To stay healthy, you must learn to adopt healthy habits in your daily life. These habits begin with your diet. A balanced diet is essential to good health. Nutritious food coupled with exercise not only keeps diseases at bay but also increases your body’s immunity to fight against them.

Make sure healthy foods like fresh vegetables, green, leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains are a part of your diet. Other healthy choices include skim milk, low-calorie fat-free cheese, low-fat yogurt, lean beef, tuna packed in water, egg whites, and tofu. When buying prepackaged food, always read the nutrition label, and avoid large amounts of saturated and trans fats. By making the right choices when you buy your food, you can avoid unhealthy weight gain and the health risks that accompany it.

Food is one important half of your daily effort to stay healthy. The other is regular physical exercise, which not only keeps the body fit, but is proven to help prevent high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. A brisk morning walk or jog is a great way to keep fit and active the whole day. Cycling and swimming are other possible additions to your exercise routine. Remember to consult a physician before you start any exercise regimen.

Sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, herpes, gonorrhea, and HIV are spread from one person to another through unprotected sexual intercourse. So, in addition to a healthy foundation of diet and exercise, one of the best decisions someone can make is to practice safe sex. Other than abstaining from sex, using a condom is one of the best measures someone can take to lower the risk of exposure to sexually transmitted diseases.

Addictions such as cigarette smoking, alcohol, and drug abuse can lead to health complications and a deteriorated quality of life. Smoking is responsible for many ailments including cancer of the lungs. Alcohol and drug abuse can also cause serious problems such as heart disease, liver disease, and depression. If you have any of these addictions, consult your physician. He or she can guide you in ways to overcome your addictions and reduce these risk factors.

You can ward off the progression of many types of disease if you know the early signs and symptoms to look for.

Heart disease and stroke

• High blood pressure is a warning sign for future heart disease. If you are over 45, have your blood pressure checked regularly. Health officials also recommend checking your cholesterol level regularly, as high cholesterol is a warning sign for both heart disease and stroke.

• Go to the hospital immediately if you experience any of the following warning signs of a stroke: dizziness while walking, numbness in your legs, arms, or on one side of your face, incoherent speech, or sudden vision problems.

Hearing loss

• If you find you have to make more of an effort to hear sounds and noises than you used to hear, it is possible you could have some hearing loss. Persons over the age of 50 in particular may begin to notice hearing problems. If you are concerned about possible hearing loss, consult your doctor.  

Do not neglect your gums

• If your gums bleed when you brush your teeth, it may be a sign of gum disease. Visit your dentist immediately.

Lung disease

• If you experience chest pain and tightness when you cough, if your phlegm is reddish in color, and if you have difficulty breathing, you could be suffering from lung problems. Talk to your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms.

Digestive, elimination, and joint disorders

Contact your doctor if you experience any of the following:

• If you suffer with symptoms such as severe stomach pain with constipation, a burning sensation in the mouth, or blood in your stool, you may have a disease of the digestive system.

• If you have a tendency to urinate often or experience a burning sensation in the genitals, you may have a serious bladder problem.

• If you experience pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints, you may be suffering from a serious joint or muscle problem.

Skin ailments

• If you notice that a mole on your skin has changed color or if a mole begins to itch and burn, that could be a sign of a skin problem, including skin cancer. Consult a doctor or dermatologist who specializes in evaluating moles.

Mental illness

• Depression, hallucinations, extreme worry, nightmares, and – especially – suicidal tendencies, can all be signs of serious mental illness or other health conditions.

•  A loss of interest in all activities including eating, or eating too much and then forcing yourself to throw up, are both serious conditions you should discuss with a doctor.

• Women who experience depression after childbirth should immediately seek treatment for postpartum depression.

Women’s concerns: breast and reproductive health 

• Women must be especially on guard for early signs of breast cancer. Monthly breast self-exams can reveal a lump in or around the breast. You should also watch for other signs of breast disease such as liquid oozing from the nipple or warmth and redness accompanied by a rash over the breast area.

• Women should also consult a physician if they notice severe itching and rash in the vagina, any unusual vaginal discharge, or if they experience severe pain during sexual intercourse. All are potential signs of disease of the reproductive system.

Once you have adjusted your daily habits and have educated yourself about the early warning signs of major medical conditions, make plans to focus on preventative measures that can address additional health risk factors.

Visit your doctor once a year. Regular annual health checkups are a great way to take responsibility for your health. Your doctor can identify problems in advance and help you prevent diseases, but only if you give him or her the opportunity. The type of annual exam you get should depend on your sex, age, family history, and lifestyle.

Screenings

You can work with your doctor to plan for regular health screening tests to catch a disease early when it is easier to treat. While there is no universal agreement on which test should be performed and on what timetable, work with your doctor to determine a schedule based on your age, sex, and family history.

Some screening tests are carried out routinely to prevent the development of a disease or when the existence of a disease is suspected.  Common screening tests include:

• Breast cancer and cervical cancer in women

• Prostate cancer in men

• Colorectal cancer

• Diabetes

• High blood pressure

• High cholesterol

• Osteoporosis

Vaccination

Vaccines are important for the prevention and control of many infectious diseases such as polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella, mumps, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). Some vaccines are given to newborn babies and children who have not yet developed immunities. Others are given to both adults and children prior to travel to prevent risk of exposure to diseases that may be present in the environment of particular foreign countries.

There are certain situations where vaccines are not advised, such as measles vaccination for children under the age of one, persons who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons (such as leukemia patients), or those who may not be expected to have an adequate response to vaccine. 

While some argue that vaccination may not be helpful, many vaccines offer the possibility of a significant reduction in mortality and morbidity among infants and children by increasing their immunity to contagious disease. Continued development and deployment of newer vaccines against the diarrhea-dysentery-pneumonia complex of illnesses could result in further mortality reduction.

Dangers of Secondhand Smoke

Even if you do not smoke, you may be at a risk for many acute and chronic diseases if you are frequently around a family member or friend who is a smoker. The secondhand cigarette smoke you inhale is equally harmful as smoking the cigarette itself. Numerous studies confirm that secondhand smoke can cause disease among nonsmokers by adversely affecting the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, resulting in coronary heart disease and lung cancer. A peer-reviewed, scientific study has confirmed that restaurants and bars located in smoke-free cities have 82 percent less indoor air pollution than restaurants and bars in cities that do not have smoke-free policies. While once controversial, such smoke-free policies are becoming more common.

Living a healthy lifestyle is a choice you make that can have a positive long-term impact on your quality of life. A healthy lifestyle means reducing those health risks you can control. Self-education about the signs and symptoms of disease, regular and periodic screenings and health checkups, appropriate vaccinations, and good diet and exercise habits are worth the effort. And chances are, once you adopt some healthy habits, you will enjoy the changes they make in you!