| The month of June is a time to honor and support our father’s, husband’s, brother’s, son’s and all the men in our lives as June is Men’s Health Month. The purpose of Men’s Health Month is to heighten awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease. Why is this important? |  |
- On average men live 5 years less than women
- 1 in 2 men will develop cancer
- Men have a higher death rate for most leading causes of death – including cancer, diabetes, heart disease and suicide
- 30,000 men in the US die each year from prostate cancer
- Men make ½ as many physician visits for prevention as women
- Men are more likely to be uninsured than women
Friday June 15th is Wear BLUE Day to show concern for the health and wellbeing of boys and men, raise awareness of the importance and male health and to encourage men to live longer, healthier lives.
Sunday June 17th is Father’s Day!
According to healthline.com, the top 10 health risks for men are:
- Heart health
- Respiratory diseases
- Alcohol
- Depression and suicide
- Accidental injuries
- Liver disease
- Diabetes
- Flu and pneumonia
- Skin cancer
- HIV and AIDS
Nearly one in every three deaths in America is from cardiovascular disease. There are 10 major risk factors that have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease. The more risk factors you have, the greater your chance of developing it.
Non-Modifiable Risks (These can’t be changed)
- Age
- Gender
- Family History
Modifiable Risk Factors (These you can control or change)
- High blood cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Physical Activity
- Obesity and overweight
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Poor Diet
The American Heart Association recommends Life’s Simple 7 keys to cardiovascular disease prevention:
- Eat Right – When you eat a healthy diet you improve your changes of feeling good and staying healthy
- Lose Weight – Most Americans older than 20 are overweight or obese. About 32% of children are overweight or obese
- Get Moving – One in every three U.S. Adults reports participating in NO leisure time physical activity
- Stop Smoking – 6% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 report being current smokers. Among adults 19% of men and 15% of women are smokers
- Manage Blood Pressure – About 80 million US Adults have high blood pressure. That’s about 33%
- Control Cholesterol – More than 40% of American adults have total cholesterol levels above 200mg/dL
- Reduce Blood Sugar – About 21 million Adults in the US have diagnosed diabetes. That’s almost 9% of the adult population.
Life’s Simple 7 keys are built on the 7 modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Even modest improvements to your health will make a big difference.
What’s the number one change you can make to improve your health and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease? Quit Smoking! Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death. In 2015 there were 7.2 million deaths worldwide attributed to tobacco use. 5.2 million of those deaths were males. According to the American Lung association, every year more men are diagnosed with and developing lung cancer than in years past. Smoking remains the leading cause of lung cancer.
Quitting smoking is hard. You need a plan, support and time. According to the American Lung Association only 4 to 7 percent of smokers who try to quit “cold turkey” are successful in staying smoke free (3). Fortunately there are many resources and products available to support you on this journey.
It can take one to three months for the body to go through the withdrawal process and for physical withdrawal symptoms to subside. Psychological symptoms are more difficult in the long run. Cigarettes may have become part of the coping strategies for smokers. People who quit smoking have to find new ways to cope with anger & anxiety, relieving boredom, social interactions and more. Native Remedies® has two unique, natural, homeopathic remedies to help make quitting smoking easier and increase your chances of success: MediCrave™ and QuitCalm™.
MediCrave – to help alleviate the craving for cigarettes
- Nicotine Free
- Encourages calmness and equilibrium
- Soothes agitation and restlessness associated with quitting
- Reduces the craving for a cigarette
- Reduces insomnia related to nicotine withdrawal
Regular use of MediCrave helps to alleviate the craving for a cigarette, thereby making the adjustment and withdrawal process easier to manage and increasing your chance of success. MediCrave is safe and side-effect free.
QuitCalm – to reduce the moodiness, agitation and irritability that can accompany nicotine withdrawal.
- Nicotine Free
- Encourages calmness and equilibrium
- Soothes agitation and restlessness associated with quitting
- Reduces the craving for a cigarette
- Reduces insomnia related to nicotine withdrawal
Regular use of QuitCalm helps to calm and soothe your nerves and reduce that jittery feeling that comes with quitting smoking, thereby maximizing your chance of success. QuitCalm is safe and side-effect free.
Both MediCrave and QuitCalm are effective on their own, but have been formulated to and are recommended to work together.
A holistic approach to quitting smoking holds the best chance for success. Here are some tips to help guide you on your journey:
- Prepare low-fat snacks such as carrots, fresh fruit, plain popcorn or sugarless gum
- Do active things where smoking doesn’t fit in
- Take up a hobby to keep busy
- Call a friend when the urge to smoke arises
- Leave or avoid situations that make you want to smoke
- Avoid stimulants like coffee and alcohol which can trigger the need to smoke
- Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day to help flush the toxins out of your system
- Implement a healthy eating plan
- Take up a daily form of exercise
Which of Life’s Simple 7 Keys will you start working on in June? Remember, even modest improvements can have a beneficial impact.
To Good Health!