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Turner Publishing Company - Tim Hennessy

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108 pages

English

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This is both a memoir of the author's path to becoming a doctor and a useful medical guide to achieving and keeping good health. This book can empower readers to take charge of their own health.

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Fitness

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Publié par	Turner Publishing Company
Date de parution	01 mars 2010
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781591205159
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0900€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

R ECALLED TO H EALTH
F REE Y OURSELF FROM A S ELF -I MPOSED P RISON OF B AD H ABITS
T IM H ENNESSY, M.D.
The information contained in this book is based upon the research and personal and professional experiences of the authors. It is not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician or other healthcare provider. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should be done under the direction of a healthcare professional.
The publisher does not advocate the use of any particular healthcare protocol but believes the information in this book should be available to the public. The publisher and authors are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of the suggestions, preparations, or procedures discussed in this book. Should the reader have any questions concerning the appropriateness of any pro cedures or preparation mentioned, the authors and the publisher strongly suggest consulting a professional healthcare advisor.
Basic Health Publications, Inc. 28812 Top of the World Drive Laguna Beach, CA 92651 949-715-7327 • www.basichealthpub.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hennessy, Tim
Recalled to health / Tim Hennessy. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-59120-515-9
1. Health behavior. 2. Health—Psychological aspects. 3. Lifestyles— Health aspects. I. Title.
RA776.9.H46 2009 613—dc22
2009021240
Copyright © 2010 Tim Hennessy
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the copyright owner.
Editor: Roberta W. Waddell Typesetting/Book design: Gary A. Rosenberg Cover design: Mike Stromberg
Printed in the United States of America
10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1
C ONTENTS
  Acknowledgments
  Introduction
1. Starting Point—Wanting to Be Healthy
2. Habit’s Role in Health
3. Willpower’s Role in Health
4. Cholesterol
5. Exercise
6. Blood Pressure
7. Nature’s Role in Health
8. Waist Management
9. Sleep
10. Living the Commitment to Better Health
  Epilogue
  References
  About the Author
This book is dedicated to Mary, May, Thomas, and Lizzy. My best of times are when I’m with you .
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
It was his wristband I noticed first. It said, “READ,” so I began talking books with him. This is how I met my agent, and this is where I need to start my acknowledgments. I owe a debt of gratitude to many people for helping me with this project, but none are more deserving than my agent, Stanley Budner. Your help has made all the difference, Stan. Thank you.
I also have to give a special thank you to my editor, Bobby Waddell. Your efforts helped to make my work shine, and from your efforts I learned a great deal. Thank you, too.
With writing, there is always a point when you have to show your work to someone outside your immediate circle of family and friends, someone outside your comfort zone. For Recalled to Health , this moment came when the University of Delaware graciously offered to review it. I can’t thank Dr. Donald Mell (English professor) and Karen Druliner (editor) enough for all their assistance and due diligence in critically evaluating this piece, making it worthy to submit to publishers.
As for friends, there are many to whom I am grateful, but in particular I have to thank Bob Pasquale, Alisa Bowman, Bob Catalano, and Damian Demnicki. Together, your support has been outstanding, your advice has been on the mark, and your confidence in me motivational. Thank you all.
As you will soon read, many of my stories are homegrown, straight from experiences dealing with my mom and dad. As someone once said, they didn’t tell me how to live, they lived, and let me watch them do it .
Lastly, and most importantly, I have to thank my wife, Mary, without whom this book wouldn’t even have been attempted. You have always been my inspiration. I am lucky to have you as my wife, and this book is for you.
I NTRODUCTION
I n a word, this book is about freedom . It is intended to promote your freedom by inspiring you to live healthier. In the process, it is hoped that you will become less dependent on our flawed healthcare system, less dependent on medications, and more emboldened to live life to its fullest, unrestrained by the physical constraints of poor health. For some of you, this book will help to maintain your health. For others, it will help reclaim it. In either case, it will help to strengthen your mind, so you can strengthen your body.
