June marks the official start of summer. It’s also the month that we celebrate National Men’s Health Week, which takes place every year during the week leading up to and including Father’s Day. During this time (i.e. THIS week), our focus is (or should be) on the men in our lives and how we can support them in achieving optimal health and longevity.
The whole point of Men’s Health Week is to increase the life expectancy and quality of life for men and boys by promoting awareness of preventable health problems and encouraging early detection and treatment of disease. If you’re a man then the easiest way to participate is to head to your doctor’s office for a health screening and physical, then be sure to set up an annual screening for next year. If you’re a woman then you can participate by reminding and encouraging your dad, husband or brother to do this. On average, men visit the doctor only once every two years, which makes it difficult to detect health problems while they are still easy to treat, so this occasion offers the perfect opportunity to get the men in your life into an annual screening routine.
For those of you who are looking to be more active in your participation, the good people over at Howcast.com have put together a video to show you other ways you can take part in Men’s Health Week. While some of their suggestions are personal things that can (and should) be done all year long, like exercising and eating well, many of the activities they cover involve connecting with other people, like planning a health fair or organizing a “Wear Blue Day: in support of men’s health. One of the most important parts of Men’s Health Week is sharing information with others about the health risks that men face.
I like their last recommendation best: be sure to talk to the men and boys in your life about the most common health problems for men. Men tend to keep their health a private matter, which is why they don’t visit the doctor as often as they should, but by taking the initiative to talk with them about their health, you can get them to share things they normally wouldn’t and use that information to encourage timely action.
So what actions are you taking or encouraging in support of men’s health this week? Please share with us below.
But when June rolls around and it’s time to show dad some love, things can get a little more challenging. Men aren’t always great at making their needs known, so its hard to figure out how to really show our love and appreciation for them on their special day.
Still not sure what products pose the most harm? Start with the pile or bin of products you use daily. Anything that goes in your mouth or on your skin, are the biggest culprits to watch out for. Toss out toothpastes made with fluoride, mouthwashes made with alcohol, any products made with propylene glycol –as the key ingredient in anti-freeze this substance may be good for your car but not for your mouth or your skin!
Water is vitally important for a variety of essential bodily functions including digestion, absorption, circulation, and for facilitating excretory functions, as well as assisting the lymphatic system in moving toxins out of your system. It also plays a vital role in helping you make saliva, which helps protect against tooth decay; helps cushion joints; and plays a major role in maintaining body temperature. Since our bodies use and lose large amounts of water on a daily basis, our health and vitality depend on our ability to replenish this water by staying properly hydrated.
Our intestines are loaded with “good” bacteria (intestinal flora) that help break food down so the body can make use of its nutrients. Much of the “good” bacteria in your digestive tract also protects you from poisons in food and other infections like yeast infections which thrive on excess sugar in your gut. When you have an infection (like a bladder or upper respiratory infection), the antibiotics your doctor prescribes kill both good and bad bacteria. While you may rid yourself of one problem, in killing the “good” bacteria, you may be getting another problem. Women often get a yeast infection as a direct result of taking antibiotics for other infections. Then they are given a different antibiotic to address that problem and the cycle perpetuates. Or, as is often the case, the condition clears up only to return months or even years later.
Everywhere you go, germs and bacteria surround you and so does the fear of how they may harm you. The media is saturated with sensational stories about the hidden germs in hotel rooms, and the ever-encroaching threat of foreign and exotic, even life-threatening viruses. We have become obsessed with germs and bacteria, but bacteria are everywhere –around us and inside us. And even though we know that not all bacteria are harmful, we are constantly seeking to eliminate them … consequences be damned!
Let’s start by look at which 
Herbal sleep aids can come in the form of capsules, tinctures, tea bags or loose dried herb that can be used to make infusions – similar to, though slightly more potent than using tea bags. The most common ones used for relaxation and inducing sleep are Valerian Root, Passionflower, Skullcap, Chamomile, Lavender, Hops, and sometimes even Spearmint or Catnip. Rather than cause heavy sedation like Rx meds, most herbal remedies simply produce a calming effect that can assist in clearing the mind and reducing stress. They work fairly quickly, so you should know within 2-3 nights if the product you’ve chosen is the right one for you.
Most of us (75%) don’t consume enough daily amounts of this vital mineral. But You can address this problem by eating foods naturally high in magnesium like raw almonds and cashews, dates, brown rice, sardines, steamed shrimp, cheddar cheese, and roasted turkey. For a variety of reasons, including foods grown in mineral depleted soils, farming methods that don’t create nutrient-dense produce, and our consumption of processed foods, we simply don’t get enough magnesium in our diets, so taking it in supplement form can really help.
