Avoiding The 'Disease Iceberg'

Disease can be likened to an iceberg. By the time you notice it, it may be too late to do much about it. We mostly don't think too much about our lifestyle habits until we run into a problem. Avoiding the 'disease iceberg' means thinking about and planning for wellness. The recipe for wellness is really quite a simple one .. or, it should be. n Unfortunately today we don't live in an 'unspoiled' world so we have quite a few challenges to face as we endeavour to keep our bodies in a state of wellness. Feeling good can be just an illusion - the absence of pain or symptoms does not necessarily mean that we are in good health or that we are disease free. The facts are that:n

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• 35% of people have an undiagnosed chronic disease
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• Cancer can live 90% of it's life before being detected
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• 50% of the time the first indication of a heart problem is a Fatal heart attack
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• More than 196,000 people die and 2.2 million are injured each year by adverse reactions to prescription drugs (Alte ative Medicine, March 2000)
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• The use of prescription drugs is the 3rd leading cause of death
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• 65% of adult Americans are overweight, 30% are obese (National Centre for Health Statistics) and Australia is fast catching up.

We usually don't even think about these things until the 'aging process' starts to kick in or we experience some unwanted symptoms. As I see it, there are 10 main elements to think about when we consider what we need to do to ensure we remain healthy. It's very important:

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1. that we choose a healthy diet. Our bodies will respond well if we give them the correct fuel. How often, though, do we clog up our system with foods that have no nutritional value, and, in fact would be better thrown down the drain.
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2. that we supplement our diet. Unfortunately, no matter how careful we are about the food we choose we can't avoid the fact that, due to nutrient-depleted soil and water conditions and premature harvesting of produce, nutrient levels in many fresh fruits and vegetables has declined over recent years.
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3. that we keep our bodies hydrated. Most of us don't drink as much water as we should and there have been some alarming statistics about the quality of water in many cities all over the world, so we should drink only filtered water for maximum benefit.
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4. that we control our weight. Never before have we seen such a weight problem in our society as we are seeing now. Being overweight can exacerbate so many health conditions.
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5. that we drop any unhealthy-habits. Smoking is the main cause of so many diseases. Give it up NOW.
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6. that we exercise regularly. We all know how important it is to exercise - but do we do it? We'll gain many benefits from regular exercise.
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7. that we develop self-confidence. There are many strategies available to help you.
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8. that we learn to manage our stress levels. Stress is a growing problem in today's society and the cause of many illnesses.
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9. that we make time for fun and laughter in our lives. Laughter can increase our capacity to fight disease and is often referred to as 'the best medicine'
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10. it helps if we have the finances to survive, so be happy at your job or find some way to make your money that gives you pleasure.

You can find out more about all these elements of wellness and also have some fun while you rate yourself on the wellness wheel.