If you’re like 78% of the respondents in a recent study published in the Journal Of The American Medical Association, you believe you’re in pretty good health, even if you have high blood pressure, are overweight, diabetic, and taking prescription medication.
In the study, thousands of participants were contacted by phone and asked a series of health questions. Researchers had full access to each participant’s medical history, which was evaluated by a medical doctor prior to telephone canvassing.
Based on medical-doctor review, only 22% of the participants were in good to excellent health. Overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, taking prescription medication and so on excluded participants from the healthiest category.
A Surprising Truth Revealed
Amazing as it may sound, 78% of the participants self-assessed their health as between good to excellent… even though many were on blood pressure, diabetes, or cholesterol medication. Some, who self-assessed their health as excellent, were overweight enough to qualify as being clinically obese and others had been diagnosed with other serious health problems.
When asked specifically about the high blood pressure or the fact they were 35 pounds overweight, participants passed off the reality documented in their medical charts simply by saying things like, “except for the diabetes or high blood pressure or being overweight, I’m in excellent health.”
The Voice Of Health Speaks
This study is shocking!
With a margin of error of +/- 2%, the study clearly demonstrates that most people believe they are healthy even while actively being treated for serious health problems.
This is like someone claiming to be a millionaire, while being evicted from their apartment and having their car repossessed, the very idea is unsettling, yet according to the study, when it comes to health, ignoring reality may be the rule not the exception.
Source Of The Problem
I believe the reason so many can be so confused about what it means to be healthy is because there’s no clear-cut definition of what it means to be healthy and no simple, self-assessing way to tell for yourself just how healthy you really are.
Two Ways To Measure Your Health
Doctors measure health by the numbers.
Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, body weight, body fat percentage, liver enzymes and so on, everything has a number and if your number is outside of the healthy range, any medical doctor will tell you, you are not in good health and you need to take corrective action before a serious health problem develops.
Never argue with the numbers, if they are out of balance, something is wrong, or in the process of going wrong.
But great numbers don’t automatically mean great health.
If you’re numbers are good, but you’re overweight, tired, fatigued, stressed, plagued with aches and pains, and so on, you are NOT in good health and that’s that.
Dr. Russell’s Rules For Achieving Excellent Health
- Health By The Numbers: For excellent health, you need health-by-the-numbers. Your blood pressure, body weight, body fat percentage, and so on must be in a healthy range.
- Feel Great: When you’re in excellent health, you feel exceptionally well practically all the time.
- Become A Student: You’ve got to be a student of health and make improving your health a conscious priority, something you act on every single day.
- Harness The Power: You must put the power of diet, nutrition, and lifestyle and put it to work for you. This is what my 5 Steps To Optimal Health Program is all about. See http://www.5StepsToOptimalHealth.com
- Change Your Mind: You’ve got to change your mind about what it means to be healthy and about what you’re willing to happily do to develop excellent health.
What’s Next For You…
Your next step is simple and you’re already headed in the right direction. Keep reading, keep learning, and be willing to take action on what you learn.
There’s a LOT more to say on this subject so be sure and subscribe to the free newsletter so you receive notification as new information becomes available.
A Final Thought
If modern medical research has taught us anything, it’s proven that most of the worst health problems are related to insulin-related abnormalities, and insulin-related abnormalities are related to being overweight and having a high percentage of body fat.
If you are overweight one of the best things, you can possibly do for your health is to slim down and firm up and I believe your best possible resource to guide you to lose weight and keep it off for life is the 5 Steps To Optimal Health Program. Learn more at: http://www.5StepsToOptimalHealth.com
Written by Dr. Russell J. Martino, Ph.DThe Voice Of Health
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Dr. Russell,
A great post and I second the idea that we must become students of good health. When we are students we study, we practice new skills to master something and move closer to our degree or simply graduation right?
Living our best life in the best possible health requires learning and practicing. There is no other way around it. And if we know but don’t put into practice think of what we might be missing in terms of feeling good and enjoying life!
Keep these great posts coming.