Button Up Your Overcoat.....
Someone I knew died last week. Ironically, he died the same day another man I had the fortunate chance to meet did. Except..... he was 28 and the other man was 89.
We all have our time on this earth and then we're called back to our higher power. I'm not here to push religion but I have a firm faith that there is a God and He does have a timetable for us. I always find it shocking though, when someone so young as Matthew dies. He died from complications of the flu and pneumonia. THE FLU.
Yee Gads.... this is scary stuff people. The flu can kill you. It's not something to be messed with. I was never a proponent for flu shots although when I was a kid and under Navy medical care my dad insisted I get them. He was always overprotective, especially after I caught pneumonia as a 12 year old. That was scary stuff. Even though that was almost 40 years ago, I still remember the painful cough and the disgusting drainage from the infection. My lungs were filled with the grossest stuff ever. It's a good thing antibiotics can help with that stuff. Anyway, I have to take flu shots now. I don't have a choice if I want to stay healthy. I caught the chicken pox as a 30 year old (another strain of pneumonia I found out from my doctor) and while I didn't feel super 'sick', my doctor was very worried because the chicken pox can (here's that word again), KILL. Dangerous illness for adults. I lucked out though.... I had the 'pox' all over my upper body (my scalp was the worst) but only a little on my torso and only 1 or 2 on my legs. It never entered my mouth so it never went internal which is what can lead to death in the adult. I am now more susceptible to pneumonia because of the chicken pox and my doctor gave me a stern talk about taking good care of myself. The weight loss, exercise thing came up and at the time, I wasn't heavy and I decided to just be generally more active and eat healthier so I was okay.
The thing is, we're a nation that constantly gives out antibiotics - not just for the serious stuff like pneumonia but for sinus issues and other minor infections. We've stopped dealing with the 'why' we're getting these things as opposed to fixing the it after the fact. Eastern medicine was something I grew up with since I lived in Japan for awhile. They were about herbs, teas, and natural products long before it became popular here in the States. They were about diet and preventative measures. I rarely got sick when I lived this lifestyle. Once I moved here permanently, that changed. Everything became about taking care of the problem once it was a full blown problem. Mind you, my mom was the best when it came to fighting colds & flu. She knew all the tricks - and I rarely was sick for very long. We didn't have to worry too much about GMO's and weird chemicals back then so I think we were far better off because we used more natural products.
After my serious diet rant yesterday I wanted to lighten up today's entry but I can't. I was so shocked about Matthew's death (as well as Russell Johnson's, the 89 year old actor from Gilligan's Island - one of the nicest men I've ever been privileged to know) that I needed to say my piece.
Please do yourself a huge favor and eat properly, get some exercise (walking is good! Light weight training too! Go out dancing, ride a bike, take a hike, but make it a fun exercise!) and try to cut sugar, GMO's and all those excess carbs out. If you're going to eat carbs, eat some fruit, a little bread, and brown carbs vs. white. Veggies have carbs too but the bonus of veggies is that there should be lots of fiber there so you get a good double whammy.
Go to the doctor once a year for a physical. The older you get, the more tests you have to do BUT it's a good thing to be proactive. Two years ago, I went on BP meds. I'm still on them but that seems to be my only vice. I was pre-diabetic (1 point away from full blown) and my cholesterol numbers were disgusting. I had bad circulation issues, my joints hurt, my stomach was always hurting and my intestines were raging a war. I had headaches all the time. My body was warning me that something was wrong. I ignored it for awhile because I didn't think I could make this lifestyle change and I really didn't think it would make a difference if you know what I mean.
Today things are 100% better. Having peace of mind that everything is healthy and in order is also a good feeling. I tend to stress out over things, making mountains from mole hills so I'm happy that I'm healthier because of a choice I made to eat right and to face my fears and go to the doctor and get tested yearly. I'll be honest though, I'm glad certain tests are every 10 years (colonoscopies) and others are every 2-3 years (mammograms) because they're not pleasant! Manageable though....don't let me scare you. The only reason I hate mammograms is that it's not fun having your boobs squeezed and having to stand still while they're being pinched by that damn machine! Luckily, it's only a few minutes of being topless!
