Pearls for Good Health...

I just want to give a few suggestions for good health.  I hope you find these useful.
-See your doctor for an annual physical exam to include routine labs, CBC, CMP, Lipid Profile, and TSH.  Women an annual PAP smear is a must.
-After 40 years of age you will need a mammogram if you are a female and both male and females should receive a digital rectal exam to assess for rectal bleeding which can indicate colon cancer.  After 50 years of age everyone should receive a screening colonoscopy and a bone density test.
-Take all of your medicine as directed not only when remembered.
-30 minutes of exercise 3 days a week will make you feel so much better and help you lose weight.
-Wear shower shoes in public showers.  Toenail fungus is almost impossible to treat successfully.
-When using lotion to moisturize skin remember that lotion is a barrier.  If you put lotion on dry skin, you can prevent the skin from becoming hydrated.  Lotion is best used when you put it on after you shower or after the skin has been recently wet.  The lotion will help keep moisture in.
-When using calamine lotion for poison ivy remember to use it only on a rash that is weeping.  Calamine is a drying agent.  If you put it on a dry or non-weeping rash then you will cause the skin to become excessively dry and that can cause itching.  Try hydrocortisone on a dry poison ivy rash.
-Mega dosing vitamins will do nothing to improve your health and in some cases can be harmful.  Your body will only use what it needs so if you take more vitamins and minerals than you need your body will urinate it away.  But beware, fat soluable vitamins like A,D,E,and K can have an accumulative build up in the body and cause problems.  (Although, I am not sure anyone has ever had so much vitamin E to cause any neurological side effects)
-600 mg of Motrin will provide the same relief as 800 mgs.  So, if your provider wants to write you a script for 800 mg of Motrin save your kidneys and liver some work and ask for the 600 mg dose.
-Brushing your teeth is great but if you want to combat halitosis, try purchasing and using a tongue scraper.  You will be amazed what comes off of your tongue.  Don't worry about damaging your taste buds as they regenerate if they are damaged.
-If your fingers crack in the winter from the dryness or if you get a paper cut, try using a light coat of super glue over the wound.  It will stop the stinging and super glue is non-toxic.
-Men who are between the ages of 15-40 should perform monthly testicular exams.  Remember, testicular cancer is a young man's disease and presents as a painless lump about the size of a BB.  If found and diagnosed early the chance of survival is very high.
-Women when being treated for a UTI, be sure to ask for a 150mg tablet of Diflucan to combat the inevitable yeast infection that will occur when you take the antibiotics.  Take the Diflucan towards the end of your course of antibiotic treatment.
-When having a migraine, try drinking a cup of coffee or chug a Mountain Dew.  Caffiene is a vasoconstrictor and can reduce the vasodilitation phase of the migraine which is when the headache is the most severe.
-Most runny noses and sore throats are caused by viruses and will not be helped by an antibiotic.  So, don't be offended if your provider does not write you a script for an antibiotic.  Viral illnesses will run their course and you will be fine.  Just keep hydrated.
-When trying to get into shape, try adding wind sprints to your regime.  You will be amazed at the cardiovascular improvement you will get from this simple change in your workout routine.
-When visiting your doctor or if you are in the hospital, be sure to listen to your nurse.  Your nurse has most likely see it all and have great medical advice.  So, listen to them as they are better at explaining your problems than your doctor and their base of knowledge is more than you think.
-Paying extra money to purchase name brand medication is generally a waste of money.  The active ingredients in generic are the exact same as the similar trade named product.
-Floss your teeth.
-Diet soda's may not help you with weight loss.  Diet soda's fool your body into thinking that sugar or glucose is being consumed.  When this happens insulin is released in the blood and it is looking for sugar that will never arrive.  So, with all of this insulin floating around your body will send a signal to the brain asking for sugar.  This will initiate the hunger response and you will want to eat.  So, limit your diet soda intake. 
-Stretch daily.  Increased flexibility will reduce injuries during exercising and will help with joint mobility and reduce the effects of arthritis.

-Have your doctor examine your skin once a year.  If you notice a mole that is changing size, color, or shape and is bigger than a pencil erasure then see your doctor.
-If you have acne, don't waste money on acne washes or acne topical over the counter products.  Simply use soap and water and wash your face.  Acne isn't a matter of dirt or 'oily build up' on the face.  Acne is secondary to a hormonal shift.  If you suspect an infectious folliculitis then see your provider and they will treat you with an oral antibiotic.
-If you are going to travel out of the country, go to the CDC website and look up the vaccinations required for the country that you are visiting.  They have an awesome site where endemic diseases and travel medical advice is given.  Most hospital groups have a Travel Clinic that can offer you the vaccines that you need prior to leaving country.
-There are many more medical pearls and I will post some more at random as the year progresses, but perhaps the most important thing you can do for your good health is to pray.  God blesses those whom he loves.
I hope you are well and I thank you all for your prayers.  It is hard to see where the Lord leads us but I have to believe he knows where he is going.  Also, please pray for the soldiers on our base.  Violence and attacks on our base have increased and so we are on a heightened state of alert.

The Lord will use those who are willing to go...