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| Budget Stretcher's Articles |
You can't afford to get sick!
By Viola Horne
Benjamin Franklin said, "Early to bed, early to rise,
makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Considering healthcare and
prescription drug costs, you have to be healthy to be wealthy! Think about
this: Even if you only made minimum wage, the cost for losing five days of
work due to unpaid sick leave is over $260. According to a 2006 report,
the average cost for an emergency room visit is $560, and that's before a single
prescription is written or the first test is run. Check into a hospital and
you'll shell out on an average of $5,226 - a day! Even with insurance, the
co-pays and deductibles are enough to make you nauseous.
So what's a frugal person to do? Here are some of
the best tried and true tips for staying healthy, even when those around you
fall ill:
- Stay hydrated: Your body needs
water to function optimally. Water carries waste out of your
system. It brings needed nutrients and chemicals to every cell. It
provides lubrication for your joints and digestive tract. As a matter of
fact, there are over 50 reasons why your body needs water! Dehydration can
play a part in many illnesses like headaches, fatigue, high cholesterol,
obesity, high blood pressure, and arthritis. Did you know you can even avoid
catching a cold from re-circulated airplane air by keeping your nasal tissues
moist? Inhaling a light mist every few hours keeps the delicate membranes from
drying out and cracking which allows easier entrance for airborne
viruses.
- Get off your duff: You've
heard it before but it bears mentioning again: Exercise makes you
healthier. There's no getting around it. Exercise improves energy,
boosts immune function, improves sleep, increases good cholesterol, lowers
blood pressure, reduces the risk of diabetes, improves concentration, not
to mention contributing to weight loss! One doctor commented,
"There is no drug in current or prospective use that holds as much promise for
sustained health as a lifetime of physical exercise". Eighty
percent of the health problems once associated with aging are now
thought to be preventable or at least able to be
postponed if a person stays fit. A 30-minute walk most days of the
week is enough to boost your longevity by 29% and reduce your health costs by
an average of 24% over your sedentary neighbor.
- Build in some margin: Take it easy
on yourself. Rest is equally as important as exercise for maintaining a
healthy body and mind. Over two-thirds of doctor's office
visits are for stress-related illness. Stress contributes to 50% of
all illnesses in the U.S., including the number one killer of Americans, heart
disease. Building in margin means leaving some room around the
edges. Don't over-schedule yourself or your family. Make sure you
have some down time, some room for those little irritations that turn into
major headaches. Don't wait until the gas tank reads "E" - fill up at 1/4
full. Schedule a morning to sleep in, with nothing else to do until
noon. Don't try to make a 3:30 pm dental appointment for little Sally
when she gets out of school at 3:15 pm. Build in some wiggle room. Give
yourself time to breathe.
- Boost your brain power: People who
keep their minds sharp take better care of themselves. A study of 678
elderly nuns shows that those with the highest educational and intellectual
life suffer the least symptoms of Alzheimer's. Good concentration and
focus enable people to react faster, make better choices and feel better about
themselves. Do a crossword puzzle. Learn a new language. Calculate
your gas mileage in your head.
- Reduce your exposure to toxins:
Sick Building Syndrome, air pollution, water pollution, pesticides - the list
of chemicals that assault us goes on and on. Many common household
products contain alcohol, ammonia, bleach, formaldehyde, and lye. These
substances can cause nausea, vomiting, inflammation and burning of the eyes,
nose, throat, and respiratory system, and are linked with neurological, liver
and kidney damage, blindness, asthma, and cancer. EPA studies of human
exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor air levels of many pollutants
may be 2-5 times, and occasionally, more than 100 times higher than outdoor
levels. Cleaning products and other household products are among the many
culprits. New "green" products that are both safe for humans and
environmentally-safe are much better alternatives for cleaning and
disinfecting. Many essential oils are more effective than their
synthetic counterparts at cleaning and healing but don't have big
advertising budgets like some of the more profitable, "patentable"
products. Cleaning with vinegar and baking soda is also safe, cheap, and
effective!
- Eat real food: Don't eat fake
food. I'm not talking about plastic fruit or rubber chickens. The
supermarkets are filled with "pseudo-food": Twinkies, Cool-Whip, Snapple,
Cheez-Puffs, Cheez-Its, Cheez-Whiz, artificially-flavored,
artificially-sweetened, fortified, enriched, nutritionally-empty
non-food. Cut down on the stuff that is boxed, bagged, or
canned and go for food you can actually see. That way you at least have a shot
at consuming a vitamin or two.
You can see from these tips that health doesn't
cost much while illness can be quite expensive. If you really
want to stretch a dollar, the proverbial "Apple a day" is a good way to start.
To be healthy and wealthy, be wise.
Viola Horne is a free-lance writer and owner of God's
Country Botanicals in Colorado which produces chemical-free essential
oil products that are safe for the whole family. Visit her web
site at www.GodsCountryBotanicals.com.
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