But I digress..... back to that flu shot. Go get it the next time it's offered. I get mine when I have my physical (it was accidental timing last year so I lucked out) so I don't have to worry about a separate trip. The flu is not to be messed with..... it's a silent killer and I don't want to see another friend be taken by it when a shot could have saved their life. :-)
We all have our time on this earth and then we're called back to our higher power. I'm not here to push religion but I have a firm faith that there is a God and He does have a timetable for us. I always find it shocking though, when someone so young as Matthew dies. He died from complications of the flu and pneumonia. THE FLU.
Yee Gads.... this is scary stuff people. The flu can kill you. It's not something to be messed with. I was never a proponent for flu shots although when I was a kid and under Navy medical care my dad insisted I get them. He was always overprotective, especially after I caught pneumonia as a 12 year old. That was scary stuff. Even though that was almost 40 years ago, I still remember the painful cough and the disgusting drainage from the infection. My lungs were filled with the grossest stuff ever. It's a good thing antibiotics can help with that stuff. Anyway, I have to take flu shots now. I don't have a choice if I want to stay healthy. I caught the chicken pox as a 30 year old (another strain of pneumonia I found out from my doctor) and while I didn't feel super 'sick', my doctor was very worried because the chicken pox can (here's that word again), KILL. Dangerous illness for adults. I lucked out though.... I had the 'pox' all over my upper body (my scalp was the worst) but only a little on my torso and only 1 or 2 on my legs. It never entered my mouth so it never went internal which is what can lead to death in the adult. I am now more susceptible to pneumonia because of the chicken pox and my doctor gave me a stern talk about taking good care of myself. The weight loss, exercise thing came up and at the time, I wasn't heavy and I decided to just be generally more active and eat healthier so I was okay.
The thing is, we're a nation that constantly gives out antibiotics - not just for the serious stuff like pneumonia but for sinus issues and other minor infections. We've stopped dealing with the 'why' we're getting these things as opposed to fixing the it after the fact. Eastern medicine was something I grew up with since I lived in Japan for awhile. They were about herbs, teas, and natural products long before it became popular here in the States. They were about diet and preventative measures. I rarely got sick when I lived this lifestyle. Once I moved here permanently, that changed. Everything became about taking care of the problem once it was a full blown problem. Mind you, my mom was the best when it came to fighting colds & flu. She knew all the tricks - and I rarely was sick for very long. We didn't have to worry too much about GMO's and weird chemicals back then so I think we were far better off because we used more natural products.
After my serious diet rant yesterday I wanted to lighten up today's entry but I can't. I was so shocked about Matthew's death (as well as Russell Johnson's, the 89 year old actor from Gilligan's Island - one of the nicest men I've ever been privileged to know) that I needed to say my piece.
Please do yourself a huge favor and eat properly, get some exercise (walking is good! Light weight training too! Go out dancing, ride a bike, take a hike, but make it a fun exercise!) and try to cut sugar, GMO's and all those excess carbs out. If you're going to eat carbs, eat some fruit, a little bread, and brown carbs vs. white. Veggies have carbs too but the bonus of veggies is that there should be lots of fiber there so you get a good double whammy.
Go to the doctor once a year for a physical. The older you get, the more tests you have to do BUT it's a good thing to be proactive. Two years ago, I went on BP meds. I'm still on them but that seems to be my only vice. I was pre-diabetic (1 point away from full blown) and my cholesterol numbers were disgusting. I had bad circulation issues, my joints hurt, my stomach was always hurting and my intestines were raging a war. I had headaches all the time. My body was warning me that something was wrong. I ignored it for awhile because I didn't think I could make this lifestyle change and I really didn't think it would make a difference if you know what I mean.
Today things are 100% better. Having peace of mind that everything is healthy and in order is also a good feeling. I tend to stress out over things, making mountains from mole hills so I'm happy that I'm healthier because of a choice I made to eat right and to face my fears and go to the doctor and get tested yearly. I'll be honest though, I'm glad certain tests are every 10 years (colonoscopies) and others are every 2-3 years (mammograms) because they're not pleasant! Manageable though....don't let me scare you. The only reason I hate mammograms is that it's not fun having your boobs squeezed and having to stand still while they're being pinched by that damn machine! Luckily, it's only a few minutes of being topless!
But I digress..... back to that flu shot. Go get it the next time it's offered. I get mine when I have my physical (it was accidental timing last year so I lucked out) so I don't have to worry about a separate trip. The flu is not to be messed with..... it's a silent killer and I don't want to see another friend be taken by it when a shot could have saved their life. :-)
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