Health: Take responsibility for your well being;maintain balanced diet, stay in shape

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. (Dr.) James Kahrs
  • 22nd ADOS
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  As a physician for more than 15 years, I have seen tens of thousands of patients, all who have the similar goal of good health.

The particulars of the issues that bring them to me differ, but in the end, the goal is always the same.

Those of us who have been blessed with good health often take it for granted and don't think about it very often.

Unfortunately, some of us will occasionally ignore our health and do things that are harmful, not really understanding the significance of our actions.

The old adage of "You don't know what you've got until it is gone" is never as true as it is in relationship to our health.

In light of this, I thought I'd give a few bits of advice concerning your well-being.

The most important thing, is for each of us to be fully aware of the need to take responsibility for our own health. Not everyone receives the same genetic package
when it comes to health, but we all have the same opportunity to be involved
in the upkeep of what God gives us. This is the key.

There are plenty of people and companies willing
to sell products and services marketed toward the desire for good health, but none of these will remove the need to care for ourselves.

Everyone has heard it a million times, and it remains true, the foundation to good health is diet and exercise.

People who maintain a well-balanced diet with an emphasis on whole foods and limited junk foods do much better than those who do not. This includes refraining from tobacco usage and limiting
alcohol to occasional social use only.

Staying away from tobacco will do more for your health than just about anything. Regular exercise is also important.

The pay back from exercise is tremendous, and it only takes an hour or so three times a week to see results. Diet and exercise, if part of your lifestyle, will do more for you than all the doctors in the country. The last part of the formula is paying attention to the rest of the package.

Although time and space will not allow for an in-depth look, taking care of our mental and spiritual health is as important as caring for our physical bodies.

The truth is, we are three-part beings - mind, body and spirit - and each one of these parts is connected to and affects the others, so to be healthy, we must take care of all three.

Taking time to care for each of these aspects of ourselves is equally important and requires active participation on our part.

So, please take my advice. Take care of yourself, and do your part to put another doctor out of business.