The focus of this book, and my reason for writing it, is to create a medical foundation for you that will give you a better understanding of medical topics, and will, in turn, empower you to take charge of your own health. Cholesterol, blood pressure, diet and weight management, exercise, sleeping habits, and the role of nature in health are some of the topics discussed in full here, along with suggestions for optimum actions, behaviors, or treatments. The chapters all end with a helpful summary of tips; the back of the book has numerous References, fully cited and listed by chapters; and there is a full Index.
Medicine—The Best and Worst of Times
A Tale of Two Cities , Charles Dickens’ inspiring story, opens with the classic line, “These were the best of times, these were the worst of times.” He was talking about the political and social life of Europe in the late eighteenth century, with a particular emphasis on the French Revolution. At the beginning, he related a cryptic message about someone being recalled to life after having been unjustly jailed in the Bastille for seventeen years.
It is not difficult to draw parallels to that phrase when discussing medicine in this time, an age of extraordinary medical advancements overall. On the plus side, the best of times include a technology that is unprecedented in its ability to help establish an accurate diagnosis; newer medicines continually being developed that are offering reasons for hope where there were none; and physicians who are increasing their skills by refining them and narrowing their scope, becoming more specialized in the process. The result of all this is seemingly unlimited potential for the world of medicine to help as never before.
Yet with all these advancements, there come many problems, which is where the other half of Dickens’ sentence about the worst of times comes into play. Those problems include a fairly significant portion of society that still has a limited access to medical care, and an even larger percentage that is worrying about how they are going to pay for the new technology, the new medicines, and the more specialized physicians. When factoring in the additional frustrations of dealing with the seemingly endless bureaucracy of health insurance companies, it is easy to see why people are not as happy about the advances as they could be.
These contrasts are even greater if you look at the realm of personal healthcare. Because of all the medical advances, people are actually living longer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that the average life expectancy for men rose to 74.4 years in 2001, representing an incredible three-year increase compared to ten years earlier. And the death rates for the three perpetually leading causes of death—cancer, heart disease, and strokes—were found to consistently decline during this same time period. More people are exercising. More people are watching their diets.
Yet, taken as a whole, society appears to be less healthy. As a nation, Americans are gaining weight in record numbers. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), over 64 percent of Americans, roughly two out of every three adults, were considered overweight in the year 2000. Approximately 31 percent of the population, 59 million people, were considered outright obese. With this weight gain, the expected impact on diabetes and hypertension naturally followed. The CDC reported that, during the 1990s alone, the incidence of diabetes increased from 5.1 percent to 7.3 percent and that of hypertension rose from 28 percent to 33 percent. More people are depressed. More people are anxious. And more people are feeling stressed than ever before.
Ultimately, people do not seem as happy as they should be, given the relative prosperity of the time. In many ways, this discontent seems to arise from not developing good habits—habits that represent the cornerstone of healthier living, and center on maintaining discipline about the small things in life.
If you can change the manner in which you do these small things, the ripples from this action can lead to a fairly large wave. The small changes can lead to lasting life-improving and life-prolonging results. In essence, small investments can pay huge dividends.
Paraphrasing Charles Dickens’ words about the man recalled to life from his lengthy prison sentence, I am writing about how people can be recalled to health, drawing on the inspiration I receive from many of my patients to hopefully inspire you in your efforts to change. I also hope to provide a framework that can serve as a practical guide to help you get started. In sum, I want to help you free yourself from a self-imposed jail of bad habits and be Recalled to Health .
1
S TARTING P OINT — W ANTING TO B E H EALTHY
My wealth is health and perfect ease . —S IR E DWARD D YER , M Y M IND TO M E A K INGDOM I S
“Y our health is your most valuable asset.” I can still hear my high school gym teacher saying those words twenty years ago. It was true then, it is true now, and it will always be true. Every time I have been sick, with even the most minor of illnesses, I’d think what I wouldn’t give to be feeling better. Your health is your most taken-for-granted asset, and it’s something that isn’t truly valued