Without being morose, we all know that our days on Earth have a shelf-life. Maintaining good health is a challenge at all ages, but the young’uns have a leg up on us older folk. That said, there are ways to prolong health and vigor.
As I write this, there is an ache between my shoulder blades and my left arm is pulsating. The ache is from a workout yesterday, the pulsating is from the Shindrix vaccine that is supposed to ward off Shingles. Make no mistake, I’m fighting tooth and nail to delay the decay!
A popular discussion about anti-aging techniques starts with Functional Medicine, an approach that uses detailed blood work and supplements to delay the aging process. It’s interesting that Big Pharma supports none of these techniques and leans toward waiting until the disease process is well under way to offer remedies. Vaccines are exceptions, but if you try to use insurance to support attempts to maintain health through alternative methods and you’ll see what I mean.
Acupuncture and Chiropractic are forging the way to reimbursable alternatives, but for those whose insurance is minimal (usually the neediest members of the population), the “wait to get sick” approach is what is affordable.
Some of us deal with these issues through denial. Having gone through lung cancer with my father after his years of smoking, when I see someone lighting up, I have a flashbulb memory of the bloody tissues, hacking cough and suffering I witnessed. Combine those memories of cancer with draconian chemo and radiation therapies, and I am very motivated to make choices mindfully.
We shouldn’t passively wait to get sick. We must create health both physically and mentally. Each day of wellness is a blessing to be cherished and supported with sometimes inconvenient and costly choices. The alternative is much less convenient and costly!
With love, Rosanne