We go to school to develop skills. We learn by doing, by making mistakes and not making them again. We get certified in a field. We do a lot of things to make us more money and have a better life. However, why do we not become even an entry-level expert in the things that could help us the most?
I am talking about our health and wellness. It is not taught in schools as we progress through high school. And, if it were, it probably would not be as beneficial. But, it would provide a good starting point to learn more.
I attended a seminar tonight on fitness and food nutrition. After the lecture was over I made a remark about gestational diabetes that was mentioned during the lecture. The presenter had worked in an office treating women for gestational diabetes. The treatments were treating the symptoms of diabetes.
Prior to World War II, doctors treated women with gestational diabetes with chromium. The growing baby was using up all the mother’s chromium supply. It resulted in gestational diabetes. It really wasn’t a problem like it is today.
The presenter’s response was that certain groups are afraid (legal or otherwise) of not saying something that is not approved in their business. Doctors can’t prescribe something that hasn’t been approved by the FDA for legal reasons. However, I’ve found that if you present a decent argument, the doctor can allow you to follow a certain protocol for a while and monitor the results.
If I were at the maximum weight allowed for my height during a flight physical in the Navy, I would tend to have higher than normal blood pressure. If I lost weight or exercised (either one), my blood pressure would be normal.
I would suggest to a doctor to allow me to lose some weight and exercise over the next three months. Then, have my blood pressure monitored again. He or she would probably go along with it. We have options, but we don’t know about them.
We want to be healthy during our later years. However, we aren’t educated as to what produces good health in our 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and beyond. And, if we did know what to do, then there is the problem of adhering to a lifestyle that would support good health.
Continual education is the mantra in many professions. Why is it lacking for our personal health? Professionals practice till they can’t get it wrong. Amateurs practice till they get it right. Yet, we don’t qualify as an amateur when it comes to our health for the long term.