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The 10 Health Commandments
Life is full of choices and full of risks. To achieve a healthy and long life one needs to make the right choices and avoid risks.
The following is a list of lifestyle changes that one could try to take on - How about for a New Years Resolution???
1. Stop smoking
2. Become more active
3. Keep a healthy weight
4. Eat a healthy balanced diet
5. Take alcohol in moderation
6. Practice safe sex
7. Have your blood pressure checked every 3 years
8. Family history related checks
9. Breast feed babies
10. Immunisations
1. Stop smoking
There can really be no argument that smoking is bad for ones health. There is an
almost endless list of medical problems that result from the habit of
smoking.
If you need more convincing click here.
Millions of people are stopping smoking every day. Once you have decided to stop smoking you are well on the way to stopping. This is the most important part of stopping smoking - deciding when enough is enough.
Once you have decided to quit smoking then there are lots of places to get help.
Speak to your
doctor or nurse who can help you further.
Contact
Quitters - telephone number 023 8051 5221. This is an NHS clinic run in
Southampton to help people stop smoking.
Quitline
Smoking Helpline 0800 00 22 00. Open
9am – 9pm every day.
NHS
Smoking Helpline 0800 169 0 169 Open
7am – 11pm every day. Senior
advisors (counsellors) available 10am –11pm.
NHS
Pregnancy Smoking Helpline 0800 169 9 169
Open 12 midday – 9pm every
day.
NHS
Asian Tobacco Helplines
All lines open Tuesday 1pm – 9pm Answerphone out of hours.
Call-back service offered
|
Urdu Punjabi Hindi Gujarati Bengali |
0800
169 0 881
0800 169 0 882 0800 169 0 883 0800 169 0 884 0800 169 0 885 |
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2. Become more active
We
are all becoming increasingly less active. This may be because of television,
computers, cars, etc.
Lack of activity leads to many illnesses. Obesity, diabetes, depression, heart problems, blood clots - deep vein thrombosis, bone thinning - osteoporosis, etc.
However it is still a choice that we make everyday.
One does not need to spend lots of money and time in the gym. Simply being active for 10mins three times a day will improve ones health.
Just try it for a week. You will want to do more!
For further information see http://www.aso.org.uk/portal.aspx and click on 'factsheets'
3. Keep a healthy weight
Measure your
waist. An adult male waist should be 40 inches or less. An adult female waist
should be less than 36 inches or less.
If your measurement is greater than this, you are at greater risk of getting diabetes, high blood pressure and heart attacks etc. Overweight people are also more likely to have arthritis of the feet, knees and hips.
See your doctor or nurse for a healthy way of losing weight.
4. Eat a healthy balanced diet
A healthy
balanced diet contains mainly carbohydrates with protein, fats and vitamin and
minerals. Too much of one thing or another leads to problems for the body and
illness.
Choosing a healthy balanced diet
In 1997 the Government produced a set of guidelines for a healthy diet. These
are:
Enjoy your food.
Eat a variety of different foods.
Eat the right amount to be a healthy weight.
Eat plenty of foods rich in starch and fibre.
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Don't eat too many foods that contain a lot of fat.
Don't have sugary foods and drinks too often.
If you drink alcohol, drink sensibly.
For diet sheets see website
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5. Take alcohol in moderation
Alcohol is a drug
and like all drugs it has its correct dose to have its benefits. Exceeding the
dose will result in serious side effects. Some people are unable to tolerate
alcohol and get the side effects at low doses.
Generally alcohol intake should be a maximum of 21 units a week for adult males and a maximum of 14 units for adult females. This should be evenly divided over the week.
One unit of alcohol is approximately half a pint of beer, one measure of wine or spirit.
Alcohol misuse leads to serious social problems and mental and physical illness. Alcohol related problems impact enormously on the NHS. Click here for more information.
If you have problems with alcohol or if you know of someone with alcohol problems then get in touch with your doctor or contact
| OPTIONS, Alcohol and drugs counselling and information | 0800 0184 309 |
| Alcoholic Anonymous | 0845 769 7555 |
| Al-Anon | 020 7403 0888 |
Alcohol concern website
6. Practice safe sex
Sexually
transmitted infections (STIs) which includes HIV are a major cause of ill
health. They can also cause ectopic pregnancy (where an egg is fertilised and
becomes implanted in the fallopian tube), and may also lead to infertility in
both men and women.
Since 1995 there have been large increases in the number of people diagnosed with STIs, particularly women in their late teens and men in their early twenties. This may be because people are more aware of STIs and are visiting clinics to be tested.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms vary between STIs and some have no symptoms at all. Where there are symptoms, these may include unusual discharge from the vagina or penis, heavy periods or bleeding between periods, pain or burning sensation when passing urine, rashes, itching or tingling around the genitals or anus.
Tests and treatment
Most STIs can be easily diagnosed and treated at Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinics which are usually based in local hospitals. In Southampton the GUM Clinic is based at the Royal South Hants Hospital - the direct telephone number is 023 80825438.
If you think you may have an STI, you can refer yourself to any GUM clinic for advice and treatment. The service is completely confidential and you don't have to go to your nearest clinic if you don't want to.
Avoiding STIs
STIs are usually passed on by sex with an infected person though some can be passed on in other ways as well. They can be caught during oral, vaginal or anal sex.
Using a male or female condom every time you have sex will stop the transmission of most STIs. Condoms can be used in addition to another method of contraception, such as the pill, which does not protect against infections.
For further information on sexually transmitted infections click here.
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7. Have your blood pressure checked every 3 years
The
blood in our body is pumped around the blood vessels - the arteries - by the
heart. The blood is pumped at a certain pressure. If the pressure is too high it
causes a strain on the heart and causes damage to the arteries. High blood
pressure over a period of years results in an increased risk of Strokes and
Heart failure.
For more information on High blood pressure click onto the Blood Pressure Association website.
8. Family history related checks
Under
construction.
Please visit later for this information.
9. Breast feed babies
Breast
feeding is best. It gives the baby the best start in life.
Please see the following websites that give large amounts of information very
well.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/parenting/your_kids/babies_feeding.shtml
http://www.breastfeeding.nhs.uk/
http://www.abm.me.uk/index.html
http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/
10. Immunisations
Under
construction.
Please visit later for this information.
Last updated 02 September 2008