[little*rhino]

i'm focused on protecting my somewhat fragile physical health, but i thought that most things can apply to anyone, with or without major illnesses.

feel free to add to these, and try to stick to factual rather than opinion where possible... links to good, *credible* articles would be nice too!

1. take a long hard look at your real situation and start with your food intake. For those with ED's, i'm not suggesting it's just a matter of deciding to do things differently, not one bit... but get real with yourself about it. Whether it is fixing/facing a major ed, or whether it's coming clean about just how much food a person is eating daily, none of us can improve on it without getting real. Just look at your real habits and be honest with yourself.

Take note of how much food you eat and what kinds. Look at the packaging... read the labels... keep track. Just aim for honesty at first.

2. Try to start making food from scratch if you can so you can control how much preservatives, etc go in. Eat fresh foods when you can. Think in terms of nutrients.

3. drink more water

4. get real about your movements... i have to watch everything i do, to protect my body from injury and i am frustrated by the lack of options for exercise (due to the sybdrome and due to $) But most people tend to underestimate how much they eat and overestimate how much they move... get a pedometer.

5. take vitamins... even the best balanced diet is hard to keep up enough of everything. Talk to a pharmacist about which ones to take and when if you take other medications. Vitamins (in pills or in our foods) and minerals can interfere with the absorption of medications and vice versa.

6. laugh more. Read bubble gum wrapprs, watch a sill movie, buy a whoopie cushion. repeat until you feel better.

7. if you dont have a pet and cant have one... then go to a petting zoo, or something and pet an animal.. studies have linked it to lower blood pressure

8. i was going to suggest massage.. but i know a lot of peeps here will recoil from being touched... and understandably so. What i suggest is that if you don't have an aversion to touch that you try to go get a therapeutic massage... it's very good for your lymph system and your muscles. DRink lots of water aftewards to help flush out the excess toxins. If you do have an aversion to touch, then maybe try to find a friend you do trust and ask them to volunteer to do something odd... ask them if they would just wrap their arms around you and hold you for maybe 5 minutes. Touch is central to our innner survival mechanisms and it helps stimulate positive brain chemistry.

9. do something nice for someone you don't know

any one else?

[Rmdctc]

Thanks LR for the tips!

[ECHOES]

Thanks for this, little*rhino

Practice relaxation/meditation regularly.

With some foods, like canteloupe, it's best to buy organic because of pesticides.

Get plenty of sleep.

[lynn P.]

Thanks little*rhino for the health tips. I would also like to add that experts recommend to supplement with vitamin D - it's helps with depression, body aches and preventing some cancers.

Another tip is to take care of your teeth daily with flossing and brushing. They now know bad oral hygiene can lead to premature birth, some cancers and can actually cause some heart desease - they've found the same mouth bacteria present in mal-functioning heart valves

Exercise and do some form of weight training - it improves a person's life dramatically.

[smiley1984]

The most recent study re: taking vitamins showed that people who take multivitamins have a statistically significant shorter life span; granted there could be many reasons for this but something to keep in mind and save your money. Taking particular vitamins which you have a known deficiency in is of benefit.

Everyone is looking for that magical treatment to help you live longer and healthier. There is only one thing that has consistently been demonstrated in many studies that has shown to make you live longer and that is calorie restriction. Not starvation but eating about 85% of the WHO recommended intake guidelines.