Five easy steps to a healthier lifestyle
Its actually pretty simple. Here are the main points in order of importance.
1. Stay active with daily exercise for your whole life.
2. Don't smoke, and drink alcohol in moderation.
3. Eat a varied healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, avoid too much sugar. Chilli's, nuts and dark chocolate may all have health benefits.
4. Take vitamin D supplements in the winter and expose your skin to a moderate amount of sunshine.
5. Take an interest in your family and join societies and clubs.
Vitamin D deficiency is very common, and it matters.
In summer we need at least 30minutes every other day of midday sun on our faces and bare arms to get enough Vitamin D. Sunscreen blocks Vitamin D production completely. In winter we use up our stores. It is found in fish, but not enough to make much difference. Deficiency leads to all sorts of problems - muscular pains and weakness, and possibly Diabetes and Cancer. It is now recommended that unless you are a real outdoor freak, you buy supplements. 10mcg =400u daily for children and young adults, 25mcg or 1000u for over 65's and possibly 2000u for housebound elderly.
Cancer screening review
Despite the views of Cancer charities, a lot of experts are now questioning the value of Breast and Bowel cancer screening. Prostate Cancer screening with the PSA test is now officially discouraged as it is simply not good enough at detecting Prostate Cancer, and leads to a lot of unneeded and unpleasant biopsy tests. The latest estimates on breast cancer screening are that approximately 1 death will be prevented by 300 people attending regular screening for 20 years and as a result the Swiss have decided to close their screening programme. Roughly 3 patients will be 'overdiagnosed' with breast cancer who would otherwise never had a problem for each death prevented.