrhea. As difficult as this is to believe, there is a growing body of scientific evidence stating just that. It is being touted as a new wonder for your health, but when you look around the world, cultures have always used natural-occurring bacteria in their food to promote health. I am speaking of probiotics.

There is a common misconception that all symptoms are bad and must be eliminated. These thoughts stem from a philosophy by which the entire medical profession practices. The term “allopath”, on which allopathic medicine is based, is the practice of opposites. If you have a fever, then lower it. If it is swollen, reduce the swelling. Homeopathy is based on the practice of same. If you have tears, produce more. Neither philosophy, in my opinion, will be 100% correct, 100% of the time. At some point as a child of God, you may have to evaluate your health decisions, and understand that the professional opinion is based upon a philosophy that the doctor knows better than the body. Did not the Creator of the universe design our bodies? Remembering that our bodies are designed, let us consider a common process – the fever.

Eggs contain the highest amount of cholesterol per unit weight of all common foods. It is this fact that has created a wide spread fear of eating eggs. It was feared that eating a diet high in cholesterol would increase heart disease. The research and reasoning were faulty. In the 1940-50’s the average person ate more than an egg per day. Today, that number has dropped, as more people have switched from eggs for breakfast to cereal. Millions of Americans gave up eating one of the most nutritious, cheapest and available food sources, because of this false fact.

How often do we hear this? How often do we say it? I remember being dead tired as a teen. Also, there is the extreme tiredness a new mommy feels from night after night of interrupted sleep. Sometimes, insomnia can make day drag in a foggy state. Then there are the times, we do it ourselves, knowing we are burning both ends of the candle, but pushing our bodies beyond the limits of matter. Fatigue has been linked to anger, irrational thoughts, poor decision making, hormone imbalance, (including leptin, which tells your body it is time to Stop eating), depression and anxiety. Not to mention its link with 56,000 car crashes every year with 40,000 injuries and 1,550 deaths.

Water. Most of our body and the earth is made up of it. Water is basic to life. In geometry proofs, it’s a given. The Lord uses our daily need of it to pattern our spiritual daily need. Although the spiritual applications are many, our physical intake of water is one of the best habits you can add to your lifestyle.

Remember sun worshipers? Not literal worshiping of the sun, but people who were just too tan. It was always a dream of mine, as a pale gal, to have that bronzed look. Next, skin cancer scares really kept all of us out of the sun and indoors. What is the truth about sun exposure? How much is too much? As a doctor, I get this question often and with all this heat, it has been on my mind.