 Staying healthy - prevention is better than cure Good health is something many of us take for granted - until we run up against a problem. But by taking the steps necessary for a healthy lifestyle you can reduce your risk of getting a serious illness. Here's a few things you can do to get healthy and feel better. - If you smoke, plan to give up. Every year around 114,000 smokers die as a result of smoking related diseases, like lung cancer and heart trouble. Smoking reduces fertility, causes the menopause to start earlier in some women and increases the risk of osteoporosis. No-one says that giving up smoking is easy, but you can get professional help. Ask any practice nurse or GP at The Practice for advice.
- Eat properly to stay in shape. Being overweight makes it more likely that you'll develop a serious illness. If you are overweight, a mix of healthier eating and exercise should help get your body back into shape. Being underweight is also dangerous. Anorexia and bulimia are serious disorders needing medical help.
- Go easy on alcohol. Too much can increase your chances of developing heart disease, liver damage and mouth and/or throat cancer. Men should not drink more than three units a day, women two. A unit is one 100ml glass of wine or 300ml of beer.
For more commonsense advice on staying healthy, talk to us at The Practice or visit one of the recommended sites below: Help to quit smoking NHS Direct
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=437 Patient UK
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/27001051/ Advice on alcohol NHS Direct
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=10 Patient UK
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068675/
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